This year, ASH proudly celebrates its golden anniversary, which marks the birth of the organization and, more importantly, the history of unprecedented growth and advancement during the last 50 years in the field of hematology. We invite you to join us in this year-long celebration, which will culminate at the 50th ASH Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA, from December 6-9, 2008. Take a trip back in time and learn more about the fascinating field of hematology and the establishment of ASH by visiting the various historical sections listed below. New information will be added throughout the year, so please return to this page often.

“The American Society of Hematology: a success at age 50”
In this article, the late Dr. Ernst R. Jaffé (1983 ASH president) and Dr. Kenneth A. Kaushansky (2008 ASH president) discuss the origins of the Society and its journal, Blood.

The History of ASH and Important Dates for 2008
Learn more about the history of the Society by downloading this colorful 2008 calendar (17 MB), perfect for your home or office. To request a hardcopy of the calendar, please contact Rebecca Livesay.

Gallery of ASH Presidents
As of this year, ASH has had 49 presidents. Learn more about each of these distinguished leaders by taking a tour through the Gallery of ASH Presidents.

Legends in Hematology
Read about the many hematologists who have been instrumental in the development of ASH and have greatly advanced the field through their contributions in research, practice, and teaching. This section includes profiles of these notable leaders, oral history interviews, and photographs. A different hematologist will be featured each month and webcasts of on-camera interviews will be added later this year.

Blood: ASH 50th Anniversary Reviews
Each month Blood, the Society's scientific peer-reviewed journal, will publish historical reviews about advances made in the field.

ASH Receives Congratulations on its Anniversary
ASH has recently received congratulations on its 50th anniversary from both Senator Arlen Specter and Representative Michael Castle. Both are long-time supporters of increased funding for biomedical research at NIH.

Senator Specter, a Hodgkin lymphoma survivor, recognized the many accomplishments of hematologists in translating research funding into effective treatments and cures for hematologic diseases and conditions during a speech on the floor of the United States Senate.

Representative Castle, a continued advocate for expanding federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, during a speech in the United States House of Representatves applauded hematologists for the development of therapies to several diseases using hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

ASH greatly appreciates those individuals and institutions that contributed photographs for the 50th anniversary. If you have any photographs that illustrate the history of hematology or ASH, please contact Rebecca Livesay.