Current ASH Scholars

Transfers
In the event the scholar transfers to another institution during the funding period, continuation of the funding at the new institution may be allowed with prior approval from the Society. To obtain permission, the scholar must make a request in writing to the Society before the transfer occurs.

Reallocation of Funds
The scholar may request a reallocation of funds from one expense category to another by submitting the request in writing to the Treasurer at the Society’s headquarters. This written request must specify the dollar amount, which categories are impacted, and a justification as to why this change is necessary.

All transfer and/or rebudgeting requests must be sent to the attention of Courtney Krier at ASH Headquarters, who will work with the ASH Treasurer to make final determinations.

Progress Reports
Scholar Award recipients are required to submit annual progress reports to the Society. The progress reports include a summary of the work performed and reprints of publications written by the scholar during the term of the award. This must be a two-page summary of the work accomplished in the first year of the award. This summary should be accompanied by a letter from the scholar’s Division Head or Department Chair requesting the second year of funding. It should also provide assurances that the scholar’s work has progressed and that both appropriate facilities and the scholar’s mentor will continue to be available to the scholar. Failure to submit the progress report after the first year will render the scholar ineligible for the second year of funding. The recipients will be expected to cite support from the American Society of Hematology in any publication describing research conducted during the period of the award.

Final Reports
A final written report (not to exceed five pages) is expected within 30 days of the end of the award period. Scholar Award recipients, along with the financial officers from their institutions, must also submit a financial report detailing how the funds were used over the two- or three-year period. This report must be sent to ASH Headquarters to the attention of Courtney Krier within 60 days of the end of the award period.

2008 Scholar Award Winners Announced

ASH is proud to announce the newest class of ASH Scholars. ASH received many applications of extremely high quality this past year. The following individuals submitted outstanding applications and we congratulate them on their success. We look forward to great things from them in the coming years!

Basic Research Fellows

Silva Buonamici, PhD
New York University
The NF-kB and Notch1 pathways in the pathogenesis of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Xuefang Cao, PhD
Washington University
Mechanisms of tumor-induced regulatory T-cell activation and function

Kira Gritsman, MD, PhD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Role of the PI3 Kinase/AKT pathway in hematopoiesis and leukemia

Jeanne Henderickson, MD
Emory University
Regulation of red blood cell alloimmunization in different subtypes of recipient inflammation

Han Liu, PhD
Washington University
The role of MLL in DNA damage checkpoint and its implication in leukemogenesis

Shannon McKinney-Freeman, PhD
Children's Hospital Boston
Characterization of embryonic stem cell-derived hematopoietic stem cells

Akil Merchant, MD
John Hopkins University
The hedgehog signaling pathway in normal and malignant hematopoiesis

Charles Mullighan, MBBS, MD, MSc
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
High-resolution and genomic epigenetic analysis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Eric S. Mullins, MD
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Thrombin and thrombin targets in allergic airway inflammation

Matthew Strout, MD, PhD
Yale University
Targeting of activation induced cytidine deaminase during somatic hypermutation

Jianchang Yang, MD, PhD
Nevada Cancer Institute
Role of SALL4 in the leukemic stem cell maintenance

Clinical/Translational Research Fellows

Elizabeth Hexner, MD
University of Pennsylvania
Predictors of therapeutic responsiveness to CEP-701 in myelofibrosis

Joshua Schiffman, MD
Stanford University
Novel genomic approach for risk-stratification of childhood leukemia

Geoffrey L. Uy, MD
Washington University
Targeting the CXCR4-SDF-1 axis as treatment for relapsed/refractory AML

Jing Yang, PhD
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Targeting β2-microglobulin for induction of tumor apoptosis in myeloma

Basic Research Junior Faculty

Natalia Beglova, PhD
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Structural and functional studies of β2GPI complexes with the LDLR family receptors

L.R. Devireddy, DVM, PhD
Case Western Reserve University
Role of lipocalin 24p3 in apoptosis and myeloproliferative disease

Takahiro Maeda, MD, PhD
City of Hope National Medical Center
Role of the proto-oncogene LRF in normal B-cell development and lymphomagenesis

David Motto, MD, PhD
University of Iowa
Mechanisms of shared pathophysiology between TTP and HUS

Cindy N. Roy, PhD
Johns Hopkins University
Regulation of erythropoiesis in inflammation and frailty

Loren Walensky, MD, PhD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Chemical dissection of the molecular trigger mechanisms for BAX-induced apoptosis

Zack Wang, PhD
Maine Medical Center
EphB4 regulation of hematopoietic and endothelial progenitor cell fate

David C. Williams Jr., MD, PhD
VCU Health System
Developing a methyl cytosine-binding protein complex as a molecular therapeutic target

Chengcheng Zhang, PhD
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
The role of angiopoietin-like proteins in expansion of hematopoietic stem cells

Clinical/Translational Research Junior Faculty

Heidi Klepin, MD (ASH-ASP Scholar)
Wake Forest University
Investigating the relationship between physical function, comorbidity, cytogenetic risk group, and prognosis in older adults with acute myelogenous leukemia

2007-2009 Scholars

Below are the Scholar Awardees being supported from July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2009.

Basic Research Fellows

Larry D. Bozulic, PhD
University of Louisville
Nonmyeloblative conditioning to establish induction of islet transplants

Jalila Chagraoui, PhD
Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer
Regulation of HSC self-renewal by Bmi1 and associated proteins

Francesca Ficara, PhD
Stanford University
Role of the PBX1 proto-oncogene in the regulation of adult hematopoieis

Maria E. Figueroa, MD
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
An integrative genetic and epigenetic characterization of normal karyotype acute myeloid leukemia (AML)

Tobias Ragoczy, PhD
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Peripheral localization and regulation of the murine B-globin locus

John B. Walker, PhD
University of Alberta
Identifying the component in plasma that inhibits the intrinsic antifibrinolytic activity of carboxypeptidase N

Junping Wei, MD, PhD
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
A novel model of MLL-AF9 leukemia using primary human HSPC in NOD/SCID mice

Clinical/Translational Research Fellows

Dan Vogl, MD
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Individualization of high-dose melphalan for myeloma: Effect of obesity and renal function on melphalan pharmacokinetics

Robert Zeiser, MD
Stanford University School of Medicine
Visualizing regulatory T-cell function and trafficking patters after murine allogeneic bone marrow transplantation via in vivo bioluminescence imaging

Basic Research Junior Faculty

Paul J. Galardy, MD
Mayo Clinic
De-ubiquitination and the IL-2 response: An in vivo approach

Hanno Hock, MD, PhD
Massachusetts General Hospital
Zinc finger transcriptional repressor Gfi-1 in stem cells of normal hematopoiesis and leukemia

Hanna Mikkola, MD, PhD
The Regents of the University of California
Mouse models for defining hematopoietic stem cell development in the placenta

Emmanuelle A. Passegue, PhD
University of California, San Francisco
Role of JunB in leukemic stem cell transformation: Implications for myeloid leukemia and targeted therapy

Ethan J. Weiss, MD
University of California, San Francisco
Sex differences in hemostasis and thrombosis in mice: The role of the growth

Clinical/Translational Research Junior Faculty

David Miklos, MD, PhD
Stanford University
Allogeneic B-cell responses and chronic GVHD after hematopoietic cell transplantation

Sattva Neelapu, MD
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Identification of novel tumor-associated antigens in follicular lymphoma

2006-2008 Scholars

Below are the Scholar Awardees being supported from July 1, 2006, to June 30, 2008.

Basic Research Fellows

Benjamin Braun, MD, PhD
University of California, San Francisco
Ras and SHP-2 signaling in hematopoietic growth control

Jonathan Grim, MD, PhD
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Deregulation of Fbw7 and notch as a mechanism of T-cell leukemogenesis

Mondira Kundu, MD, PhD
Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute
Role of Ulk1 and autophagy in erythroid maturation

Ross Levine, MD
Brigham and Women's Hospital
The role of the JAK2 V617F disease allele in the pathogenesis of myeloproliferative diseases

Dinesh S. Rao, MD
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Generating instructive immunity against B-cell lymphoma

Michael P. Rettig, PhD
Washington University School of Medicine
Preclinical models to regulate GVHD and GVL using regulatory and genetically modified T-cells

Clinical/Translational Research Fellows

James Bradner, MD
Broad Institute of Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology
A chemical genetic approach to protein catabolism in multiple myeloma: Discovery and Characterization of Selective HDAC6 inhibitors

Sarah O'Brien, MD (ASH-Wallace H. Coulter Foundation Scholar)
Columbus Children's Hospital
Thrombophilia screening in children with venous thromboembolism: A cost-effectiveness analysis

John J. Strouse, MD
Johns Hopkins University
Cerebral blood flow and neurocognitive function in children with sickle cell disease

Basic Research Junior Faculty

Ricardo C.T. Aguiar, MD, PhD
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Intersection of the cAMP-PDE4B signals and survival pathways in B-cell lymphomas: Transcriptional control and relevance for targeted therapy

Titus Boggon, PhD
Yale University School of Medicine
Structure/function studies of janus kinase family members

James J. Hsieh, MD, PhD
Washington University
The roles of taspase1 and MLL proteolysis in hematopoiesis

Ruhikanta A. Meetei, PhD
Cincinnati Children's Hospital
Role of FAAP250/FANCM enzymatic activities in the FA-DNA repair function

David Traver, PhD
University of California, San Diego
Utilizing zebrafish for new insights into embryonic hematopoiesis and childhood leukemia

Clinical/Translational Research Junior Faculty

Koho Iizuka, MD
University of Minnesota
"Masking-self" hypothesis for NK cell tolerance and graft-versus-leukemia