The American Society of Hematology and the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation Announce Debut of New Hematology Award

(WASHINGTON, December 7, 2007) – The American Society of Hematology (ASH) and the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation are proud to announce the establishment of the Wallace H. Coulter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Hematology. This Award will recognize an individual who has demonstrated a lifetime commitment and outstanding contribution to hematology, and who has made a significant impact on education, research, and/or practice. The first recipient of this annual award is Ernest Beutler, MD, of the Scripps Research Institute, who will be honored in December at the 49th ASH Annual Meeting in Atlanta. 

Wallace H. Coulter was an engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur who applied engineering principles to solving biomedical problems. He invented the Coulter Principle in 1948. The Coulter Principle, which led to the Coulter Counter, provides clinicians and scientists with a high throughput method to count and size particles or cells as they flow through the aperture’s sensing zone. This simple, but elegant invention revolutionized hematology and the practice of laboratory medicine, pioneered the field of flow cytometry and defined particle characterization. The invention continues to be used today in the fields of medicine, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals, as well as food, beverage, ceramics, cosmetics, toners and paint. Mr. Coulter received the first of his 82 patents in 1953 and started his company, Coulter Corporation. The company grew to become the world leader in cellular analysis equipment, reagents and service. It remained private until purchased by Beckman Instruments in 1997.

Mr. Coulter’s vision was “Science Serving Humanity”. To accomplish this, he invested heavily in research but always with the goal of transforming the research laboratory advances into practical solutions that benefited patients. He had a clear mission to convert these scientific discoveries into medical products routinely used for laboratory diagnostics and disease treatment.  In 1989, Mr. Coulter received the only Distinguished Achievement Award ever given by the American Society of Hematology. ASH and the Coulter Foundation established the Wallace H. Coulter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Hematology to honor Wallace’s legacy by recognizing others who have made outstanding contributions in the field of hematology.

“We’re grateful for the longstanding partnership that ASH has with the Coulter Foundation, and the selection of Dr. Beutler as the inaugural recipient of this prestigious award could not be more fitting,” said ASH President Andrew I. Schafer, MD, of the New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center. “Dr. Beutler’s career has had a tremendous impact on the field, leading to a better understanding of biochemical and genetic causes underlying red blood cell disorders.”

Dr. Beutler’s career as a physician-scientist has spanned more than half a century. Among his many accomplishments, Dr. Beutler originated the concept of X-chromosome inactivation in human females, independently of mouse geneticist Mary Lyon, and provided the first formal proof of this phenomenon – an insight that has become one of the cornerstones of mammalian genetics. He also developed screening tests for the genetic disorders galactosemia and Gaucher disease. He is currently Professor and Chairman, Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA.

Dr. Beutler will receive his award prior to the Plenary Scientific Session on Sunday, December 9, at 1:30 p.m. EST in Hall A1. For the complete annual meeting schedule and additional information, please visit www.hematology.org/meetings/2007.

Reporter inquires may be directed to Laura Stark, ASH Communications Specialist, at lstark@hematology.org or 202-776-0544.

The American Society of Hematology (www.hematology.org) is the world's largest professional society concerned with the causes and treatment of blood disorders. Its mission is to further the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders affecting blood, bone marrow, and the immunologic, hemostatic, and vascular systems, by promoting research, clinical care, education, training, and advocacy in hematology.

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