FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT SYMPOSIUM ENCOURAGES INTEREST IN SCIENCE AND MEDICAL RESEARCH
(SAN DIEGO, December 3, 2004) – Interactive lectures and hands-on exhibits await youth who attend a special symposium hosted by the American Society of Hematology (ASH) to encourage interest in hematology, the biological sciences, and medical research.
The half-day event will be held Friday, December 3, in conjunction with the 46th ASH Annual Meeting at the San Diego Convention Center. Nearly 300 students from San Diego’s high schools are expected to attend.
Scheduled activities begin with a breakfast for the students hosted by the ASH Trainee Council and Joseph Mikhael, M.D., from the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, Canada, who will talk about how to begin a career in medicine. The program will feature lectures on two significant topics in hematology: one on sickle cell disease, presented by Michael Bender, M.D., Ph.D., of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and one on bone marrow stem cells and leukemia, presented by Renate Pilz, M.D., of the University of California - San Diego.
Exhibits prepared by the Scripps Research Institute and University of California - San Diego, Amgen, Chrono-log Corporation, Pharmion, and Ortho Biotech on topics such as stem cell therapy, DNA, and platelet testing will be on display throughout the event.
ASH is also sponsoring a poster and essay contest for the symposium participants. Teams of students are invited to conduct research on symposium topics and then showcase their collective methods and findings at the event. The top three posters will be selected on-site, and the winners will receive $1000, $750, and $500, respectively.
“The symposium is an important part of ASH's commitment to education and community outreach,” said Elizabeth Hexner, M.D., Chair of the ASH Trainee Council, a group that helped organize the event. “This is the tenth year that ASH has put on the High School Student Symposium and its continued success shows that young adults are excited about biomedical sciences and this type of stimulating educational program.”
The American Society of Hematology 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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