• New Award Fosters Hematology Careers for Minority Scholars
• Stem Cells Garner the Interest of News Media at the ASH Annual Meeting
• ASH Assists Victims of Hurricane Katrina
• Announcing the ASH-EHA International Fellowship Award
• Editor Search Announcement
• ASH Members Awarded Membership in the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies
• ASH Web Site Offers Users More Features Than Ever Before
• ASH Enhances Image Bank

NEW AWARD FOSTERS HEMATOLOGY CAREERS FOR MINORITY SCHOLARS

Interview with Dr. Griffin Rodgers, past recipient of MMFDP Award

The ASH-AMFDP Award, created in partnership with the Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), aims to increase the number of scholars from historically disadvantaged backgrounds appointed to academic and research positions in hematology. Although the ASH-AMFDP is a new program, several ASH members were fellows in the program's previous incarnation, the Minority Medical Faculty Development Program (MMFDP) [see box].

The Hematologist recently interviewed past MMFDP participant Dr. Griffin Rodgers to get his perspective on the program. Dr. Rodgers currently serves as chief of the Molecular and Clinical Hematology Branch of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) at the National Institutes of Health.

1. You were one of the first participants in the RWJF's Minority Medical Faculty Development Program (MMFDP). How did you first hear about the program and what prompted you to apply?

   I heard about it from a colleague at Brown University, my former medical school, since the initial ads about the program were targeted to medical schools. After residency training, I had come to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on an individual postdoctoral fellowship (F32), which would soon end. Since I had experience writing grant applications, I thought the MMFDP might provide additional career development support. I was very fortunate to receive the RWJF's MMFDP award and join the 1983 cohort of MMFDP fellows.

2. What was your experience with the MMFDP?

   I had an outstanding, richly rewarding experience in the program. In addition to having the great benefits of local mentoring, I joined the larger Robert Wood Johnson community of investigators. The MMFDP participants meet annually to share successes and failures and to solicit input from colleagues and National Advisory Committee members.

3. How did the program help you in continuing your career?

   The program provided me mentoring and networking opportunities that were critically important at that stage of my career. It expanded my interactions with senior scientists, deans of medical schools, department chiefs, and administrators in industry — individuals I wouldn't have gotten to know otherwise. Becoming acquainted with them (and they with me) helped me to guide others in improving their careers as well.

4. Have you remained involved with the MMFDP?

   Yes, I've been a member of the National Advisory Committee for the past five years. We meet formally three times a year to select new Amos Scholars, mentor current program participants, perform critical appraisals of the scholars’ research progress after their first two years in the program, and advise on career planning.

5. Has the program changed since you were first awarded the MMFDP?

   The first cohort consisted of eight physicians — all now personal friends, even though we're at different institutions. (The program currently allows up to 13 scholars.) Another positive aspect of the program is the camaraderie and friendship it fosters among participants. Originally, MMFDP participants were involved principally in basic and translational research, but over time the disciplines have expanded to include clinical investigation and health services research. The Advisory Committee has also grown to reflect the expertise necessary to provide advice about these new disciplines.

6. What would you recommend to anyone now considering applying for the ASH — AMFDP?

   I suggest visiting the Web site first (www.hematology.org/education/awards/ash-amfdp.cfm). The program has expanded a great deal — there are now 175 or so alumni representing most major medical schools. I would speak to former fellows at the prospective applicant's institution to get their perspective and insights and then apply immediately. This is an important career development program.

7. Are there any further thoughts that you'd like to share?

   I want to congratulate the leadership of ASH for launching this project and for its strong commitment to ensuring that talented individuals of diverse backgrounds have the opportunity to pursue careers in basic, translational, or clinical hematology. Attracting more minority medical students into hematology and increasing the number of minority hematologists with academic and research appointments are important goals, not just for ASH but for the medical community as a whole.

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Stem Cells Garner the Interest of News Media at the ASH Annual Meeting

More and more frequently in recent years, the news media have taken note of the ASH annual meeting. This year, one of the stories covered arose from the media briefing on stem cells held on Monday, December 12. The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY), United Press International (UPI), WKYT (CBS affiliate in Louisville, KY), WHAS 11 (ABC affiliate in Louisville, KY), WAVE 3 (NBC affiliate in Louisville, KY), and WDAF (FOX affiliate in Louisville, KY) all reported that researchers have found for the first time that adult bone marrow contains a distinct population of non-hematopoietic stem cells that are uniquely responsible for the development of nerve tissue. Roaming in the bloodstream, these neural tissue committed stem cells (TCSCs) are mobilized by a stroke and provide immediate first aid to damaged nerve tissue, according to a study led by researchers from the James Graham Brown Cancer Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, and presented at the 47th ASH Annual Meeting (abstract #392).

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in bone marrow had been thought to be the only source of cells that could differentiate into blood and other kinds of tissue. This study provides the first evidence that bone marrow not only contains a mixed population of hematopoietic cells, but also non-hematopoietic stem cells that are capable of differentiating into all types of neural tissue and contributing to brain repair. The findings will help researchers refine their thinking about how the body repairs nerve and brain tissue throughout the life cycle. "We observed that the number of neural tissue committed stem cells decreases with age, which may explain why the brain regeneration process becomes less effective in older individuals," said Mariusz Z. Ratajczak, MD, PhD, Director of Stem Cell Biology Program, James Graham Brown Cancer Center. Researchers studied 14 patients with stroke and found an increase in the bloodstream of cells expressing neural TCSCs after the stroke. The maximum elevation of these cells occurred within 24 to 72 hours after a stroke and remained elevated up to one week. The degree of mobilization of these cells correlated with younger age, smaller size of the stroke, and less extensive stroke.

These new findings in humans are based on research performed on mice. Earlier murine experiments had shown that neural TCSCs circulate in low numbers in the bloodstream under normal conditions and that their levels increase during the murine model of stroke (Leukemia 2006, 20, 18-28). Investigators took both the HSCs and the non-hematopoietic cells from murine bone marrow and found that only the latter were able to differentiate into cells that were precursors to nerve cells.

The discovery of a stem cell that does not have to be cloned from human embryos could have vast implications for the future of medical treatments. "Recently we have both purified and identified at a single cell level an adult counterpart of embryonic stem cells that is present in adult bone marrow. These cells, which we named very small embryonic-like (VSEL) stem cells, are a real alternative to embryonic stem cells isolated from embryos for obtaining a population of histocompatible, pluripotent stem cells for regeneration purposes," said Dr. Ratajczak. "This population of stem cells may be deposited in bone marrow and perhaps also in other tissues early during development."

Recently, Dr. Ratajczak's team was able to establish culture conditions in vitro in which VSEL stem cells formed embryonic-like bodies that, in turn, may differentiate into neurons, macroglia, cardiomyocytes, and pancreatic cells. The identification of these cells and their successful expansion in the form of embryoid bodies may lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies that will avoid the use of human embryos.

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ASH Assists Victims of Hurricane Katrina

With the help of ASH members and corporate supporters, the Society worked hard to provide relief to those devastated by Hurricane Katrina. After acting quickly to relocate the 2005 annual meeting, the ASH Executive Committee and staff immediately focused on ways to help colleagues, patients, and workers most affected by this disaster.

In support of the Society's mission to promote research, clinical care, education, and training in hematology, ASH offered a relief package to hematologists with homes or offices in the areas that were devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Assistance included waived membership dues through December 2006, free ASH educational materials to replace those that were damaged or lost, and free registration, complimentary housing, and travel grants to attend the 2005 ASH Annual Meeting, as well as assistance for trainees who needed to replace textbooks and a listserv for displaced trainees.

ASH is proud to report that to date 35 hematologists and trainees from New Orleans (both members and non-members) received assistance from ASH. Included in this are 29 individuals whom ASH helped to attend the annual meeting in Atlanta.

The Society has also established the ASH Katrina Relief Fund. At the time of publication, ASH had raised just over $410,000. One hundred percent of the corporate and individual donations raised will assist victims of this disaster. Beneficiaries will include convention center, restaurant, and tourism workers who are working to rebuild their lives in the city (through the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau Employee Relief Fund and the New Orleans Tourism Workers Relief Fund). The fund will also support hematology/oncology training programs at Tulane University, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC), and the Ochsner Clinic, as well as hematologists/oncologists re-establishing their practices.

ASH's efforts to help the city of New Orleans following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina have been a true success thanks to the support and commitment of the Society leadership and staff. We thank all those who have donated to the ASH Katrina Relief Fund.

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Announcing the EHA-ASH International Fellowship Award

ASH has created the EHA-ASH International Fellowship Award in partnership with the European Hematology Association (EHA). This program is designed to build stronger ties between North American and European scientists by allowing hematologists from these areas the opportunity to gain a cross-cultural educational experience by conducting research in another country.

"In the last several years, ASH and EHA have identified many common issues that we can effectively address by joint efforts." said James N. George, MD, 2005 ASH President. "We believe that this new International Fellowship program is another step toward creating a closer scientific bond between our organizations."

This award is open to ASH or EHA members who have a doctoral degree and are in a post-graduate hematology training program or actively engaged in laboratory or clinical research. For more information, visit www.hematology.org/education/awards/ifa.cfm.

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Editor Search Announcement

The American Society of Hematology is in the initial stage of the selection process for the next Editor-in-Chief of Blood (term: 2008-2012).

Candidates with an MD or equivalent medical degree should have a broad and comprehensive knowledge of basic research and clinical investigation in hematology as well as an appreciation of its subspecialty areas, a distinguished research and publications record, high standing among peers, and demonstrated writing, reviewing, and editing skills.

Members of ASH are invited to submit the names of potential candidates, accompanied by a brief, informal endorsement and a brief description of the candidate's editorial experience, to:

Search for New Editor Committee
c/o Eleanore Tapscott, Director of Publishing
The American Society of Hematology
1900 M Street, NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20036

Or via e-mail to editorsearch@hematology.org

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ASH Members Awarded Membership in the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies

	Peter C. Agre, MD Vice Chancellor, Science and Technology, and Professor of Cell Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC; 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
	Dennis A. Carson, MD Professor and Director, Rebecca and John Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, CA
	Leonard I. Zon, MD Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

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ASH Web Site Offers Users More Features Than Ever Before

Several recent enhancements to the ASH Web site have made it even easier to take advantage of the products and services ASH offers its members. At www.hematology.org you can:

Register online for Highlights of ASH 2005, February 10-11, 2006, in Miami, FL, where you can hear expert analysis of the most clinically relevant abstracts of 2005 in a practitioner-focused setting.

Update your contact information, pay your membership dues, search the online membership directory, or sign up for Find a Hematologist (available to ASH members only).

View webcasts of selected 2005 ASH Annual Meeting sessions. Listen to audio recordings while viewing associated color slides from the Presidential Symposium, Ham-Wasserman Lecture, E. Donnall Thomas Lecture, ASH/ASCO Joint Symposium, ASH/EHA Policy Forum, Special Symposium on Anemia and the Elderly, and Special Plenary Session: Myeloprofilerative Diseases Revealed.

Support ASH's career development programs by making a donation online. The American Society of Hematology is a 501(c)(3) educational and charitable organization, and your donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law.

Take action to support hematology by becoming involved in ASH's current e-advocacy campaigns. It's easy to sign up, and with just a few mouse clicks you can provide federal policymakers with information on how public policy issues affect you and the patients you treat.

Search the latest employment opportunities in the field of hematology or submit open hematology employment positions to be posted on the ASH Job Bank.

Visit the ASH Store to browse ASH's educational products, such as the ASH-SAP and CD-ROMs from recent State-of-the-Art Symposia.

Read The Hematologist online and catch up on the latest news in the field of hematology right on your desktop.

Access the 2005 edition of Hematology, the ASH Education Program Book, a compendium of up-to-date information from the 2005 Education Program.

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ASH Enhances Image Bank

ASH unveiled its new and improved Image Bank at the 2005 annual meeting, and now the Society is soliciting member contributions in order to make the Image Bank an even more comprehensive educational resource.

What types of images is ASH looking for? Visit the Web site at www.ashimagebank.org to see the types of images commonly posted. Some examples include morphology images, special stains and cytochemistries, immunophenotypes, genetic abnormalities (cytogenetics, blots, FISH, ISH), and diagrams. Figures should include arrows and other labels that would be helpful for non-experts in identifying positive or diagnostic findings. Members can browse the ASH Image Bank by category, title, author, and date submitted or search the text by keyword to see what currently exists in the inventory.

How does one submit images? Submitting images is easy. Click on "Submit an Image" on the home page, and follow the step-by-step instructions.

How does one know when the images have been posted to the ASH Image Bank? After the images have been submitted, an editor is assigned to review the submission and post the images. Those who take advantage of the Image Bank's new "E-mail Alerts" feature will also be alerted when the images are posted.

How will these images be used? The ASH Image Bank is a free teaching tool used by physicians and hematology students around the world. Each Image Bank submission is linked to related images, ASH Self-Assessment Program (ASH-SAP) chapters, and articles in the ASH Education Program Book. The new Image Bank also has a feature that allows users to download images directly into a PowerPoint slide. The author of the image will be given credit in a citation in the slide, which is automatically generated.

For more information about the ASH Image Bank or to contribute, visit www.ashimagebank.org.

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