ASH Reaches Out to PhD Investigators
Arun Balakumaran MD, PhD
Dr. Balakumaran is a member of the ASH Trainee Council.
Recent advances in our understanding of hematologic disease have been due to the contributions of individuals in a variety of disciplines including molecular biology, cell biology, biochemistry, immunology, pharmacology, and toxicology. A significant proportion of these investigators hold PhD degrees. Despite the growing role of PhDs in hematology research, many of these pioneers remain unaware of the benefits of membership in our Society. Membership data confirms this incongruity: 9,922 ASH members hold an MD degree, 1,469 hold a PhD degree, and 2,080 have earned both an MD and a PhD. Surely, a more unified community with these research scientists would lead to even greater advancements and innovations in the field of hematology.
In an effort to entice more PhDs to become members of the ASH community, at its 2005 annual meeting the Society amended its bylaws to extend Associate membership to PhD trainees and post-doctoral researchers. Under the new bylaw, American, Mexican, and Canadian students who have received a PhD degree and are in a post-doctoral position or a training program in a hematology-related field are eligible to be Associate members for the first four years after the degree has been awarded. Also at the ASH 2005 Annual Meeting, PhD candidates and post-doctoral fellows were encouraged to attend and participate in all trainee sessions, including several career-building seminars. Furthermore, the ASH Trainee Council has recently added two new positions (reserved for PhD members) as a means of inviting the voice of our PhD membership.
Advertising the advantages of ASH membership is the key to expanding PhD Associate membership. These benefits include special membership rates and preferred housing for the ASH annual meeting, subscriptions to Blood and other ASH publications, and discounts on ASH products and programs. In the future, we hope to continue expanding upon these opportunities by addressing new needs identified by our PhD members.
Since the 2005 ASH Annual Meeting, 70 new PhD investigators have become Associate members. We encourage all trainee program directors, graduate school directors, and current ASH members (both MD and PhD) to sustain this success by sharing with trainees the benefits of ASH membership. In this way, we hope to ensure our continued innovative progress as well as develop a stronger scientific congress in the field of hematology.
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With Creation of New Award, ASH Expands Its Involvement in Hematologic Issues of the Aged
Stanley L. Schrier, MD
Dr. Schrier is Emeritus Professor in Hematology at Stanford University School of Medicine and was the 2004 ASH President.
Over the past few years, ASH has become increasingly interested and involved in hematologic issues of the elderly. In 2004, ASH and the National Institute on Aging brought together a panel of experts to discuss the next steps that must be pursued in order to understand the causes of anemia, impaired biology, clinical impact, and management of anemia in the elderly. The panel consisted of about ten hematology experts in red cell disorders and equal numbers of geriatricians. As a member of the panel, I was impressed by how much information these two groups had to share. Further, by meeting together, we were able to identify key target areas for needed future exploration. The number of elderly Americans with anemia - currently estimated in the millions - continues to escalate as the population ages, making this issue a significant public health problem.
As a follow up to this meeting, ASH's Committee on Practice held the Anemia in the Elderly: A Public Health Crisis in Hematology? special symposium at the 2005 ASH Annual Meeting in Atlanta. The Association of Specialty Professors (ASP) provided grant support for this symposium in partnership with the John A. Hartford Foundation and the Merck Institute of Aging & Health. The interest of hematologists in this issue was evidenced by the overflow attendance at the session. The symposium reviewed the key biologic problems related to anemia in the elderly, discussed the serious clinical impact of even "trivial" levels of anemia in these aged patients, shared recommendations for a clinical work-up of such patients, and discussed the role of the individual hematologist and ASH in addressing this public health problem.
As a next step in bringing awareness to these issues, and in expanding the number of appropriately trained experts, ASH is proud to announce the new ASP-ASH Geriatric Hematology Research Award, in partnership with ASP. The purpose of this award is to provide support for junior faculty who have recently completed training in hematology and who are interested in embarking on academic careers in research of the elderly. The potential scope is enormous, and, in addition to problems of anemia in the aged, there are issues of thrombosis/hemostasis in the aged, and appropriate chemotherapy for hematologic malignancies in the elderly.
This award will be based within the current ASH Scholar Award program. The required letter of intent deadline is May 3, 2006. Those interested in competing for this special award must identify themselves in their letter of intent as a candidate. The full application deadline is August 31, 2006.
Applicants for the ASP-ASH Geriatric Hematology Research Award will be reviewed in the same pool as the other ASH Scholar Award applications. If an application is within the fundable range at the end of the review and the application is designated as a candidate for the ASP-ASH award, it will be funded as such - with half the funds being provided by ASH and the other half being provided by ASP.
For complete instructions on how to apply for this award, visit www.hematology.org/education/awards/scholar.cfm. Contact Elisa Shea, ASH Development Coordinator, at eshea@hematology.org with questions about this new award opportunity.
ASH hopes that by partnering with ASP in this initiative we will more easily identify, train, and support a new generation of hematologists prepared to meet the complex needs of the nation's aging population.
Scholar Award Deadline – May 3
The application process for the 2007 Scholar Awards has begun. The letter of intent deadline is Wednesday, May 3, and the application deadline is Thursday, August 31. Applications are only available to those who successfully submit a letter of intent and are confirmed to be eligible. If interested in applying, visit the ASH Web site at www.hematology.org/education/awards/scholar.cfm for complete details, including eligibility requirements. |
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