ASH Honorific Awards and Prestigious Lectures

Wallace H. Coulter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Hematology

The Society's highest honor, the Wallace H. Coulter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Hematology, recognizes an individual who has demonstrated a lasting commitment to the field of hematology through outstanding contributions to education, research, and practice. The prize is named for the late Wallace Coulter, an engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur who applied engineering principles to solving biomedical problems. It commemorates Mr. Coulter's important innovations in diagnostic and investigative medicine in the 20th century and his impact on the disciplines of cell biology, hematology, immunology, and oncology, as well as on industrial processes. Nominees and nominators for this award do not need to be ASH members to be considered.

2026 Award Recipient: Elliott Vichinsky, MD

Roland B. Scott-Charles Drew Excellence in Equity Award

(Formerly the ASH Advancing Inclusive Excellence Award)

This award is named after the late Roland B. Scott, MD, and the late Charles Drew, MD, CM, MDSc, who exemplified the qualities that this award honors: support for the development of an inclusive hematology workforce, career development of trainees from communities underrepresented in hematology, a commitment to inclusiveness in contributions to the mission of ASH, and/or a record of accomplishments in helping to eliminate health disparities in the care of hematology patients.

2026 Award Recipient: Leon Bernal-Mizrachi, MD

J. Evan Sadler Award for Mentorship and Bernard Forget Award for Mentorship

(Formerly the ASH Mentor Award)

These two awards are named after the late J. Evan Sadler, MD, PhD, and the late Bernard Forget, MD, who were two long-standing members and volunteer leaders of the Society. The awards recognize the value and influence of ASH members who have made a positive difference in the hematology community through mentoring. Each year, these awards honor two outstanding mentors drawn from any of the different branches of hematology including adult or pediatric hematologists; academic or community practitioners; basic, clinical, or translational researchers; hematopathologists; transfusion medicine specialists; educators; and individuals working in industry or government. Both nominees and nominators for this award must be ASH members.

2026 Award Recipients:

• J. Evan Sadler Award for Mentorship: Roy Silverstein, MD
• Bernard Forget Award for Mentorship: Laura De Castro, MD

William Dameshek Prize

The William Dameshek Prize — named for the late William Dameshek, MD, a past president of ASH and the original editor of Blood — recognizes an early- or mid-career individual (50 years or younger) who has made recent outstanding contributions leading to a critical new understanding of hematology. These contributions can include basic, translational, and clinical research dealing with patients, health disparities, and outcomes research. Both nominees and nominators for this award must be ASH members.

Consideration is given to requests for an exception to the age-based eligibility requirement for a nominee who experienced a pause in their career that impacted their ability to meet the requirement.

2026 Award Recipient: Stella Chou, MD

Janet Rowley Basic Science Medal

(Formerly the Henry M. Stratton Medal)

This medal is named after the late Janet Rowley, MD, who received the National Medal of Science and the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her pioneering work in leukemia research. The medal honors a senior investigator with a years-long and well-recognized history of contributions to basic hematology research. Both the nominee and nominator for this award must be ASH members.

2026 Award Recipient: Benjamin Levine Ebert, MD, PhD

Helen M. Ranney Clinical and Translational Science Medal 

(Formerly the Henry M. Stratton Medal)

This medal is named after the late Helen M. Ranney, MD, recipient of the Martin Luther King Medical Achievement Award, the first woman to chair a department of medicine at a major academic institution, and the first female president of ASH. The medal honors a senior investigator with a years-long and well-recognized history of contributions to clinical/translational hematology research. Both the nominee and nominator for this award must be ASH members.

2026 Award Recipient: Andrew Roberts, MBBS, PhD

Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize 

The Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize — named for the late Ernest Beutler, MD, a past president of ASH and physician-scientist for more than 50 years — is a two-part lectureship that recognizes major translational advances related to a single topic. This award honors two individuals, one recognized for enabling advances in basic science, and the other recognized for using clinical science or translational research to improve patient care. Nominees and nominators for this award do not need to be ASH members to be considered.

2026 Award Recipients: Suzanne Cory, PhD, and Marina Konopleva, MD, PhD

E. Donnall Thomas Lecture and Prize

This lectureship and prize — named after the late Nobel Prize Laureate and past president of ASH E. Donnall Thomas, MD — recognizes pioneering research achievements in hematology that have represented a paradigm shift or significant discovery in the field. Both nominees and nominators for this award must be ASH members.

2026 Award Recipient: Scott Armstrong, MD, PhD

Ham-Wasserman Lecture

The Ham-Wasserman Lecture was named in honor of two past presidents of ASH, the late Thomas Hale Ham, MD, and the late Louis R. Wasserman, MD, distinguished hematologists who contributed extensively to the Society. This invited lecture is traditionally given by an individual from outside the U.S. who has made a major contribution to our understanding of an area that relates to hematology.

2026 Award Recipient: Peihua ‘Peggy’ Lu, MD