Iron Deficiency Blueprint
Iron Deficiency Blueprint
As part of its Iron Deficiency Initiative, ASH has developed an Iron Deficiency Blueprint for clinicians. This blueprint emerged from the ASH Iron Deficiency Summit, a one day cross-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder summit held in September 2025. The document defines a focused workplan to reduce the burden of iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) on patients globally, particularly for highly vulnerable populations.
Advocacy Efforts
Advocacy Efforts
Advocacy Efforts
Perspective On Gaps in Maternal Health Research across NIH Institutes and Centers
Perspective On Gaps in Maternal Health Research across NIH Institutes and Centers
In April 2024, ASH submitted comments to the National Academies Committee on NIH research on women’s health, highlighting gaps in maternal health research across NIH institutes—echoing its December 2023 response to the White House Women’s Health Research Initiative.
Iron Deficiency Education and Awareness (IDEA) Act (H.R. 6746)
Iron Deficiency Education and Awareness (IDEA) Act (H.R. 6746)
In December 2023, ASH supported the Iron Deficiency Education and Awareness (IDEA) Act (H.R. 6746), introduced by Representative Yadira Caraveo (D-CO), which seeks to raise awareness of iron deficiency among women and young children.
Policy Statement on a Strong Blood Supply
Policy Statement on a Strong Blood Supply
ASH supports several policy goals to ensure a strong blood supply, as highlighted throughout the statement—including in the clinical management and public awareness and education sections.
Guidelines and Quality Care
Clinical Practice Guidelines
Clinical Practice Guidelines
ASH has developed clinical practice guidelines to improve how iron deficiency is recognized and diagnosed across key populations, including adults, young children, menstruating and pregnant individuals, and people with inflammation. ASH’s new evidence-based clinical practice guidelines address long-standing challenges in diagnosing iron deficiency, including variation in testing practices, inconsistent thresholds, and clinical scenarios in which iron deficiency can be difficult to identify.
Quality Improvement Training Institute (QITI)
Quality Improvement Training Institute (QITI)
The ASH Quality Improvement Training Institute (QITI) is an educational training program focused on preparing clinicians to be leaders in quality improvement and to support the ongoing assessment and enhancement of patient experience and outcomes in hematology.
Participants in the program learn and apply quality improvement (QI) concepts towards implementation of their own QI projects alongside faculty, coaches, and peers. So far, the following projects have been focused on improving care related to iron deficiency including:
- Screening and Treating for Iron Deficiency in Pregnancy
- Improving access and delivery of IV iron to patients with gastrointestinal hemorrhage
- Improving recognition and treatment of iron-deficiency in the postpartum patient
- Reducing pre-medication for IV Iron
Educational Resources
Educational Resources
Educational Resources
What is Iron Deficiency Anemia?
What is Iron Deficiency Anemia?
Iron deficiency is very common, especially among women and in people who have a diet that is low in iron. Learn about the risks, signs and symptoms, diagnoses, treatments and other resources.
Iron-Clad Health: Tackling Iron Deficiency in Women
Iron-Clad Health: Tackling Iron Deficiency in Women
Hear how current standards of care may contribute to disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of iron deficiency.
Advances in Iron Deficiency Anemia Care: Faster Diagnoses, More Tolerable Treatments
Advances in Iron Deficiency Anemia Care: Faster Diagnoses, More Tolerable Treatments
Iron deficiency anemia remains one of the most prevalent yet underdiagnosed conditions in clinical practice. In this webinar from ASH Clinical News, experts share evidence-based guidance on diagnostics, screening, and treatment that directly translates to better patient care.
Dr. George Goshua – Iron Deficiency is Common and Detrimental
Dr. George Goshua – Iron Deficiency is Common and Detrimental
Iron deficiency affects millions of people, especially women, yet many go years without knowing it, even though it’s one of the most treatable conditions.
This 31-minute episode of the Curious by Nature podcast features Yale hematologist and health-services researcher George Goshua, MD, in a conversation about why iron deficiency is both extremely common and persistantly under-recognized, despite being one of the most treatable conditions in medicine. Dr. Goshua is a physician-scientist and assistant professor at Yale School of Medicine, where he studies how gaps in diagnosis and access to care can leave patients untreated. His work highlights how something as simple as iron levels can have long-term effects on energy, pregnancy, and even the next generation.
Blood Red Cells & Iron
Blood Red Cells & Iron
Blood Red Cells & Iron is an international journal dedicated to publishing original research articles on basic, translational, and clinical studies related to red blood cells and iron metabolism. The journal aims to feature innovative contributions that advance the understanding of hematological disorders associated with the erythroid lineage, as well as iron-related diseases like iron deficiency anemia.
Annual Meeting Content
Stay Informed on Iron Deficiency
ASH's Scientific Committee on Iron and Heme has continually shaped the conversation around iron deficiency topics at the ASH annual meeting. Over the past five years, focus has evolved from iron regulation and therapeutic development for disorders of iron metabolism to understanding iron recycling, the relationship between iron/heme and hematopoietic stem cells, and exploring the intersections of homeostasis and metabolism.
At the 2023 ASH Annual Meeting, education sessions highlighted iron deficiency, particularly in adult and pediatric IV iron therapy and pregnancy. In 2024, the annual meeting shifted the spotlight to include a collaborative session with ASH's Committee on Quality titled “Treating Fairly,” which aimed to address health disparities in iron deficiency. The 2025 ASH Annual Meeting featured updates on the upcoming ASH clinical practice guidelines for diagnosis of iron deficiency, as well as applications of the recommendations in practice.
Additional ASH Reading