ASH Honors Member of Congress and Hematology Products Director at Food and Drug Administration for Their Support of Hematology Research
(WASHINGTON, November 30, 2018) — The American Society of Hematology (ASH) will recognize Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Director of the Division of Hematology Products at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Ann Farrell, MD, for their outstanding leadership in support of biomedical research and hematology. Both awardees will be honored at the 60th ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diego on Sunday, December 2.
Senator Booker will receive the 2018 ASH Public Service Award, which recognizes unparalleled leadership by an elected public official on issues of importance to hematology research and/or practice. Throughout his tenure in the Senate, Senator Booker has been a strong supporter of biomedical research and funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as well as numerous other issues related to health care. Senator Booker and his staff have worked with ASH over the past several years on issues related to sickle cell disease (SCD). Earlier this year, Senator Booker introduced the Sickle Cell Disease Research, Surveillance, Prevention, and Treatment Act of 2018 (S. 2465) with Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), a past recipient of the ASH Public Service Award. The legislation authorizes a federal program to allow states, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations to apply for grants to gather information on the prevalence of SCD and the health outcomes and complications. ASH Secretary Robert Brodsky, MD, participated in a roundtable discussion hosted by Senator Booker to discuss SCD and issues related to the bill. ASH looks forward to continuing to work with Senator Booker on issues related to SCD and other hematologic diseases.
Dr. Farrell will receive the 2018 ASH Outstanding Service Award, an honor recognizing effective leadership behind the scenes in areas relevant to the mission of the Society, for her dedication to increasing the visibility of issues affecting hematology within the FDA. Dr. Farrell has been a valued partner to ASH and has sought the Society’s perspective in the FDA’s deliberations on regulatory issues related to the safety and approval of hematology drugs and therapies. With her highly dedicated FDA colleagues she has collaborated on a number of successful ASH-FDA partnerships over the past few years, such as the ASH-FDA speaker series in which ASH brings experts to the FDA to educate their staff on important topics in hematology. Working with Dr. Farrell, ASH also debuted popular programming at its annual meeting to educate hematologists about newly approved drugs. Dr. Farrell was also instrumental to ensuring the FDA was a co-sponsor of the recent FDA-ASH Sickle Cell Disease Clinical Endpoints Workshop, for which she also served as a co-chair.
“I am pleased to present Senator Booker and Dr. Farrell with the Public Service and Outstanding Service Awards at the 60th ASH Annual Meeting,” said ASH President Alexis A. Thompson, MD, MPH, of the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. “The Society values their dedication and leadership on issues of importance to hematology research and practice. We need strong supporters in our government who can move the needle towards improved outcomes for all of our patients with hematologic diseases.”
The American Society of Hematology (www.hematology.org) is the world’s largest professional society of hematologists dedicated to furthering the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders affecting the blood. For more than 50 years, the Society has led the development of hematology as a discipline by promoting research, patient care, education, training, and advocacy in hematology. ASH publishes Blood (www.bloodjournal.org), the most cited peer-reviewed publication in the field, which is available weekly in print and online. In 2016, ASH launched Blood Advances (www.bloodadvances.org), an online, peer-reviewed open-access journal.
CONTACT:
Sara Khalaf, American Society of Hematology
skhalaf@hematology.org; 202-552-4925