ASH Names Next Editor-In-Chief of Blood
Nancy Berliner, MD, will serve as editor-in-chief beginning in 2020
(WASHINGTON, September 27, 2018) — The American Society of Hematology (ASH) has selected Nancy Berliner, MD, the H. Franklin Bunn Professor of Medicine and Chief of Hematology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, as the next editor-in-chief of its journal Blood.
Her term as editor-in-chief will begin in January 2020. Dr. Berliner was selected by the ASH Executive Committee after a competitive international search.
“Blood is an outstanding journal that celebrates the breadth of hematology and has the highest standards for peer review,” said Dr. Berliner. “I am deeply committed to the future of Blood and look forward to continuing to strengthen the journal as its editor-in-chief.”
During the previous six years, Dr. Berliner has served as deputy editor of Blood and worked alongside current editor-in-chief Bob Löwenberg, MD, PhD, of Erasmus University Medical School in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, to introduce a series of successful features and expand the reach of the journal. They instituted several new features, including key points to summarize the most important aspects of each manuscript as well as the launch of several new article types intended to appeal to both researchers and clinicians. Under their leadership, Blood’s impact factor increased to 15.132, and the journal has solidified its position as the most-cited in hematology.
“The editorial team of Blood applies the highest possible standards to ensure all papers are definitive, novel, and important to the field. As editor-in-chief, I will continue to uphold the quality of our journal so that authors remain eager to submit their best work,” said Dr. Berliner.
Her vision for the future of Blood includes further expansion of the journal’s international and digital reach by continuing to increase the geographic diversity of the editorial board and creating dynamic content for online features.
Dr. Berliner is a researcher, clinician, and educator. Her research has focused on neutrophil differentiation, specifically analyzing the regulation of neutrophil-specific gene expression and function and its disruption in myelodysplasia and acute leukemia. She also studies the role of proinflammatory mediators in the pathogenesis of anemia in the elderly. Dr. Berliner maintains an active clinical profile and has become a leading expert in the diagnosis and treatment of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. She actively teaches and mentors medical students, residents, and fellows.
She received her medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine and completed her medical residency and fellowship in hematology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where she was the first woman to serve as medical chief resident. Dr. Berliner then spent more than 20 years on the faculty of the Yale University School of Medicine. She has led the hematology division of Brigham and Women’s Hospital since 2007.
“Blood is at the forefront of cutting-edge research in hematology and continues to be the most important medical journal to our field,” said ASH President Alexis A. Thompson, MD, MPH, of the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. “I thank both Drs. Löwenberg and Berliner for bringing the journal to new heights during the last six years, and I look forward to Dr. Berliner continuing Blood’s tradition of excellence as she executes her vision as editor-in-chief.”
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) (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. The official journal of ASH is 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:
Amanda Szabo, American Society of Hematology
aszabo@hematology.org; 202-552-4914