ASH Announces New ASH-AMFDP Hematology Scholar

(WASHINGTON, July 28, 2022) — The American Society of Hematology (ASH) is pleased to announce the recipient of the American Society of Hematology-Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program (ASH-AMFDP) Award, a partnership between ASH and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Luis E. Malpica Castillo, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Developed to increase the number of hematologists from underrepresented backgrounds with academic and research appointments, the ASH-AMFDP provides four-year postdoctoral research awards to fellows aspiring to careers in academic medicine. Each recipient receives a total of $420,000 over the course of the program, including stipends and research grants, as well as the support of an AMFDP National Advisory Committee mentor, complimentary ASH membership, and support for attendance at both the ASH and AMFDP annual meetings each year of the award.

“ASH is committed to fostering a strong, growing, and diverse hematology workforce that includes a variety of perspectives, talents, and experiences,” said ASH President Jane N. Winter, MD, of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. “Through our long-standing partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s AMFDP, we are honored to support talented hematologists from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds in medicine as they transition from training to faculty positions. ASH is proud to support the career of Dr. Malpica Castillo, a rising star in hematology, with this award as he continues his important research project.”

Dr. Malpica Castillo, an assistant professor in the Department of Lymphoma/Myeloma at MD Anderson, has embarked on research into lymphomas caused by lymphotropic viruses, or viruses that infect lymphocytes and can trigger leukemia or lymphoma. These types of lymphomas are prevalent in Latin America and the Caribbean, and with his research Dr. Malpica Castillo aims to stimulate improvements in therapies and care in these regions. He emphasizes that there is an unmet need to improve overall well-being among patients and survivors of lymphoma. With the support of the ASH-AMFDP Award, Dr. Malpica Castillo plans to develop a large international prospective cohort of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in Latin America that can collect clinical data, biological samples, and therapy outcomes and can serve as the benchmark for the study of lymphomas in this area of the world.

The ASH-AMFDP program is part of the ASH Minority Recruitment Initiative, which is dedicated to increasing the participation of underrepresented minorities training in hematology-related fields and to increase the number of minority hematologists with academic and research appointments. As a global hematology community, ASH understands the importance of having individuals with diverse perspectives and experiences in all areas of the field. Through various ASH programs and committees, ASH continues its long-standing commitment to combating inequities in hematology, supporting scientists and clinicians from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine, and embracing diverse voices across the patient and health care communities. Learn more about ASH’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in health care.

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 60 years, the Society has led the development of hematology as a discipline by promoting research, patient care, education, training, and advocacy in hematology. ASH’s flagship journal, Blood (www.bloodjournal.org), is the most cited peer-reviewed publication in the field, and Blood Advances (www.bloodadvances.org) is the Society’s online, peer-reviewed open-access journal.

Contact:
Leah Enser, American Society of Hematology
lenser@hematology.org; 202-552-4927