New Leadership Elected to the American Society of Hematology
(WASHINGTON, October 28, 2024) – The American Society of Hematology (ASH), the world’s largest professional society focused on advancing the field of blood disorders, announced the election of four new members to its Executive Committee for terms starting after the 2024 ASH Annual Meeting, December 7-10, 2024, in San Diego, California.
Cynthia E. Dunbar, MD, will serve a one-year term as vice president followed by successive terms as president-elect and president. Jennifer R. Brown, MD, PhD, will serve a four-year term as ASH secretary, and Jennifer Holter-Chakrabarty, MD, and Chancellor Donald, MD, will serve four-year terms as councillors.
“Drs. Dunbar, Brown, Holter-Chakrabarty, and Donald bring their unique perspectives and insights to ASH. They are experts in their field, and their strong leadership will guide and shape the Society in the coming years,” said current ASH President, Mohandas Narla, DSc, distinguished scientist at New York Blood Center Enterprises. “With their forward-thinking counsel, ASH will continue to spearhead innovative education, groundbreaking research, and transformative advocacy, to drive meaningful change for patients with blood disorders worldwide.”
Dr. Dunbar, the incoming vice president, is chief of the Translational Stem Cell Biology Branch and National Institutes of Health (NIH) Distinguished Investigator within the intramural program of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. As a translational and clinical investigator, she has made significant contributions in hematopoiesis, bone marrow failure and gene therapies. She is deeply committed to training the next generation of hematologists.
Dr. Dunbar has demonstrated devotion to ASH’s mission through her more than 30 years of service on a range of ASH committees. An ASH member since 1993, Dr. Dunbar served as the first woman editor-in-chief of Blood (2007-2012), the most cited peer-reviewed publication in the field of hematology. She most recently served as ASH Secretary, overseeing the ASH abstract process for the ASH annual meeting (2021-2024). She has and will continue to serve ASH in a personal capacity.
“Hematology has seen enormous advances during my career, from basic and translational science to patient care,” said Dr. Dunbar. “I look forward to working with the Society to strengthen the hematology workforce, promote access to existing and emerging therapies for patients with hematologic disorders, and improve research funding for hematology. I am honored to have the opportunity to serve the diverse hematology community.”
Dr. Brown, the incoming ASH secretary, is director of the Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) Center of the Division of Hematologic Malignancies at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Worthington and Margaret Collette Professor of Medicine in the field of Hematologic Oncology at Harvard Medical School. Her research interests include the development of novel targeted therapies for CLL and CLL genomics. Dr. Brown has been an ASH member since 2003 and is currently chair of the Committee on Educational Affairs, liaison to the Publications Committee, and joint Program Committees. Her service as chair was preceded in other roles, including Education Program Advisory Panel member, abstract reviewer, Clinical Research Training Institute faculty, and study section reviewer.
Dr. Holter-Chakrabarty, incoming councillor, is professor of medicine in the section of hematology/oncology at the University of Oklahoma. Her research background is in leukemia, transplantation, and imaging of marrow failure syndromes. An active ASH member since 2003, Dr. Holter-Chakrabarty is chair of the Committee on Government Affairs, co-chair of the Advocacy Leadership Institute, and served as an appointed member on the Guideline Oversight Committee.
Dr. Donald, incoming councillor in clinical practice, is medical director of cancer management and oncology services at University Medical Center New Orleans (Tulane Division) and assistant professor of medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine. His academic focus is on advocacy and health disparities among patients with hematologic disorders and malignancies. An ASH member since 2008, Dr. Donald has served as chair of the Committee on Practice, an appointed member of the Health Equity Task Force, and the ASH delegate to the American Medical Association House of Delegates.
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) (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. Since 1958, the Society has led the development of hematology as a discipline by promoting research, patient care, education, training, and advocacy in hematology.
The Blood journals (https://ashpublications.org/journals) are the premier source for basic, translational, and clinical hematological research. The Blood journals publish more peer-reviewed hematology research than any other academic journals worldwide.
Contact:
Melissa McGue, American Society of Hematology
newsroom@hematology.org; 202-552-4927