ASH Commits More than $12 Million to Address Research Threats

The Society’s significant investment will expand awards funding as part of a larger multifaceted initiative to protect hematology research and the care of patients

(WASHINGTON, June 10, 2025) – Amid threats to funding for hematology research and to protect the pipeline of new hematologists entering the field, the American Society of Hematology (ASH) has expanded its awards and mentorship programs with an unprecedented investment of more than $12 million. The Society’s investment aims to address the sudden and massive cuts to federal research grants, training opportunities, and federal programs put in place by the new Administration.

“Indiscriminate cuts to federal research will have a profound and devastating impact on hematology, threatening to compromise patient care and upend years of progress,” said Belinda R. Avalos, ASH president. “While ASH remains committed to advocating for robust, sustained government funding of biomedical research, we are making this investment to mitigate some of the most immediate challenges affecting researchers in the hopes of avoiding interruptions to scientific advancements that could take decades to overcome.”

The Society’s commitment includes a roughly $9 million increase in award funding, bringing ASH’s total awards commitment to more than $20 million over the next 12 months. This investment will provide support for an additional 600+ awardees at all career stages. The awards expansion includes:

Additional ASH Bridge Grants, which provide a one-year installment of $150,000 for ASH members who applied to receive a National Institutes of Health R01 grant or R01 equivalent but were not funded or did not have their grants reviewed. An additional 20 awardees will be funded for the current award cycle.
Creation of the ASH Treating Fairly Research Award, which provides a $200,000 award for up to 10 researchers examining the underlying causes of disparities in health outcomes or developing targeted interventions to address these known issues.
Expansion of ASH’s Hematology Advancement Mentorship Program, which provides one year of external mentorship to early-career hematologists interested in classical (non-malignant) hematology. The program will now extend mentorship opportunities to 80 additional participants, including those interested in malignant hematology.
Launch of the ASH Research Collaborative (ASH RC) Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) Data Hub Award, which will provide research funding for up to five early career investigators leveraging data in the ASH RC’s Data Hub SCD Program, a repository of real-world data on health outcomes for individuals living with SCD.
Additional funded awardees across several key awards for junior hematologists, including the ASH Scholar Award, Hematology Inclusion Pathway (HIP) Faculty Award, HIP Graduate Student Award, HIP Fellow Award, and HIP Research and Mentor Matching Program for the 2025 and 2026 award cycles, as well as Abstract Achievement Awards for the 2025 ASH Annual Meeting.

This investment in award programs is just one component of ASH’s Multifaceted Approach to Research and Regulatory Challenges to Hematology (MARRCH), a new strategic priority for ASH which includes increased advocacy efforts, development of a virtual networking platform for junior and aspiring hematologists, and a public awareness campaign, #Fight4Hematology, that aims to rally ASH members, patients, and the concerned public to get involved to protect the future of hematology research and advances in patient care.

“While the bulk of our investment will go directly toward supporting researchers in the near term, we recognize that ASH alone can’t replace NIH funding, so it’s not a sustainable approach,” said Dr. Avalos. “That’s why we’ve also invested in enhanced advocacy and communications efforts to educate lawmakers and the public about the dire need to reinstate NIH funding and reverse policies that prevent patients with blood diseases from accessing appropriate care.” Another component of the effort will be expanded fundraising through the ASH Foundation to support additional research awards.

Many of these awards and mentoring opportunities will open for applications in the fall. To learn more about ASH’s new awards and programs, including application opening dates, visit ASH’s website.

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. Join the #Fight4Hematology by visiting hematology.org/fight4hematology.

The ASH Foundation (hematology.org/foundation) supports progress in hematology through charitable funding for research, career development, education, and quality care. Every donation directly supports ASH-sponsored programs, including the #Fight4Hematology.

The Blood journals (ashpublications.org/journals) are the premier source for basic, translational, and clinical hematologic research. The Blood journals publish more peer-reviewed hematology research than any other academic journals worldwide.

Contact:
Claire Whetzel, 202-629-5085
cwhetzel@hematology.org