Benefits of Your ASH Membership

If you are a trainee with an interest in hematology, odds are that you are a member of ASH. You’ve taken a very positive step in your career development by joining a professional society. A quick Google search of “benefits of membership in professional medical society” results in several articles spelling out the obvious pluses, such as networking, education opportunities, a chance to be a leader or a mentor, and, of course, strength in numbers – your professional society will advocate for your interests.

In a nutshell, ASH is a member-driven organization whose leadership is selected by its members in yearly elections. Its 14 standing committees and 18 scientific committees work with a professional staff of over 100 to implement initiatives, publish the Blood and Blood Advances journals, and plan the ASH annual meeting, as well as a host of other activities.

Some membership benefits you may be able to take advantage of during your training and beyond include:

1. ASH Fundamentals for Hematology Fellows (FHF): This program is offered to hematology-related training programs to allow fellows complimentary registration for one ASH meeting per academic year or access to a meeting webcast, as well as online access to the ASH Self-Assessment Program, which is a great resource to prepare for both clinic and boards. If you learn better by answering perplexing questions, you can treat yourself to over 280 of them!
2. ASH Annual Meeting: The annual meeting is a great avenue to present your research, network with colleagues, and attend sessions – including those organized by the ASH Trainee Council and geared towards trainees. Registration fees and the meeting webcasts are discounted for members-in-training. As it is nearly impossible to attend all sessions, webcasts are a great way to catch up. Moreover, members get early access to ASH meeting housing, which can fill up quickly.
3. ASH Meeting on Hematologic Malignancies: ASH membership provides discounted registration benefits, as well as discounted access to webcasts from the ASH Meeting on Hematologic Malignancies, a smaller, more focused meeting structured as “How I Treat” presentations.
4. Awards: ASH membership allows you to apply for awards and career development opportunities sponsored by ASH. These include the Abstract Achievement Award, grants like the ASH HONORS Award (residents and medical students) and the ASH Research Training Award for Fellows, as well as outstanding career development opportunities like the ASH Clinical Research Training Institute and ASH Translational Research Training in Hematology.
5. Publications: Membership includes subscriptions to Blood and the new ASH journal, Blood Advances, as well as the news magazines The Hematologist and ASH Clinical News.

Additionally, the intangible benefits of being part of a professional society that cares about advancement of hematology and young researchers are huge.