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About ASH

Media Experts Subcommittee

Committee Roster

Chair
Mikkael  A. Sekeres, MD  ('24)

Appointed Members
Janis  L. Abkowitz, MD  ('25)
Charles  S. Abrams, MD  ('25)
Juan  Pablo Alderuccio, MD  ('25)
Belinda Avalos, MD  ('25)
Nancy Berliner, MD  ('25)
Catherine  M. Bollard, MD  ('25)
Robert  A. Brodsky, MD  ('23)
Nathan  T. Connell, MD, MPH  ('25)
Mark  A. Crowther, MD  ('25)
Catherine  S Diefenbach, MD  ('24)
Cynthia  E. Dunbar, MD  ('24)
Peter  D. Emanuel, MD  ('25)
Titilope  Adenike Fasipe, MD  ('24)
Christopher  R. Flowers, MD, MSc  ('25)
Jonathan Friedberg, MD  ('24)
Irene  M. Ghobrial, MD  ('25)
Lisa  Kristine Hicks, MD, MSc  ('24)
Jonathan Hoggatt, PhD  ('25)
Brad Kahl, MD  ('25)
Armand Keating, MD  ('25)
Richard  A. Larson, MD  ('25)
Stephanie  J. Lee, MD, MPH  ('23)
Ariela  L. Marshall, MD  ('24)
Ruben  A. Mesa, MD  ('25)
Laura Michaelis, MD  ('25)
Joseph  R. Mikhael, MD, FRCPC, MEd  ('26)
Charles  G. Mullighan, MD  ('25)
Rakhi P  P. Naik, MD  ('25)
Mohandas Narla, DSc  ('24)
Sarah  H. O'Brien, MD, MSc  ('24)
Ifeyinwa Osunkwo, MD  ('24)
Margaret Ragni, MD, MPH  ('25)
Kanti  R. Rai, MD  ('25)
Alan  Glen Rosmarin, MD  ('23)
Gary  J. Schiller, MD  ('25)
Roy  L. Silverstein, MD  ('25)
David  Peter Steensma, MD  ('25)
Wendy Stock, MD  ('25)
Martin  S. Tallman, MD  ('24)
Alexis  A. Thompson  ('25)
Kirsten Williams, MD  ('25)
Jane  N. Winter, MD  ('25)
Alisa  S. Wolberg, PhD  ('25)

Liaisons
Adam Cuker, MD  ('23)  - Chair, Committee on Quality
Chancellor  E. Donald, MD  ('23)  - Chair, Committee on Practice
Jennifer Holter-Chakrabarty, MD  ('24)  - Chair, Committee on Government Affairs
Alison  R. Walker, MD  ('24)  - Chair, Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Staff Liaison
Andrea Fischer, MSc

Committee Mandate

The Media Experts Subcommittee, a subcommittee of the Committee on Communications, is a group of ASH-approved spokespersons on both scientific and policy matters who are media trained by ASH to talk about issues that advance the Society’s agenda. Having a group of trained speakers on call allows ASH to be more proactive and nimbler in reaching out and responding to media on timely issues and helps fulfill part of the Committee on Communications’ mandate to increase the Society’s media coverage.

 

The Committee on Communications works with staff to identify key scientific topics that are strategically important to ASH for proactive media outreach and periodically reviews the topic categories and messaging as necessary. The Communications staff works with the staff liaisons to the Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Committee on Government Affairs; Committee on Practice; and Committee on Quality to identify the top policy issues (including quality-of-care initiatives) for ASH and appropriate spokespersons and messaging for each.

 

The Media Experts Subcommittee is composed of scientific experts in selected key topic areas and spokespersons knowledgeable about the ASH advocacy agenda who will help the Society respond to interview requests from the media or be offered proactively for interviews to help advance ASH’s strategic goals and priorities. The membership of the Media Experts Subcommittee includes individuals who focus on both research and patient care. While individuals who are employed with industry (biomedical, pharmaceutical, or medical device companies) are eligible to serve on the subcommittee, they are not permitted to serve as ASH spokespersons. They may be called upon to give their own expert opinion, but they cannot be positioned as speaking on behalf of the Society. It is expected that all members of the Media Experts Subcommittee disclose their conflicts of interest when speaking with reporters.

 

The Chair of the Committee on Communications chairs the Media Experts Subcommittee. The ASH Officers serve as appointed members. The chairs of the Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Committee on Government Affairs; Committee on Practice; and Committee on Quality serve as liaison members for terms congruent to their service on the parent committee. Members of the Media Experts Subcommittee serve three-year, renewable terms (unless otherwise indicated).

 

Members of the Media Experts Subcommittee participate in mandatory media training at least once during their service on the subcommittee and are authorized to speak on ASH’s behalf and to be referenced as an “ASH spokesperson” in media coverage. Since these individuals have media training and a strong knowledge of ASH’s key messages and priorities in addition to their scientific expertise, they may also be asked to serve as moderators for press briefings at the ASH annual meeting, as well as to provide expert commentary and/or assist staff in developing/reviewing the press releases on Blood and Blood Advances manuscripts and annual meeting abstracts.

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