ASH-a-Palooza 2021: Your Breakdown of All the Trainee Events at the 63rd ASH Annual Meeting

After two long years, we at the ASH Trainee Council are elated to welcome you back to ASH-a-Palooza, the dedicated day just for trainees at the upcoming ASH Annual Meeting. Come join us on Friday, December 10 at the Tabernacle, the famous church-turned-concert-hall just a block away from the convention center, for an afternoon of informal mentoring through our Blood Buddies program and micro-learning Blood Drops talks on career-building from expert hematologists. And don’t forget about the Trainee Welcome Reception that evening – yes, the rumors are true: there will be a live band!

However, the trainee-centered events don’t stop after ASH-a-Palooza! There are daily events from Friday through Monday focused on career development, networking, and diversity in hematology, as outlined below in this Hematopoiesis article. For those of you who are first-time attendees — and for those of you seasoned conference-goers who have missed taking a selfie with our official mascot Red — we invite all trainees, from undergraduate students to medical students to PhD candidates and fellows, to join us in-person to reconnect and network with your colleagues.

For those of you who are unable to attend the meeting in person, we at the Trainee Council are committed to creating equitable resources that are accessible to all trainees. Below, I will outline trainee events that will be available virtually and how you can access them.

We’re looking forward to meeting you all! Be sure to keep an eye on the ASH trainee website and follow #ASHTrainee on Twitter for updates.

Friday, December 10

1. ASH-a-Palooza: 12:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time (EST) at the Tabernacle

• The two main stage talks are focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion and will be live-streamed from 1:00 to 1:20 p.m. and 2:10 to 2:30 p.m., as well as recorded so they can be watched later on the virtual platform.
• Our Blood Buddies mentoring program with faculty hematologists will be available both in-person as well as virtually on Friday. For those trainees attending virtually, you can log in to the Blood Buddies page on the online platform to book 15-minute meetings with virtual buddies of your choosing.
• All the Blood Drops micro-teaching talks, which are five- to 10-minute presentations by faculty on myriad topics within hematology, will be recorded and accessible to both in-person and virtual attendees.

2. Trainee Welcome Reception: 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. EST at the Tabernacle

• We are holding a special in-person meet-up for incoming hematology/oncology fellows at 5:30 p.m. in the Craft Beer Room to the right of the main stage in the Main Hall. With an entirely virtual interview season these past few months, we want to give all fellows starting their fellowship in July 2022 a dedicated opportunity to connect with your new colleagues! There will also be dedicated networking opportunities for incoming fellows in the Trainee Lounge throughout the annual meeting, as outlined at the end of the article.

Saturday, December 11

1. Anti-Racism Studio: Saturday, December 11 through Monday, December 13, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. EST at the Convention Center in ASH Central

• As a part of ASH’s commitment to promoting and nurturing a diverse and inclusive hematology community, ASH has curated an anti-racism track. The ASH Anti-Racism Studio located in ASH Central is designed to help attendees recognize the myriad manifestations of racism and their impact on health outcomes. Plan to attend the sessions to learn foundational concepts on race and racism from content experts and to participate in facilitated conversations about actions that can be taken to address racism and racial inequities at your institution.
• The Anti-Racism Studio will be available on the virtual meeting platform like the Wellness Studio. The sessions will be available on-demand and participants can join virtually to participate in the live discussions.

2. Career Development Lunch: 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. EST at the Omni Hotel in Grand Ballroom D-E

• Come join us for a free boxed lunch and the opportunity to meet in small groups with career hematologists across the spectrum including basic, PhD, clinical and translational researchers, as well as those working in private practice, industry, and government.
• This is an in-person only event.

Sunday, December 12

1. Medical Educators Symposium: 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. EST at the Omni Hotel in Grand Ballroom A-B

• At this annual symposium, leading medical educators will present talks on educational theory, practical tips for teaching, trainee wellbeing, and quality improvement, followed by small group discussions focused on faculty development within medical education.
• These talks will be pre-recorded and available on ASH On Demand after the meeting.

2. Health Equity Rounds: 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EST at the Omni Hotel in Grand Ballroom D2-E

• In this new pilot symposium taking place during the 2021 ASH Annual Meeting, interactive, case-based discussions about issues of patient equity and access within hematology will be presented along with an interdisciplinary panel of public health experts, patients, patient advocates, and hematologists.
• Virtual attendees will be able to watch the live stream and join breakout rooms to participate in the case discussions.

3. Trainee Didactic Sessions: 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. EST at the Convention Center in B207-208 and B211-B212

• In these career-focused sessions, three hematologists will begin each session with short didactic presentations on topics of grantsmanship and ethical quandaries within clinical trial design, followed by live Q&A sessions with the panelists.
• The sessions will be live streamed and virtual attendees will be able to ask the panelists questions in real time.

4. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Community Networking Lunch: 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 pm EST at the Omni Hotel in Grand Ballroom C

• This luncheon is an informal community-building and networking event for meeting attendees who are members of the richly-diverse communities within hematology. The event is hosted by the ASH Committee on Promoting Diversity and aims to create a sense of belonging and allyship and where possible, identify opportunities to learn more about the experiences and needs of these communities to allow us to have a greater impact in our efforts to dismantle bias and barriers.
• This is an in-person only event.

Monday, December 13

1. Trainee Didactic Sessions: 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. EST at the Convention Center in B207-208 and B211-B212

• The topic of Monday’s sessions will be trainee resiliency as well as best practices for working with cooperative groups and pharmaceutical companies in clinical trial design, with both in-person and virtual participation in the panel discussion.

2. Junior Faculty Development Education Session: 2:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. at the Convention Center in C108-C109

• This education session gives trainees the opportunity to discuss practical career development skills with successful junior faculty, including a live Q&A panel.
• Virtual attendees can watch the livestream and ask questions in real time.

Trainee Lounge

The Trainee Lounge, located in ASH Central, is a casual space with coffee and snacks where trainees can take a break from the conference bustle and catch up with colleagues.

We will be holding dedicated in-person meet-ups for incoming hematology/oncology fellows starting fellowship in July 2022 at the following times in the Trainee Lounge:

• Saturday, December 11, at 3:30 p.m.
• Sunday, December 12, at 3:00 p.m.

We hope to meet you all in the Trainee Lounge (please say hello!) and see you at ASH-a-Palooza, and we’re excited to create a space for all of us to finally reconnect as budding hematologists-in-training.