ASH Trainee Council

About the Trainee Council

Structure

The Trainee Council consists of 20 trainees, spanning the entire trainee pipeline:

• Ten Fellows (MD, DO, MD/PhD) from accredited hematology or hematology/oncology fellowship training programs in North America.
• Two PhD trainees selected from hematology post-doctoral training programs in North America
• Two clinical or post-doctoral hematology-focused fellows from outside of North America
• Two residents (MD, DO, MD/PhD) with a strong interest in hematology, enrolled in a duly accredited residency program
• Two PhD students in a hematology-focused laboratory
• Two medical students with a strong interest in hematology (MD, DO, MD/PhD)

Terms are staggered so that each year half the council members are new, while the other half are in their second year of service.

Meet the Current Trainee Council

Goals

• Advocate for issues that impact trainees (NIH funding cuts, etc.).
• Represent trainees and their needs (including international trainees and hematology trainees at all levels of training including medical students, residents, fellows, graduate students, and postdocs) to ASH leadership.
• Act as a liaison to other committees to represent trainees and our perspectives (e.g., Committee on Training, Committee on Communications).
• Develop recruitment and retention strategies for the next generation of hematologists (from undergraduates onwards).
• Organize ASH-a-Palooza and other trainee events at ASH annual meeting in cooperation with the Committee on Training.
• Support projects and programs including:
• Development of articles and case studies for Hematopoiesis
• Development of trainee-specific articles for The Hematologist
• Hematology Review Series
• ASH Hematology Career Planner
• Grants Clearinghouse
• International Medical Graduates Engagement
• Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP)
• Other ASH committees, working groups, and task forces

Meetings

The council meets on a quarterly basis to develop recommendations to pass on to ASH leadership. Two of the quarterly meetings are virtual, and two meetings take place in-person at ASH headquarters in Washington D.C. Members also receive travel and hotel benefits to attend the ASH Annual Meeting held in December. The approximate meeting schedule is outlined below:

• July: Virtual meeting
• October: In-person meeting
• December: ASH Annual Meeting (in-person)
• January: Virtual meeting
• April/May: In-person meeting

ASH pays for the cost of hotel accommodations and travel to all meetings for each council member.

Join the Trainee Council

Key Dates

Eligibility

Trainees who exhibit leadership qualities and a high potential for a successful career in hematology or a hematology-related discipline are desired candidates.

Eligible applicants must be continuing a training program through the June 2025 academic year.

• For example: 4th year medical students are eligible to serve on the council through their first year of residency. The same applies for third-year residents. However, a fellow completing their fellowship in 2024 is not eligible.
• In general, trainees in any year of medical school, any year of residency, and first year fellows are eligible. However, if a fellow is completing an advanced clinical fellowship or a second fellowship, they would also be eligible. If this is the case, it must be clearly stated in the application. For any questions about eligibility, please contact [email protected].

Applicants who are in the same institution with a trainee council member serving from 2023-2024 will not be eligible. Two people from the same institution cannot serve on the council at the same time. Applicants from the following institutions will NOT be eligible:

• University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
• Dana Farber Cancer Institute/Mass General Brigham
• University of Alabama at Birmingham
• UC San Diego University Hospital
• Childrens National Hospital
• Stanford University
• Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital and Pathology Queensland
• Lenox Hill Hospital
• Oakland University
• Creighton School of Medicine

If you have any questions about eligibility, please contact [email protected].

Membership Requirements

All applicants are required to be members of ASH in good standing at the time the application is reviewed, and for the duration of the term on the Trainee Council. For more information about membership categories, please visit the membership section of the ASH website.

Please note: The Associate member and International Associate member application approval process can take up to three weeks. Enrollment through the FHF program includes ASH Associate membership. Resident, Graduate Student, and Medical Student memberships are all free.

To verify your membership status, please log on to the membership section of the ASH website. If you need assistance with your username and password, please contact an ASH Customer Relations Representative at [email protected].

Application Process

All Trainee Council applications must be submitted through ASH's online application system and includes the following:

1. The trainee's CV
2. Short answer responses from the trainee, which include (please see application form):
   1. Reasons for wishing to participate in the council
   2. Ideas or proposals that could be brought to the council
   3. Evidence of leadership abilities
   4. Committee/service experience
   5. Other qualifications or achievements that would be of value to the council
3. A letter of recommendation from the MD applicant's divisional chief, department chair, training program director, dean, or mentor, depending on the applicant's position.

• North American Fellows: Division Chief, Department Chair, or Program Director
• Medical Student: Mentor
• Resident: Department Chair or Program Director
• Graduate/PhD Student: Mentor or Program Director
• International Fellow: Mentor

The letter should include:

1. Reasons that support the candidate's application
2. Assessment of candidate's qualifications (including clinical, research, education, service-related) relevant to participation in the council
3. Potential for leadership and contribution
4. Confirmation of training position
   1.  International and Domestic Fellows: Confirmation of applicant's enrollment in a hematology, hematology/oncology, or hematology-related training program that consists of more than two years, in order to be concurrent with the two-year term on the council
   2. Graduate Student/PhD Fellow: Confirmation of hematology-focused lab
   3. Resident/Medical Student: Confirmation of applicant's program enrollment and interest in hematology focused areas
5. Please ensure that your letter of support includes a statement acknowledging your protected time/dedicated time commitment required for Trainee Council activities and meetings.

Any application that does not follow the requirements, is not formatted correctly, is lacking information, has incorrect information, or is lacking required documents will be deemed ineligible and will not be reviewed by the study section. There are no appeals or consideration for additional or further review once an application has been determined ineligible. All application submissions will be sent a confirmation email. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please contact the ASH Training Department at [email protected] or at 1-866-828-1231.

Selection of Trainee Council members from the applications received will be made by the ASH Executive Committee based upon recommendations from the ASH Committee on Training and Trainee Council.

Questions?

For more information about the ASH Trainee Council, please email [email protected].