ASH Poster Walks

ASH Poster Walk on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion(DEI) in Hematology

Although outcomes of various hematological diseases are improving, disparities continue to impact patients’ access to and outcomes following care. This poster walk will highlight works that investigate structural barriers impacting provision of care across hematology for patients from underserved racial/ ethnic groups, those of lower socio-economic status, and other vulnerable groups. In particular, the poster walk will spotlight research that advances efforts to diversify patient populations, mitigate barriers to care, and maximize the equitable provision of optimal care for marginalized or under-privileged groups. The walk will also feature posters outlining work being done to make our field more inclusive for patients, donors, and caregivers, as well as for practitioners across the hematology workforce. It will serve to connect stakeholders in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in hematology, and facilitate discussions on the state of DEI research in the field. This walk is well aligned with ASH vision to advance equity both in the U.S. and globally.

Organizer:

Warren B Fingrut, MD
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, TX, 

Elna N. Saah, MD, MS
EMORY UNIVERSITY
Atlanta, GA

ASH Poster Walk on Genetic Mutations in Myeloma and Leukemia

Genetic Mutations have a major prognostic impacts in leukemia and myeloma. New mutations are constantly being identified and reported during the national meetings. Members of the audience can expect to learn about new mutations, how they are being reported and studied and how these mutations will impact treatment and prognosis. This poster walk will also highlight why a standardized criteria for reporting new mutations is essential.

Mutations are a timeless topic and this poster walk will keep participants informed of new developments and prompt the audience to start thinking about future research around these mutations.

Organizer:

Karun Neupane, MD, MBBS
Jacobi Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Bronx, NY

ASH Poster Walk on Hemostasis and Thrombosis hosted by Blood VTH

Organizer:

Lisa Baumann Kreuziger, MD, MS
Versiti
Menomonee Falls, WI

Harvey G. Roweth, PhD
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston, MA

Marie Alice Hollenhorst, MD, PhD
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston, MA

ASH Poster Walk on the Progression of Clonal Hematopoiesis to Hematologic Neoplasms: Biology, Risk Stratification and Therapeutic Interventions hosted by Blood Neoplasia

The last year has seen great advances in our understanding of genetic and clinical factors that associate with progression of clonal hematopiesis (CH) to overt myeloid, or less frequently lymphoid, neoplasia. Predictive models that allow identifcation of indviduals at high risk of progression also open the way for pre-emptive therapeutic approaches that aim to avert progression. This poster walk will highlight abstracts focusing on the biology of CH-to-neoplasia progression, risk prediction models, and therapeutic approaches aimed at treating pre-neoplastic CH.

Organizer:

Klaus Hans Metzeler, MD
University of Leipzig, Germany
Leipzig, Germany

ASH Poster Walk on Time to Examine Time Toxicity in Hematology

Of the many exciting abstracts being presented at the 2023 ASH meeting, one unifying thread across classical and malignant hematology involves efforts to reduce "time toxicity." While specific definitions of time toxicity are still being established, the broad principle is clear: particularly for incurable diseases, patients often spend significant proportions of their days on healthcare-related interactions. Efforts to address this vary widely and may not even carry the title "time toxicity." While studies of reduced-frequency romiplostim in ITP or teclistamab in myeloma clearly fit this definition, for example, so too do trials that seek to reduce transfusion dependence in MPNs or lower the frequency of pain crises requiring Emergency Room visits in sickle-cell disease. Relevant studies also include interventions of decreased diagnostic monitoring and digital health tools to decrease patient time in clinic without compromising clinical outcomes. A concerted cross-disease poster walk focused on "time toxicity" will help the field understand how to define this concept broadly, how to design studies that address time toxicity (either directly through medication dosing frequency or indirectly by reducing healthcare resource utilization), and exploring the impact of time toxicity on patient quality of life.

Organizer:

Rahul Banerjee, MD
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Seattle, WA

ASH Poster Walk on What's Hot in Sickle Cell Disease Clinical Research in 2023

Sickle cell disease (SCD) affects 100,000 people living in the US and 250-300,000 births annually worldwide. Despite its frequency, the natural history of SCD and its complications remain poorly understood. Over the past decade, clinical research has led to much progress in disease management, identifying novel therapeutic targets and FDA approval of two new therapies, crizanlizumab and voxelotor, in the fall of 2019. Numerous clinical trials of novel therapeutics and potential curative therapies are ongoing. Large patient registries from the US and Europe have begun to increase our understanding of the disease and its complications. ASH has been supportive of increasing education in SCD to improve patient care and this poster walk allows high quality SCD clinical research to be presented to the broader ASH community. Dr. Klings has co-chaired or chaired the ASH Poster Walk entitled “What’s Hot in Sickle Cell Disease Clinical Research” for each of the last two years. This session has focused on selecting junior investigators for presentation from diverse backgrounds. Abstracts for presentation have reflected the complex multi-system vasculopathy which exists in our patients and is of value for all hematologists to learn about.

Organizer:

Elizabeth S. Klings, MD
Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine
Boston, MA