ASH Announces New ASH-AMFDP Hematology Scholars

(WASHINGTON, July 27, 2021) — The American Society of Hematology (ASH) is pleased to announce the recipients of the American Society of Hematology-Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program (ASH-AMFDP) Award, a partnership between ASH and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Lachelle Dawn Weeks, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Emilio Ramos, MD, PhD, of University of California, San Francisco.

Developed to increase the number of hematologists from underrepresented backgrounds with academic and research appointments, the ASH-AMFDP provides four-year postdoctoral research awards to fellows aspiring to careers in academic medicine. Each recipient receives a total of $420,000 over the course of the program, including stipends and research grants, as well as the support of a National Advisory Committee mentor through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, complimentary ASH membership, and support for attendance at both the ASH and AMFDP annual meetings each year of the award.

“ASH is committed to building and nurturing a hematology workforce with a rich diversity of perspectives, talents, and experiences,” said ASH President Martin Tallman, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “Through our partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s AMFDP, we are proud to support talented hematologists from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds in medicine as they transition from training to faculty positions. ASH is proud to support the careers of Drs. Weeks and Ramos, two rising stars in hematology, who have started their projects this month.”

Dr. Weeks, a fellow in hematology, has embarked on a research project that aims to identify novel clinical and genomic predictors of high-risk clonal hematopoiesis (CHIP), a condition associated with increased risk of developing a hematologic malignancy and to use CHIP as a biomarker to develop innovative screening and prevention strategies for individuals at risk of developing hematologic malignancies such as acute myeloid leukemia.

Dr. Ramos, a hematopathology fellow, will lead a collaborative project between two institutions to use unique technologies such as cell surface proteomics and a fully in vitro antibody discovery system to determine new targets for immunotherapy and drive development of new immunotherapies that can treat blast phase myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN-BP), a rare form of acute leukemia associated with poor prognosis.

The ASH-AMFDP program is part of the ASH Minority Recruitment Initiative, which is dedicated to encouraging diversity in the field of hematology. As a global hematology community, ASH understands the importance of having individuals with diverse perspectives and experiences in all areas of the field. Through various ASH programs and committees, ASH continues its long-standing commitment to combating inequities in hematology, supporting scientists and clinicians from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine, and embracing diverse voices across the patient and health care communities. Learn more about ASH’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in health care.

The American Society of Hematology (ASH) (www.hematology.org) is the world’s largest professional society of hematologists dedicated to furthering the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders affecting the blood. For more than 60 years, the Society has led the development of hematology as a discipline by promoting research, patient care, education, training, and advocacy in hematology. ASH publishes Blood (www.bloodjournal.org), the most cited peer-reviewed publication in the field, and Blood Advances (www.bloodadvances.org), an online, peer-reviewed open-access journal.

Contact:
Amanda Szabo, American Society of Hematology
[email protected]; 202-552-4914