The Translational Research Training in Hematology (TRTH) program, a joint effort of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) and the European Hematology Association (EHA), is a unique, year-long training and mentoring program focused on helping early-stage researchers gain the tools necessary to build successful careers in blood-related translational research. This month, ASH Clinical News sat down with Yang Ding, MD, assistant professor of oncology and pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, to discuss her experience participating in the program in 2019.
Yang Ding, MD
Why did you decide to participate in TRTH? Where were you in your career when you applied?
I first heard about the program when I was at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia doing the research-heavy portion of my fellowship training in pediatric hematology and oncology. My department chairs both endorsed TRTH as a really wonderful mentorship experience where I could get external mentorship from international leaders in hematology research. I thought it would be a great experience. It also didn’t hurt that the program was going to take place in Italy!
Who were your mentors in the program, and what was it like working with them?
At TRTH, each participant is paired very intentionally with two primary mentors. I was paired with Terry Fry, MD, a professor of pediatric oncology at the University of Colorado in Boulder, and Donna Neuberg, ScD, lead statistician for the leukemia, lymphoma, and benign hematology programs at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Dr. Fry is a leader in the fields of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell immunotherapies and hematologic malignancies, and Dr. Neuberg, who helped start the TRTH program, had a lot of insight about how pediatric oncology trials run, so both were great pairings. Additionally, scholars were placed in small groups of five with their faculty mentors for activities such as grant writing and chalk talks, so we also had access to additional mentorship and advice from a wider group of faculty. We were able to make informal connections with the other faculty mentors, too, and they were each happy to be resources for us during and after the program.
What were some of the most crucial takeaways or lessons you learned from TRTH?
The biggest thing my mentors and the TRTH program imparted to me is that effective communication is key in science. No matter how amazing your ideas and science are, if you can’t effectively communicate, no one will be able to grasp how great or high impact they might be. We spent a lot of time revisiting our aims pages, conducting mock grant study sections, and receiving feedback on oral presentations. For all these activities, the mentors helped us refine the ideas behind our science and identify how to make it more rigorous, but they also taught us how to communicate it effectively.
The program definitely helped me develop confidence as a scientist. I don’t have a PhD, but as an MD, I have a lot of valuable clinical insight for translational relevance. I strongly believe that we can always acquire new skills, whether it’s wet or dry lab skills or the bioinformatics analysis that I learned how to do during my post-doc without formal classwork. The TRTH program imparted that learning is life- and career-long, and there are lots of opportunities for me to acquire more knowledge and training.
Also, each night of the program, we had an “apéritif hour” where a different mentor or faculty member would share their professional and life stories, and it was reassuring to see that many of their paths weren’t linear and that a career in science doesn’t just look one way. The program also helped normalize that many scientists and clinicians struggle a bit with imposter syndrome, which I found really valuable.
How has the program influenced your professional life and development? Has it resulted in any unexpected opportunities?
A great aspect that sets TRTH apart is that it is longitudinal and international! As a cohort, we gather three months after the end of the week-long program at the EHA annual congress, and then at the ASH annual meeting six months after that — this really helps with collaboration, networking, and generally keeping in touch. In terms of collaboration, some of the conversations I’ve had with mentors and other participants have generated new ideas that I’ve implemented in my research, and the networking aspect has been very helpful. Overall, though, one of the things I am most thankful for is the peer group of European and U.S.-based early career researchers I’ve met through the program. Many are still my very good friends to this day, and we are all part of the same WhatsApp group where we cheer each other on when one of us publishes a paper, secures a grant, or gets a new career opportunity.
What advice would you give to prospective participants?
It’s good to go into the program with humility and an openness to receiving feedback. I don’t know of any other program that lets you get input from senior scientists who are internationally known, leading experts in their fields. The mentors have a lot of valuable experience in publishing, getting grants, and communicating science, so participants should go into their mentorships ready to soak up as much as possible and with the understanding that all of us can always improve. Also, have fun and be open to forming new friendships! You never know what collaborations you’ll form later down the line.
Is there anything else you would like people to know about TRTH?
Don’t be afraid to apply to the program! A lot of people think their science has to be at a certain level before they take part in something like this, but TRTH is actually more helpful for people who have malleable aims and more that they can work on in terms of improving their science. The cohort is a nice mix of experience and backgrounds, and overall, the program is just really great. I’m thankful that ASH has such a strong dedication to training the next generation of translational researchers.
Applications for the spring 2025 TRTH session are now open to ASH and EHA members with an MD and/or PhD, biomedical PhD, or PharmD degree in basic or translation research in classical or malignant hematology.
