ASH Announces Prestigious Honorific Awards for 2016
Each year, the Society recognizes outstanding hematologists who have made significant contributions to the field with the following Honorific Awards: Wallace H. Coulter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Hematology, Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize, E. Donnall Thomas Lecture and Prize, Henry M. Stratton Medal, William Dameshek Prize, and the ASH Mentor Award.
This year's prizes were awarded to nine outstanding hematologists who have made valuable contributions to the understanding and treatment of hematologic diseases.
Wallace H. Coulter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Hematology
The Wallace H. Coulter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Hematology, the Society's highest honor, is named for the late Wallace Henry Coulter, a prolific inventor who made important contributions to hematology and to ASH.
Thalia Papayannopoulou, MD
University of Washington in Seattle, WA
Dr. Papayannopoulou will be honored for her innovative contributions to cutting-edge areas of hematology, including hemoglobin regulation and stem cell biology, her commitment to patient care, and her mentorship of several generations of hematologists during her 55-year career.
E. Donnall Thomas Lecture and Prize
This award, named after the late Nobel Prize Laureate and past president of ASH E. Donnall Thomas, MD, recognizes pioneering research achievements in hematology that have represented a paradigm shift or significant discovery in the field.
David T. Scadden, MD
Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA
Dr. Scadden will be awarded this prize for his work on the bone marrow hematopoietic microenvironment. The topic of his talk will be "Bone Marrow: Structure and Function of the Blood Cell Foundry."
The Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize
The Ernest Beutler Lecture, named for the late Ernest Beutler, MD, past president of ASH and physician-scientist for more than 50 years, is a two-part lectureship that recognizes major translational advances related to a single topic. The award honors two individuals, one who has enabled advances in basic science and another for achievements in clinical science or translational research.
Zhu Chen, MD, PhD
Shanghai Institute of Hematology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai, China
Hugues de Thé, MD, PhD
University of Paris Hospital, Saint-Louis, Paris, France
Drs. Chen and de Thé will be honored for their significant research advances in the area of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). The topic of their talk will be "Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia: A Model for Precision Medicine and Cure by Targeted Therapies."
William Dameshek Prize
This prize, named after the late William Dameshek, MD, a past president of ASH and the original editor of Blood, recognizes a recent outstanding contribution to the field of hematology.
Charles Mullighan, MBBS (Hons), MD
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
Dr. Mullighan will be awarded this prize for his leadership in defining the landscape of genetic alterations of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), which has provided valuable insight into the genetic basis of this disease, and in particular high risk and relapsed ALL in children and adults.
Henry M. Stratton Medal for Basic Research and Clinical/Translational Research
The Henry M. Stratton Medal is named after the late Henry Maurice Stratton, co-founder of Grune and Stratton, the medical publishing house that first published ASH's journal Blood. The prize honors two senior investigators whose contributions to both basic and clinical/translational hematology research are well recognized and have taken place over a period of several years.
J. Evan Sadler, MD, PhD (Basic)
Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
Dr. Sadler will be recognized for his pioneering study of a number of blood coagulation factors, the findings of which have been critical to the molecular, genetic, and biochemical characterization of bleeding and clotting proteins.
Ayalew Tefferi, MD (Clinical/Translational)
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN
Dr. Tefferi will be recognized for his contributions to the understanding of myeloproliferative neoplasms and other myeloid malignancies, including his groundbreaking work in defining the pathogenesis and prognostic features of myeloproliferative neoplasms, as well as testing novel treatments.
ASH Mentor Award
Each year, the Society recognizes two outstanding mentors drawn from the areas of basic science, clinical investigation, education, or clinical/community care who have had a significant, positive impact on their mentees' careers and, through their mentees, have advanced research and patient care in the field of hematology.
Ralph Nachman, MD
Weill Cornell Medical College (recently retired), New York, NY
Dr. Nachman will be presented with this award for his many years of guidance and support of students, residents, fellows, and faculty, whom he has encouraged to "go to the best places to learn new things."
Laurence (Larry) Boxer, MD
University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI
Dr. Boxer will be recognized for his service as a research mentor, educator, and career advocate to several generations of trainees during his 40-year career in pediatrics.
New Ask the Hematologist Compendium
"Ask the Hematologist" articles published in The Hematologist: ASH News and Reports, ASH's member newsletter, have been one of the most popular article types, providing a platform for hematologists to discuss and share their treatment approaches to malignant and non-malignant hematologic diseases, as well as very specific cases they have encountered in clinic. A new Compendium providing updated clinical information to "Ask the Hematologist" articles published in The Hematologist from 2010 to 2015 is available. Download the Compendium and access updated articles by visiting hematology.org/TheHematologist/Ask/5960.aspx.
