Dr. Éliane Gluckman Receives the Wallace H. Coulter Award
“Hematology is an amazing medical specialty that offers a blend of clinical practice and in-depth biological understanding. It provides countless possibilities for scientific research, and above all, it gives you the deep satisfaction of favorably impacting patients’ lives.”
Wallace H. Coulter was a prolific inventor, innovator, and entrepreneur whose work revolutionized laboratory medicine and led to major breakthroughs in science, medicine, and industry. The award presented in his name for lifetime achievement in hematology recognizes an individual who has demonstrated a lasting commitment to the field through outstanding contributions to education, research, and practice.
Éliane Gluckman, MD, PhD, professor emeritus of hematology at the University of Paris, is an eminent physician-scientist and thought leader. In 1988, she performed the world’s first human cord blood transplant, which established cord blood as an alternative stem cell source for patients in need of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) and shortened the delay between donor identification and actual transplant. Since that revolutionary procedure, there have been more than 40,000 transplants, with cord blood registries established worldwide.
Throughout her career, Dr. Gluckman has continued to shape and advance hematology. Her impact includes significant contributions to the understanding of hematologic disorders such as aplastic anemia, Fanconi anemia, and sickle cell disease (SCD) through the design of new conditioning protocols that are used to prepare patients for stem cell transplantation. She also has trained many investigators in the field and helped establish bone marrow transplant units in their respective countries.
As a young medical student, Dr. Gluckman was drawn to hematology, a relatively new discipline at the time, because of its potential for growth and innovation. Her first residency position was in the hematology ward at the Hôtel-Dieu Hospital in Paris, where she affirmed her passion and interest in Fanconi anemia and SCD.
“When I began working in hematology, the median survival for acute leukemia was only six months” Dr. Gluckman said. “Observing the first results of chemotherapy that led to complete remissions was a privilege. Additionally, I found the laboratory aspect of hematology both intriguing and fascinating. The opportunity to observe the cells — and essentially the disease itself — under a microscope provided a uniquely insightful perspective that continued to inform my work as I progressed in my career.”
From 1988, Dr. Gluckman led cord blood research as medical director of the bone marrow transplant service and head of the department of hematology at the Saint-Louis Hospital in Paris. She was also a founding member and president of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, as well as president of the European School of Hematology from 2011 to 2018, training scientists and clinicians from all over the world.
Currently, Dr. Gluckman is head of the EuroCord research group on cell therapy for malignant and non-malignant diseases in children. She is leading a project that examines immunogenetic factors that could predict the outcomes and probability of finding a donor for stem cell transplants in people living with SCD and other hereditary disorders. In 2022, she was honored with a lifetime achievement award from the Pediatric Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Consortium.
“As one of the few women ever nominated, I am incredibly honored and humbled to receive the prestigious Wallace H. Coulter Award,” Dr. Gluckman said. “This distinction acknowledges my personal scientific contributions while also highlighting steps made on the path towards equitable representation of women in our field.”
Fun Fact: “My husband and I share a passion for high-level mountaineering. Together, we successfully conquered the summit of Mont Blanc and have participated in challenging trekking and climbing expeditions in Nepal, South America, and other regions.”
