ASH is recognizing Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), who has represented Connecticut’s 3rd District in the U.S. House of Representatives for 30 years, with the 2021 ASH Public Service Award, and Peter Marks, MD, PhD, the director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with the 2021 ASH Outstanding Service Award.
The ASH Public Service Award, established in 1998, is presented each year by the Society to recognize and honor an elected U.S. public official who has been an effective advocate for government support of biomedical research and hematology practice. Rep. DeLauro, who is herself a cancer survivor, has spent much of her career advocating for improvements in the biomedical research arena. She has been a longtime member of the House Appropriations Committee and currently chairs both the House Committee on Appropriations and the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee. She is passionate and outspoken about the need for investment in biomedical research and public health programs and has consistently demanded increased funding for the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including funding for the CDC Sickle Cell Data Collection program, which ASH has supported for several years.
The ASH Outstanding Service Award is presented annually to individuals in the public or private sector in recognition of effective “behind-the-scenes” leadership in areas relevant to the Society’s mission. This year, ASH recognizes Dr. Peter Marks for his role as the director of CBER in assuring the safety and effectiveness of biological products, including vaccines; allergenic products; blood and blood products; and cellular, tissue, and gene therapies. He is also acknowledged for his commitment to facilitating the development of biological products and providing oversight throughout the product life cycle. Recently, the FDA has taken great strides in the field of hematology, including overseeing the approval of innovative cell-based gene therapies and biosimilar applications in oncology, as well as leading the implementation of the 21st Century Cures Act. As part of the Cures Act, CBER launched the Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy Designation program to review cell therapies and tissue-engineering products, all under Dr. Marks’ leadership. A longtime ASH member, Dr. Marks’ support and leadership has contributed greatly to the success of joint ASH-FDA programs, including the 2018 FDA-ASH Sickle Cell Disease Clinical Endpoints Workshop and the 2021 ASH Research Collaborative Institute of Genomics Innovation. Additionally, he has supported ongoing efforts to explore the use of clinically relevant real-world sickle cell disease and thalassemia data for regulated research. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Marks oversaw the FDA’s emergency approval of the expanded use of convalescent plasma (CCP) to treat patients with COVID-19, as well as the FDA approval of COVID-19 vaccines. During such a divided time, Dr. Marks remained committed to scientific principles, which was essential to building public trust for the eventual vaccine approval. He also continued to provide helpful insights to ASH throughout the pandemic and was a presenter at ASH’s CCP webinar where more than 1,300 participants experienced firsthand Dr. Marks’ remarkable knowledge and foresight.
Join ASH in congratulating Rep. DeLauro and Dr. Marks for their incredible work in support of the Society’s mission. ASH continues to build relationships with congressional and federal agency champions of health care to advance the field of hematology.
