(WASHINGTON) – Alison Walker, MD, has been selected to receive the ASH-AMFDP Award, and will begin her research in acute myeloid leukemia in July of this year. The award, designed to help increase the number of underrepresented minority scholars in the field of hematology, is the result of a partnership between the American Society of Hematology (ASH) and the Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program (AMFDP) of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It provides four years of support, including an annual stipend of up to $75,000 and an annual grant of $30,000 to support research activities.
"To have been selected as the 2010 recipient of the ASH-AMFDP award is truly an honor," said Dr. Walker. "The opportunities for career development made possible by this award are many, and I look forward to working with both ASH and the AMFDP in the years to come."
Dr. Walker is the fourth recipient of the ASH-AMFDP award. Her research, "Targeting the Expression of Mutated Genes Encoding Tyrosine Kinases in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)," will explore the effect of both direct and indirect inhibition of aberrant tyrosine kinase activity as part of a phase I clinical trial in patients with relapsed or refractory AML. The correlative science that results from this clinical trial will allow Dr. Walker to identify mechanisms of leukemogenesis and further her efforts in the development of experimental therapeutics for patients with this disease.
Dr. Walker is currently Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, OH.
For more information about this award, please visit the ASH-AMFDP page on the ASH Web site.
To arrange an interview with Dr. Walker, please contact Patrick C. Irelan, ASH Communications Assistant, at 202-776-0544 or pirelan@hematology.org.
The American Society of Hematology (www.hematology.org) is the world's largest professional society concerned with the causes and treatment of blood disorders. Its mission is to further the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders affecting blood, bone marrow, and the immunologic, hemostatic, and vascular systems, by promoting research, clinical care, education, training, and advocacy in hematology. ASH provides Blood: The Vital Connection (www.bloodthevitalconnection.org), a credible online resource addressing bleeding and clotting disorders, anemia, and cancer. The official journal of ASH is Blood (www.bloodjournal.org), the most cited peer-reviewed publication in the field, which is available weekly in print and online.