(WASHINGTON, December 20, 2010) - The American Society of Hematology (ASH) announces the 2011 Scholar Award recipients. The program is designed to support hematologists who have chosen a career in research by providing partial salary or other support during the critical period required for completion of training and achievement of status as an independent investigator.
The awards are made possible through grants from the corporate community, individual donors, foundations, and funds committed by the Society. The awards are for a two- to three-year period, totaling $100,000 for fellows and $150,000 for junior faculty.
The 2011 Scholar Award recipients are:
Basic Research Fellow
Omar I. Abdel-Wahab, MD
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Karen L. Bunting, PhD
Weill Cornell Medical College
Brian T. Edelson, MD, PhD
Washington University School of Medicine
Hiyaa S. Ghosh, MSc, PhD
Columbia University Medical Center
Andrew G. Muntean, PhD
University of Michigan
Mary Philip, MD, PhD
University of Washington
Jonathan N. Thon, PhD
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Jennifer J. Trowbridge, PhD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Pieter Van Vlierberghe, PhD
Columbia University Medical Center
Basic Research Junior Faculty
Anil Chauhan, PhD
University of Iowa
Jill Johnsen, MD
University of Washington
Michael G. Kharas, PhD
Brigham and Women's Hospital
George J. Murphy, PhD
Boston University School of Medicine
Daniel T. Starczynowski, PhD
University of Cincinnati
Catherine T. Yan, PhD
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Clinical/Translational Research Fellow
Samantha M. Jaglowski, MD
The Ohio State University
Holbrook Kohrt, MD
Stanford University
Clinical/Translational Research Junior Faculty
Veronika Bachanova, MD
University of Minnesota
William Savage, MD
Johns Hopkins University
Joanne Levy, MD, Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement
The Joanne Levy, MD, Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement is given to the current ASH Scholar with the highest scoring abstract for the ASH annual meeting. This award is made possible by the Levy family and continues the legacy of their daughter Joanne, a past ASH Scholar Award recipient and distinguished Society member who passed away in 2004.
This year's recipient is Grant Challen, PhD, of the Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Challen received his PhD from the University of Queensland, Australia, in 2006. After completing his doctorate, he joined the lab of Dr. Margaret Goodell at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, to begin his postdoctoral fellowship studying the molecular regulation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). During this time, his biggest accomplishment has been providing some of the first evidence for the purification of lineage-biased HSCs from bone marrow.
Dr. Challen's current research focuses on the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms controlling the self-renewal and differentiation of HSCs, particularly regulation of gene expression by DNA methylation. The award will provide funding for him to continue this research.
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. 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.