Mrinal Patnaik Receives Mayo Clinic Gerstner Award

Mrinal Patnaik , MBBS , received one of the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine ’ s Gerstner Family Career Development Awards in Individualized Medicine . The award provides seed money for early-stage investigators to conduct research to predict , prevent , treat , and potentially cure diseases through individualized therapies .

Dr . Patnaik ’ s research includes defin-

Mrinal Patnaik , MBBS

ing the impact of the NRAS gene on chronic myelomonocytic leukemia ( CMML ) and using patient tumor samples to evaluate the effectiveness of different therapies for CMML . “ With the support provided by the Gerstner Award , we will be able to address the urgent need to develop an effective treatment for this deadly disease ,” said Dr . Patnaik . ( Not related to this research , Dr . Patnaik was recently profiled in ASH Clinical News ’ pASHions . For more , visit ashclinicalnews . org / pashions .

Source : Mayo Clinic news release , August 23 , 2017 .

National Academy of Medicine Elects 80 New Members

The National Academy of Medicine ( NAM ) announced the election of 70 regular members and 10 international members during its annual meeting , increasing the Academy ’ s total active membership to 2,127 and the number of international members to 172 . The Academy recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service in the fields of health and medicine .

“ These newly elected members represent the most exceptional scholars and leaders in science , medicine , and health in the U . S . and around the globe ,” said NAM President Victor J . Dzau , MD .

The following hematology / oncology clinicians are among the newly inducted NAM members :

• Scott Allen Armstrong , MD , PhD , chair of the Department of Pediatric Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute ; associate chief of the Division of Hematology / Oncology at Boston Children ’ s Hospital ; and the David G . Nathan Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School in Boston , MA

• Lewis A . Chodosh , MD , PhD , professor and chair of the Department of Cancer Biology ; associate director for basic science at the Abramson Cancer Center ; and co-director of the 2-PREVENT Translational Center of Excellence at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia , PA

• Alan D . D ’ Andrea , MD , Fuller – American Cancer Society Professor in the Department of Medical Oncology at the Dana- Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School in Boston , MA

• Serpil Erzurum , MD , Lerner Research Chair at the Lerner Research Institute at Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland , OH

• Ramon E . Parsons , MD , PhD , director of the Tisch Cancer Institute and professor and chair of the Department of Oncological Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York , NY

• Suzanne L . Topalian , MD , professor of surgery and oncology and associate director at the Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore , MD

For a complete list of newly inducted members , visit nam . edu .

Source : National Academy of Medicine news release , October 16 , 2017 .

Two Georgia Universities Join NIH-Funded Study of Bone Marrow Transplants

The Medical College of Georgia ( MCG ) and Augusta University Health have joined the National Institutes of Health ( NIH )– funded national clinical trial investigating whether bone marrow transplantation ( BMT ) should be considered standard of care for patients with sickle cell disease ( SCD ).

These sites join approximately 20 others that are actively enrolling patients ( ages 15-40 ) with SCD . The study provides a BMT for participants with severe disease if they have an appropriate donor ( most likely a sibling ); however , when a donor is not identified , participants receive standard of care and researchers follow them for two years , observing outcomes in each cohort .

“ We want to be able to offer the option of cure to our patients who struggle the most with this chronic disease ,” said Jeremy Mark A . Pantin , MD , a hematologist / oncologist in the Department of Medicine at MCG and a principal investigator of the study . “ These are people who are particularly thwarted by the side effects of their disease .”

Source : Medical College of Georgia press release , October 30 , 2017 .

Robert A . Hromas Named Dean of Joe R . & Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine

Robert A . Hromas , MD , chair of the Department of Medicine at University of Florida Health and vice president of the University of Florida Physicians Clinical Practice Association , will assume the role of dean of the Joe R . and Teresa Lozano Long School of

Robert A . Hromas , MD

Medicine at University of Texas ( UT ) Health San Antonio and the university ’ s vice president for medical affairs in February 2018 . He succeeds the interim dean , Ronald Rodriguez , MD , PhD , who has served since January 1 , 2017 .

“ UT Health San Antonio is poised to bring new treatments and new diagnostics to the patients for whom there has been [ few ] other effective therapies ,” said Dr . Hromas .

Previously , Dr . Hromas served as chief of hematology / oncology and deputy director of the Cancer Center at the University of New Mexico and helped the institution achieve designation as a NCI Cancer Center . He was also deputy director of the Indiana University Cancer Center and previously served as the Chair of ASH ’ s Committee on Scientific Affairs . Dr . Hromas has received continuous funding from the NIH for more than two decades . ●

Source : University of Texas , San Antonio news release , October 31 , 2017 .