UP FRONT
ASH Directions
Harnessing Big Data’s
Power and Potential
In keeping with the mission of helping hematologists conquer blood diseases
worldwide, the American Society of Hematology (ASH) has announced its
partnership with Prometheus Research to build and support a one-of-a-kind,
comprehensive data registry that addresses the landscape of malignant and
non-malignant hematologic diseases. “ASH realizes that there is a need to
facilitate the sharing of high-quality clinical data for the hematology com-
munity and to provide direct data management support for disease-specific
research activities,” said ASH President Kenneth Anderson, MD, in his
President’s Column published in The Hematologist.
The data generated by the ASH Registry will be of enormous interest to
investigators looking to test and validate research hypotheses. It will enable
researchers to answer critical questions more quickly and accurately, including
disease prevalence, affected populations, and key sociodemographic data.
The registry will focus initially on sickle cell disease and multiple myeloma
and will expand over time to include new areas. ASH members and others
who are interested in registry activities and who would like to volunteer their
expertise to assist with ongoing efforts should contact ASH Registry Director
Melissa Francisco, MBA, at [email protected].
Future Leaders in Hematology Education
Attend Boot Camp
In the second year of the Medical Educators Institute (MEI), Co-Directors Marc J. Kahn,
MD, MBA, and Jennifer Kesselheim, MD, MEd, continue to develop future leaders in
hematology education. MEI is a “boot camp” in teaching techniques, medical education
scholarship, and career development for hematologists who are new to or in the early
phases of medical education careers.
Affordable Care Act Update:
Efforts to Restore CSR Payments
In late October, Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Patty Murray
(D-WA) introduced the Bipartisan Health Care Stabilization Act to
help stabilize the insurance marketplace. The legislation would provide
funding through 2019 for cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments,
which were recently cut off by the Trump Administration, and would
restore funding for outreach and enrollment activities. Additionally, the
legislation would expand access to catastrophic plans and would provide
more flexibility to states when determining affordability of health
insurance coverage. ASH recently sent a letter to all U.S. Senators in
support of this legislation.
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) introduced
competing legislation. Similar to the Alexander/Murray Act, this legislation
provides funding for CSR payments through 2019, but would also eliminate
the individual mandate and expand the use of health savings accounts. ASH
has major concerns with the Hatch/Brady legislation as it includes provisions
that could damage the marketplace, such as repealing the individual and
employer mandate which would hinder access to health care.
To learn simple ways to become an advocate on this issue, visit
hematology.org/advocacy.
ASHClinicalNews.org
MEI participants convene at ASH headquarters. Front row (seated, L-R): Erin Reid,
MD, MS; Mary Jo Lechowicz, MD; Jennifer Kesselheim, MD, Med; Marc J. Kahn, MD,
MBA; Marc Zumberg, MD; Jay Youngclaus Middle row (L-R): Leslie Kersun, MD;
Tiffany Lin, MD; Yi Lisa Hwa, DNP; Sarah Nagle, MD; Martina Murphy, MD; Usha Perepu,
MBBS, MRC; Dawn Butler, MD; Amber Yates, MD; Bethany Samuelson Bannow, MD;
Pallawi Torka, MD; Annie Im, MD; Eric Tseng, MD Back row (L-R): Donna Luff, PhD;
Prakash Vishnu, MD; Leslie Ellis, MD, MSHPEd; Georgette Dent, MD; Dana Matthews, MD;
Courtney Miller-Chism, MD; Adolfo Enrique Diaz, MD; Kenneth Zuckerman, MD;
Richard Ward, MBBS, MSc; Scott Gitlin, MD; Daniel Choi, MD, MS
ASH Clinical News
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