FEATURE ASH AWARDS
“ For medical students looking for direction and those starting out in their careers as hematologists , I would say that they should realize what a great field hematology is . It ’ s exciting , it ’ s challenging , and it presents a multitude of opportunities – from clinical research to laboratory-based research to patient care . Intellectually , you get to play Sherlock Holmes , putting all the clues together to reach often very esoteric diagnoses in all types of challenging cases .”
Steven L . Allen , MD , associate chief of hematology at Northwell Health , Hyde
Park , New York
“ Be persistent . It is important to do what you love , but you might not always love what you are doing at that moment . There are a lot of disappointments awaiting you , so being persistent and keeping that goal in mind is the best advice I can give anyone .”
Beverly S . Mitchell , MD , director of the Stanford Cancer Institute , Stanford ,
California
“ Understand yourself and what you are passionate about – at each step of the way . Having a long-term goal is important , but you should also be thinking about how you will get there . The career pathway is very long , so you need to make sure that you actually enjoy what you are doing now . It ’ s important to be able to delay gratification and slog through when you have to , but if you find yourself doing too many things that are not meaningful to you , then maybe you should be looking elsewhere .”
Stephanie Lee , MD , MPH , professor of medicine in the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center , Seattle , Washington
ASH Awards and Programs for Young Hematologists / Oncologists
ASH provides many awards and programs to support hematologists in all stages of their careers . Read on for information about awards specifically geared to early-career hematologists / oncologists , and visit hematology . org / awards for more information about eligibility criteria and due dates .
Career-Enhancement Awards
ASH-AMFDP Award Provided through a partnership between ASH and the Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program ( AMFDP ) of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation , the ASH-AMFDP Award is given to a scholar from an underrepresented minority . The award provides four years of research support , including an annual stipend of up to $ 75,000 and an annual grant of $ 30,000 toward the support of research activities
Complimentary ASH membership is provided , which includes a subscription to Blood . Recipients also have the opportunity to attend the ASH annual meeting for the four years of the award and are invited to the AMFDP annual meeting each year with travel expenses covered by the grant .
Research Training Award for Fellows The ASH Research Training Award for Fellows ( RTAF ) provides up to six awards of $ 55,000 for a one-year period to fellows-in-training who are pursuing research . The grant is intended to be used primarily for salary support for the applicant . The salary includes benefits provided by applicant ’ s institution for up to 15 percent of the total award amount . Additionally , up to $ 5,000 of the funding may be allocated for research supplies and reagents , and up to $ 1,000 may be used for travel to the ASH annual meeting . Recipients also receive $ 1,000 outside of the award to support attendance at the ASH annual meeting for the year following their award term .
Awards are targeted to two separate groups of researchers :
• Junior Investigator RTAF for 2nd- or 3rdyear fellows whose research has been initiated but have collected no preliminary data ( apply in years 1 or 2 of fellowship )
• Senior Investigator RTAF for 4th- or 5thyear fellows whose projects have been initiated and have generated data ( apply in years 3 or 4 of fellowship )
Scholar Awards The ASH Scholar Awards are designed to support hematologists who have chosen a career in research by providing partial salary or other support during that critical period required for completion of training and achievement of status as an independent investigator .
The award supports the following types of research : basic , translational , patient-oriented , and outcomes-based .
Awards are limited to a maximum of $ 100,000 for fellow scholars and $ 150,000 for junior faculty scholars over a two- to three-year period , with an annual maximum of $ 50,000 for fellows and $ 75,000 for junior faculty . Up to 15 percent of the award can be ( but is not required to be ) used for benefits .
ASH Annual Meeting Abstract Awards
ASH Abstract Achievement Awards and Outstanding Abstract Achievement Awards ASH offers two types of merit-based awards of $ 500 to trainees with high-scoring abstracts accepted to the for presentation at the ASH annual meeting : the ASH Abstract Achievement Award and the Outstanding Abstract Achievement Award . These awards are provided to presenters in each of the following categories :
• Undergraduate student
• Medical student
4 Trainees and Fellows Edition