UP FRONT
ASH Directions
A New Way to Catch Up
with ASH News and Reports:
The Hematologist Podcasts
To better serve the Society’s membership by bringing new digital offerings, The Hematologist has
launched its first podcast! The Hematologist, as one
of ASH’s most visible and valued member benefits,
provides fertile ground for these offerings.
The inaugural podcast, “Navigating Future
Challenges in Lymphoma” features a conversation
with Ann LaCasce, MD, and David Weinstock,
MD, about the strategic roadmap for lymphoma
research recently published in Blood, moderated
by The Hematologist Editor-in-Chief Jason Gotlib,
MD, MS. Thus far, more than 200 listeners from 40
countries have tuned in.
Future podcast topics are already in the works,
with the popular “Diffusion” articles – a selec-
tion of concise and provocative digests of major
breakthrough articles recently published in world
literature related to the field of hematology – next
in line for audio commentary. In a podcast to
coincide with the July/August 2015 issue, Contributing Editor David Garcia, MD, will be discussing
new research on anticoagulation therapy in patients
with high-risk pulmonary embolism.
The podcasts are available to stream or download on ASH’s SoundCloud page by visiting www.
soundcloud.com/ash_hematology or
scanning the QR code. Listeners can
also download the SoundCloud mobile app from the Google Play or App
Store to listen on their mobile device.
ASH Submits Comments on
USPSTF Draft Recommendation
Statements on Iron Deficiency
Anemia
Improving MDS Outcomes
from Diagnosis to Treatment
On April 27, 2015, ASH submitted comments to
the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)
in response to its draft recommendation statements on “Iron Deficiency Anemia in Pregnant
Women: Screening and Supplementation, 2016”
and “Iron Deficiency Anemia in Young Children:
Screening and Supplementation.”
The USPSTF draft recommendation statements outline the importance of gathering more
information about iron deficiency anemia in
these populations to develop better screening and
prevention methods.
ASH’s comment letter states that the Society
agrees the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for iron deficiency anemia in young children
and pregnant women; however, ASH urges the
USPSTF to add a clear statement to the recommendations indicating that in the absence of sufficient data, decisions regarding iron screening and
supplementation should be individualized and
left to the judgement of the involved clinicians
and their patients.
ASH’s letter also encourages USPSTF to clarify the meaning of the recommendation grading
system, define symptoms of iron deficiency and
at-risk children, add information about the use of
IV iron versus oral iron supplements, and explain
the difference between the USPSTF recommendation and other national recommendations on
screening for iron deficiency.
Read the full text of ASH’s comment letter at
www.hematology.org/Advocacy/Testimony.aspx.
ASHClinicalNews.org
ASH is co-sponsoring a complimentary CME
summit on myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS),
focusing on the multidisciplinary approach to
care for MDS patients. The American Society for
Clinical Pathology and the France Foundation are
co-hosting these workshops.
The goal of this summit is to improve performance diagnosis and treatment of MDS patients.
Participants will actively engage in multidisciplinary,
interactive small-group activities, including:
•
Case-based tumor board discussions
•
Assessing low or high grade MDS
•
Identifying the new role of molecular testing
The summit is designed for all members of the
MDS care team, including: hematologists, pathologists, medical laboratory scientists, medical
oncologists, and hematology/oncology nurse
practitioners and physician assistants.
Speakers for this event include Timothy
G. Miley, MD, Methodist Hospital; Mikkael
A. Sekeres, MD, MS, Cleveland Clinic Taussig
Cancer Institute; Marilyn L. Slovak, PhD,
Sonoma Quest Laboratories/Laboratory Sciences
of Arizona; Jessica Altman, MD, Northwestern
University; and additional expert faculty.
Three one-day MDS workshops are coming up:
•
Chicago, IL – Thursday,