The American Society of Hematology (ASH) will recognize 11 hematologists who have made significant contributions to the field with several honorific awards and prestigious lectures at the 2025 ASH Annual Meeting & Exposition in Orlando, Florida, on December 6–9.
Rainer Storb, MD, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center: Wallace H. Coulter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Hematology
Dr. Storb, a physician-scientist, is being recognized for more than 60 years of groundbreaking achievements in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). He was instrumental in the creation and refinement of HSCT, as well as in advancing the understanding and treatment of acute and chronic graft-vs-host disease. His research has helped establish more effective and less toxic transplant approaches. These innovations significantly expanded access to transplants, enabling older and medically frail patients to successfully undergo the procedure.
Diane Krause, MD, PhD, of Yale School of Medicine: ASH Advancing Inclusive Excellence Award
Dr. Krause, a physician-scientist, is being recognized for her contributions at the individual, institutional, and systemic levels by recruiting, supporting, and championing individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, including—but not limited to—those identifying as LGBTQ+ and those facing social or economic disadvantage. Dr. Krause believes that scientific innovation depends on creativity, which is enhanced when people of different backgrounds and viewpoints work together.
Jorge Di Paola, MD, of Washington University in St. Louis, and Sophie Lanzkron, MD, MHS, of Thomas Jefferson University: ASH Mentor Award
Dr. Di Paola, the recipient of the ASH Mentor Award in basic science, is being honored for his role in helping teach and inspire the next generation of pediatric classical hematologists. Dr. Di Paola, whose lab focuses on the genetics of bleeding and clotting disorders, leads his trainees by example, with an inclusive and nurturing spirit. Dr. Di Paola’s genuine investment in his trainees’ professional and personal successes, coupled with a commitment to scientific excellence, has propelled dozens of young clinician-scientists on the path to success.
Dr. Lanzkron, the recipient of the ASH Mentor Award in clinical science, is being honored for providing hands-on, lifelong mentorship to physician-scientists passionate about improving care for patients, especially those living with sickle cell disease. Dr. Lanzkron has served as a role model to mentees from numerous backgrounds and specialties. Her emphasis on taking risks, pivoting from failure, pursuing new opportunities, and prioritizing work-life balance has helped her mentees realize and act on their potential.
Nancy Speck, PhD, of Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania: E. Donnall Thomas Lecture and Prize
Dr. Speck is being honored for her pivotal work in hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis. Her discovery of the transcription factor complex “core binding factor” has enabled significant conceptual insights into embryonic blood cell formation. One subunit of core binding factor is the transcription factor RUNX1, encoded by a gene responsible for blood cell creation. This factor is mutated in individuals who have familial platelet disorder with associated myeloid malignancy.
Radek Skoda, MD, of Baylor College of Medicine, and Ruben Mesa, MD, FACP, of Atrium Health Wake Forest: Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize
Dr. Skoda, the recipient of the Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize in basic science, is being honored for his role in discovering a frequently occurring mutation in the JAK2 gene and providing mechanistic insights into the development of myeloproliferative neoplasms. Under his leadership, Dr. Skoda’s research team at the University Hospital Basel in Switzerland determined that the mutation leads to overactivity of the JAK2 protein in a single blood stem cell. His work provided the foundation for developing JAK2 inhibitors.
Dr. Mesa, the recipient of the Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize in clinical science, is being recognized for his essential work in clinical trials of JAK2 inhibitors. He led the development of two standardized tools for assessing symptoms in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms: the Myeloproliferative Neoplasm Symptom Assessment Form and the Myelofibrosis Symptom Assessment Form. These patient-reported outcome measures were critical in supporting the approvals of multiple JAK2 inhibitor therapies and have become the gold standard for patient-reported outcome assessments in drug development across medical disciplines.
Chiara Bonini, MD, of Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele: Ham-Wasserman Lecture
Dr. Bonini, a physician-scientist, will present the Ham-Wasserman Lecture and discuss her pivotal contributions to gene therapy for blood cancers. Under Dr. Bonini’s leadership, her Italy-based lab became the first to use genetically modified lymphocytes to treat patients who had undergone stem cell transplantation. This groundbreaking work led to the approval of the first cell-based gene therapy for cancer in Europe. She also pioneered T-cell receptor gene editing.
Karina Yazdanbakhsh, PhD, of New York Blood Center Enterprises, and David A. Williams, MD, of Boston Children’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School: Henry M. Stratton Medal
Dr. Yazdanbakhsh, the recipient of the Henry M. Stratton Medal in basic science, is being recognized for her outstanding research in transfusion medicine. Dr. Yazdanbakhsh’s research into the patterns of immune dysregulation in patients living with sickle cell disease is providing the foundation for more targeted, effective therapies while informing strategies to mitigate immunologic adverse responses to blood products and improve their transfusion management.
Dr. Williams, the recipient of the Henry M. Stratton Medal in clinical science, is being honored for his vital contributions to the understanding of hematopoietic stem cells and viral vectors. Dr. Williams is a former ASH President, and his work directly enabled the development of groundbreaking gene therapies for severe combined immunodeficiency, chronic granulomatous disease, cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy, and sickle cell disease.
Mark Dawson, MD, PhD, of Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre: William Dameshek Prize
Dr. Dawson, a clinician-scientist, is being celebrated for his contributions to the understanding of epigenetics and its relationship to the development of hematologic cancers. His lab is credited with identifying how various epigenetic proteins influence gene expression to maintain cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma. Dr. Dawson’s discoveries have shaped how hematologists think about epigenetic regulation of hematologic malignancies.
