The American Society of Hematology (ASH) recently announced that Stephen S. Chung, MD, will receive the inaugural Jake Wetchler Foundation ASH Scholar Award for Pediatric Innovation for his research on the mechanisms of bone marrow failure syndromes. This work could ultimately lead to an improved understanding of a severe form of pediatric leukemia that develops in the setting of bone marrow failure. The award is the result of a new partnership between ASH and The Jake Wetchler Foundation for Innovative Pediatric Cancer Research (JWF) to cooperatively fund novel pediatric cancer research that challenges existing paradigms.
Through this partnership, JWF will fund 50% of select ASH awards granted to investigators whose research has a line of sight to effective and safe treatments for pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Dr. Chung’s award will total $100,000 over a period of 2 years.
Dr. Chung is an instructor and medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. His current research focuses on the role of CD99, a cell surface protein expressed at increased levels on malignant stem cells. Dr. Chung aims to determine whether CD99-targeted treatments can eradicate the stem cells that are often responsible for disease relapse, as well as develop new diagnostic tests for AML and myelodysplastic syndromes.
Dr. Chung received his medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and completed fellowships at Massachusetts General Hospital and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. ■
