Marshall A. Lichtman, MD
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) will recognize Marshall A. Lichtman, MD, of the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, with the 2017 Wallace H. Coulter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Hematology. Dr. Lichtman will be honored for his notable service to the field of hematology as an educator, mentor, researcher, and physician throughout his 51-year career.
The Wallace H. Coulter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Hematology is named after the late Wallace Coulter. Mr. Coulter was a prolific inventor and engineer, best known for developing the Coulter Principle, a method that revolutionized the use of basic blood tests to screen for disease. This award commemorates Mr. Coulter’s innovative spirit, visionary leadership, and entrepreneurship, and it is bestowed on an individual who has demonstrated lifetime achievement and leadership in education, research, mentoring, and practice. ASH President Kenneth C. Anderson, MD, will present Dr. Lichtman with this award on December 10, during the 59th ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition in Atlanta.
An Authority in Hematology
Dr. Lichtman is Professor Emeritus in the Departments of Medicine (Hematology/Oncology) and of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in Rochester, New York. He is revered as a compassionate, knowledgeable, and skillful physician and teacher who is frequently consulted in the diagnosis and management of complex hematologic problems. He has authored several textbooks, multiple book chapters, and numerous scientific articles with a broad influence on hematology. Notably, he has co-edited Williams Hematology for seven editions and contributed numerous chapters on blood cell diseases to each edition. He was named a Master of the American College of Physicians in 1994 in recognition of his skills as a physician. While continuing his professorship and activities at Rochester, he served as Executive Vice President for Research and Medical Affairs at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. During this time, he expanded the Society’s Translational Research Program and started the Clinical Scholars and Specialized Centers of Research grant programs, the latter of which was later named in his honor.
Dr. Lichtman has trained numerous fellows in clinical and laboratory hematology, including instruction in blood and marrow interpretation. He taught blood cell anatomy, biochemistry, and physiology in lectures and laboratories to first-year medical students for over 30 years and taught the medical school’s second-year hematology course for approximately 25 years.
His research interests have included detailed studies of blood cell membrane biochemistry and biophysics; the hemolytic anemias; hemoglobin function; hematopoiesis; marrow ultrastructure and cell release; the hyperleukocytic leukemias; the pathobiology of the myeloid neoplasms; and, more recently, historical aspects of hematologic diseases. His 44-page chapter entitled “Historical Landmarks in the Understanding of Lymphoma” is highly regarded, as is the text Hematology: Landmark Papers of the 20th Century.
During his 51-year career, Dr. Lichtman served on multiple editorial boards, including those of Blood, Experimental Hematology, the American Journal of Hematology, and Stem Cells. He was Editor-in-Chief of Blood Cells, Molecules, and Diseases for 14 years and has continued to write thoughtful commentaries on issues in hematology.
Additional Honors and Roles
He has been a member of the Hematology Study Section of the National Institutes of Health. He served as a Governor of the American National Red Cross and as Chair of the American Red Cross Scientific Council. Dr. Lichtman has received several honors and awards, including election to the American Society of Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians, as well as the University of Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences’ Distinguished Alumnus Award and the Rochester Academy of Medicine’s Certificate of Merit. He also served as Dean for Academic Affairs and Research and, subsequently, as Dean of the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.
A former President of ASH (in 1989), Dr. Lichtman has been an active member of the Society for 47 years. His roles include serving on the Executive Committee and the Advisory Board, as well as serving as Chair of the Scientific Affairs Committee and on the Nominating and Finance Committees.
“Dr. Lichtman has been an exemplary mentor to many talented clinical and research hematologists, provided excellent care to his patients, and served as an outstanding scientific leader in medicine and hematology throughout his career,” said Dr. Anderson, of the Lebow Institute for Myeloma Therapeutics and Jerome Lipper Myeloma Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. “I am honored to recognize him with the Society’s most prestigious award for lifetime achievement.”
