The American Society of Hematology (ASH) announced that it will recognize 11 hematologists who have made notable contributions to the field with several honorific awards and prestigious lectures at the 2025 ASH Annual Meeting & Exposition in Orlando, Florida, from December 6–9, 2025. The honorees have advanced hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, laid the foundation for gene therapies, deepened the understanding of how hematologic malignancies develop, and shaped the next generation of hematologists.
“ASH is honored to celebrate hematologists whose contributions and leadership have redefined what is possible in the field,” emphasized Belinda R. Avalos, MD, President of ASH. “Collectively, their work has made a significant impact on the lives of patients with blood disorders, leading to more effective treatment options and better overall care.”
ASH 2025 Award Recipients
Rainer Storb, MD, a physician-scientist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, who received the Wallace H. Coulter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Hematology, in recognition of more than 60 years of groundbreaking achievements in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. He was instrumental in the creation and refinement of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation 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.
Dr. Storb’s interest in bone marrow led him to contribute to the development of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and its subsequent translation to humans. He co-led the development of the treatment as a cure for aplastic anemia and leukemia and recognized the graft-vs-leukemia effect. This mechanism is responsible for decreasing the likelihood of leukemia relapse following transplant and has paved the way for modern immunotherapies.
Dr. Storb developed the nonmyeloablative conditioning regimen and transplant—which involves minimal pretransplant radiation, is less intensive compared with standard transplantation, and depends on the graft-vs-tumor effect. These innovations expanded access to transplants, enabling older and medically frail patients to successfully undergo the procedure. He is currently investigating targeted radiotherapy to reduce the risk of relapse in patients with hematologic malignancies who have undergone transplant.
The mentees of Dr. Storb have spearheaded significant advancements in transplant for hematologic malignancies. He has previously been recognized for his work with ASH’s Henry M. Stratton Medal (1997), E. Donnall Thomas Lecture and Prize (2005), and Mentor Award (2012).
Diane Krause, MD, PhD, a physician-scientist at the Yale School of Medicine, was recognized with the ASH Advancing Inclusive Excellence Award for her commitment to removing barriers that prevent the full participation in hematology. She has made meaningful contributions at the individual, institutional, and systemic levels by recruiting, supporting, and championing individuals from a wide range of backgrounds—including those identifying as LGBTQ+ and those facing social or economic disadvantages. Dr. Krause has worked to leverage her own experiences to create an environment in which all trainees feel safe, valued, and respected, thereby enabling the next generation of hematologists to pursue and find success in their careers. Dr. Krause believes that scientific innovation depends on creativity, which is enhanced when individuals of different backgrounds and viewpoints work together, leading to greater innovation and discoveries benefiting not just hematology but the broader scientific community.
Jorge Di Paola, MD, of the Washington University in St. Louis, and Sophie Lanzkron, MD, MHS, of Thomas Jefferson University, both received the 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. With a laboratory focusing on the genetics of bleeding and clotting disorders, he is known to lead with an inclusive and nurturing spirit. Dr. Di Paola’s investment in his trainees’ professional and personal success, 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 patient care, especially those living with sickle cell disease. Her guidance is tailored, academically challenging, and validating—with many trainees crediting her for helping them navigate imposter syndrome. Dr. Lanzkron has served as a vital role model to a pool of mentees from numerous backgrounds and specialties. Her emphasis on taking risks, pivoting from failure, pursuing new opportunities, and prioritizing a work-life balance has helped her mentees realize and act on their potential as well as lead change in the field.
Nancy Speck, PhD, a researcher at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, was awarded the E. Donnall Thomas Lecture and Prize for her pivotal work in hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis. Her discovery of the transcription factor complex core binding factor has enabled 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 patients with familial platelet disorder with associated myeloid malignancy—a condition that predisposes patients to myelodysplastic syndromes and leukemia. Dr. Speck’s decades of research have had a profound impact on both classical and malignant hematology.
Both Radek Skoda, MD, of the Baylor College of Medicine, and Ruben Mesa, MD, of Atrium Health Wake Forest, have earned the Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize as a result of their exceptional contributions to the understanding and treatment of myeloproliferative neoplasms.
Dr. Skoda, the recipient of the Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize in basic science, was instrumental in identifying the genetic basis for myeloproliferative neoplasms. He played a critical 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, allowing it to divide rapidly and displace normal blood cells. His work provided the foundation for developing JAK2 inhibitors.
Dr. Mesa, the recipient of the Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize in clinical science, significantly advanced the development and evaluation of several myeloproliferative neoplasm therapies. He contributed essential work in clinical trials of JAK2 inhibitors, including those for ruxolitinib, and 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.
Together, the work of Drs. Skoda and Mesa has paved the way for the development of four U.S. Food and Drug Administration–approved JAK2 inhibitor therapies for myeloproliferative neoplasms, offering patients reduced symptoms and a better quality of life.
Chiara Bonini, MD, a physician-scientist at the Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, will present the Ham-Wasserman Lecture and discuss her pivotal contributions to gene therapy for hematologic malignancies. Under Dr. Bonini’s leadership, her laboratory became the first to use genetically modified lymphocytes to treat patients who had undergone stem cell transplantation. The groundbreaking work led to the approval of the first cell-based gene therapy for cancer in Europe. Throughout Dr. Bonini’s career, her work has been critical to advancing novel cancer therapies that have improved outcomes among patients around the world.
Karina Yazdanbakhsh, PhD, of the New York Blood Center Enterprises, and David A. Williams, MD, of the Boston Children’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Harvard Medical School, both received the 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—which has led to advances in the understanding and treatment of several classical blood disorders. Her research has explored the interplay of the immune system with platelets or red blood cells in blood disorders, including in the context of transfusions. Dr. Yazdanbakhsh’s research into the patterns of immune dysregulation in patients with sickle cell disease is providing the foundation for more effective targeted therapies, while informing strategies to mitigate immunologic adverse responses to blood products and improve their transfusion management. She also serves as a dedicated advocate, leader, and mentor.
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, which have led to landmark clinical trials of gene therapy for inherited blood disorders. Dr. Williams is a pioneer of gene therapy, having been the first to demonstrate gene transfer into hematopoietic stem cells in mouse models using retrovirus vectors. His research has laid the groundwork for rFN-CH-296—a standard reagent used in gene transfer—and has directly enabled the development of groundbreaking gene therapies for severe combined immunodeficiency, chronic granulomatous disease, cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy, and sickle cell disease. His laboratory focuses on GTPases, proteins that play a crucial role in cellular processes, and identified the molecular causes of three different rare hematologic conditions related to mutations in the RAC2, RHOH, and SEPTIN6 genes.
Mark Dawson, MD, PhD, a clinician-scientists at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, was awarded the William Dameshek Prize for his contributions to the understanding of epigenetics and its relationship to the development of hematologic malignancies. His laboratory is credited with identifying how various epigenetic proteins, including BRD4 and KAT7, influence gene expression to maintain malignancies like leukemia and lymphoma. He has pioneered molecular insights into how cancers co-opt the activity of epigenetic proteins to evade recognition and eradication by the immune system. Dr. Dawson is a leader in the new and rapidly expanding field of cancer cell plasticity, whereby cancer cells use epigenetic mechanisms to rapidly adapt to cancer therapies. His discoveries have shaped how hematologists think about the epigenetic regulation of hematologic malignancies and have provided the field with novel epigenetic therapies and strategies to improve clinical outcomes in patients with hematologic malignancies.
