When it comes down to it, quality science, member engagement, and innovative programs are three attributes that distinguish ASH. These features were once again on display at ASH’s inaugural scientific Meeting on Lymphoma Biology held August 10-13, 2014, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This three-day working event brought together more than 400 experts from 22 countries to discuss the latest lymphoma science and to address the current challenges that the field faces in 2014 and beyond.
This meeting was organized in response to the lymphoma community’s need for a forum specifically focused on basic and translational science relevant to lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Although several international meetings cover clinical topics in lymphoma, ASH members felt that there wasn’t a meeting dedicated to basic lymphoma biology and translational research in the United States. It was felt that a smaller working meeting would galvanize the lymphoma biology community and ultimately accelerate development of new therapeutic strategies. A proposal for this meeting, developed by its three co-chairs, Dr. David Weinstock, Dr. Lou Staudt, and Dr. Ari Melnick, was brought forward to the ASH Committee on Scientific Affairs and was subsequently endorsed by the ASH Executive Committee. ASH is indebted to the co-chairs and to the steering committee — Dr. Riccardo Dalla-Favera, Dr. Randy Gascoyne, Dr. John Leonard, Dr. Ronald Levy, Dr. Izidore Lossos, Dr. Grzegorz Nowakowski, Dr. Oliver Press, Dr. Kerry Savage, and Dr. Margaret Shipp — for an outstanding job. They were all very hands-on and committed to this new kind of focused meeting, spending many hours developing the program, reviewing abstracts, and helping with the marketing and fundraising.
The steering committee organized an impressive program that included lectures by many of the acknowledged experts in the field of lymphoma biology, including a particularly insightful keynote address by Dr. Klaus Rajewsky from the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin. More than 150 abstracts containing cutting-edge, previously unpublished results were presented in either oral or poster sessions. One of the most exciting outcomes of this inaugural program was that 75 trainees attended the meeting. As evidence of the Society’s commitment to ensuring participation by junior investigators, ASH supported 11 Abstract Awards of $500 each to trainees with the highest-scoring abstracts.
In addition to formal presentations, the meeting included small interactive sessions that were designed to be conducive to building relationships and collaborations. These sessions provided an opportunity for participants to catch up with colleagues, make new connections, and discuss science in a relaxed, informal setting. Additionally, the meeting featured breakout sessions during which participants identified areas of investigation to be included in a collaborative roadmap for lymphoma science. The roadmap generated at the meeting will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, and subsequently, the published version will be distributed to investigators, funding agencies, and advocates who support lymphoma research.
The demographic profile of the attendees was broad and included basic and translational scientists from academia and industry, clinicians, established investigators, and trainees. Feedback from conference participants has been overwhelmingly positive, and plans are underway for the next ASH Meeting on Lymphoma Biology scheduled for the summer of 2016. For more information, please visit www.hematology.org/MLB.
The ASH Meeting on Lymphoma Biology is another example of the Society’s innovative approach to providing leadership and resources in support of the vibrant community of clinicians and investigators interested in malignant hematology. By the time this article is published, we will have concluded our annual State-of-the-Art Symposium focused on the newest developments in malignant hematology, and I am pleased to report that of the record-breaking 6,500 abstracts submitted for presentation at this year’s annual meeting, more than 3,500 deal with malignant hematology. I’m proud that the ASH annual meeting remains the premiere venue for the presentation of the most outstanding clinical, basic, and translational research related to malignant hematology, and that ASH remains committed to ensuring that members and nonmembers who identify with this broad field that includes acute and chronic leukemias, lymphoproliferative disorders, plasma cell dyscrasias, myeloproliferative neoplasms, and related transplantation biology know that their scholarly contributions are recognized and respected by the Society.
This column will be my last as President of ASH. I hope that you’ve had as fulfilling a year in your endeavors as I have had representing all of you in serving ASH. It’s been a pleasure and an honor! I’ll be “passing the gavel” to David Williams in San Francisco, and I know he is looking forward to leading the Society in fulfilling its mission in 2015.
