In the past year, ASH provided more than $8 million in awards and scholarships to support hematologists in all stages of their careers. ASH supports career enhancement awards such as Scholar Awards, Research Training Awards for Fellows (RTAF), and awards dedicated to increasing the number of underrepresented minority scholars in hematology. Furthermore, training programs such as the Clinical Research Training Institute (CRTI) and Translational Research Training in Hematology (TRTH) are designed to give young researchers the pivotal tools, mentoring, and access to resources beneficial for a successful career in hematology. One of ASH’s newest awards, the ASH Bridge Grant Program, was designed to help preserve the careers of its talented member scientists whose vital research would not otherwise be accomplished due to across-the-board cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget.
Our members have historically turned to the Society during times of need. With severe constraints on NIH research funding, ASH leadership felt strongly that we needed to do something bold to directly support our members during this very harmful funding downturn. During its 2012 spring retreat, the ASH Executive Committee adopted a strong and proactive approach to combat this progressive decline in NIH research funding by allocating $9 million over three years specifically for R01 bridge funding. These monies were to be allocated for up to 30 meritorious bridge awards annually and would be focused on benefitting hematologists at all levels of their careers. The ultimate goal was to retain outstanding researchers in our field so that they could continue their critical research and prevent hematology research laboratories from closing. Amazingly, in approximately six months, ASH developed and implemented a program for members who had applied for an NIH R01 or equivalent who were denied funding for an NIH R01 or equivalent due to budget constraints. The ASH Bridge Grant Program has been lauded by our members, cited by the press, admired by the NIH, and copied by other societies. By all measures, this program has made a huge impact.
All ASH awards are designed with metrics and end points so that we are able to gauge the success of our initiatives. With that in mind, I am delighted to share two real-life examples of members who directly benefitted from this new ASH initiative. Drs. Merav Socolovsky (University of Massachusetts Medical School) and Christopher Porter (University of Colorado School of Medicine) both cite the ASH Bridge Grant Program as essential in obtaining R01 funding, keeping their laboratories active during their interim funding crunch, and ultimately being critical to their successful academic promotions. Dr. Porter commented, “Due to the bridge funding, I did not have to reduce the size of my lab with personnel cuts prior to the award of the R01. Thus, ASH Bridge Grant funds directly promoted the advancement of our laboratory work leading to R01 funding.” Dr. Socolovsky’s revised R01, submitted after being awarded an ASH Bridge Grant, scored 3 percent at the NIH (NIDDK). She stated that, “Without the ASH Bridge Grant, I would certainly not have obtained R01 funding.”
Drs. Socolovsky’s and Porter’s achievements are just two examples of the multitude of hematologists who have directly benefitted from ASH’s awards and scholarships. ASH programs such as the HONORS Awards, the Minority Medical Student Awards, and the Scholar Awards, have yielded equally successful results that have helped promote our field’s research missions. Today, I’d like to recognize and celebrate all those whose careers have been advanced by the support they received from ASH. Congratulations to them … and to ASH!
