2013 Highlights of ASH® in Latin America Speaker Bios

Martin S. Tallman, MD: "Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Newly Discovered Genes/Therapeutics/MRD"

Martin S. Tallman is Chief of the Leukemia Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York. Dr. Tallman received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and his MD degree at The Chicago Medical School, completed his internship, residency and chief residency at the Evanston Hospital of Northwestern University, and his fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at the University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington. He is Chair of the Leukemia Committee of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group. During his career he has contributed a large body of work to the literature addressing the biology and treatment of acute leukemias and other hematologic malignancies. Dr. Tallman is a member of numerous committees of national, regional, and international societies involved in the study and treatment of cancer. He serves on the AML, and MDS Panels of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). Dr. Tallman serves as an Associate Editor of the journal Blood and is also on the editorial boards of a variety of different scientific journals.

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Karen Ballen, MD: "Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation"

Dr. Ballen is the Director of the Leukemia Program at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. She is also an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She was graduated from Harvard College and Dartmouth Medical School. She completed her internal medicine residency at Beth Israel Hospital and her Hematology/Oncology Fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, both in Boston. Dr. Ballen has served in multiple roles for the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research and the American Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Her special expertise is in Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation.

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Rami S. Komrokji, MD: "Myelodysplastic Syndromes: Pathogenesis/ Novel Therapeutic Strategies"

Dr. Komrokji is the Clinical Director of the Malignant Hematology Department and the Lead Clinical Investigator for the MDS Program at the Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida.  He is an Associate Member of the Malignant Hematology and Experimental Therapeutics Program at the Moffitt Cancer Center, and an Associate Professor in Medicine & Oncologic Sciences at the College of Medicine, at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida.  After earning a medical degree in1996 from the Jordan University School of Medicine, Dr. Komrokji completed an internship and residency at Case Western University, St. Vincent Program. He then completed a fellowship at Strong Memorial Hospital, University of Rochester, in Hematology/Oncology and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.  Dr. Komrokji was the Director of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Program at the University of Cincinnati, before moving to the Moffitt Cancer Center in 2008.  Dr. Komrokji is a member of the American Society of Hematology, American Society of Clinical Oncology. He was President of the American VA Hematology/Oncology Association.  He has authored or co-authored more than 60 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 15 book chapters, and more than 200 abstracts in Hematologic Malignancies. He serves as member on the MDS Panel of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). He was member of the editorial board for Journal of Clinical Oncology. He is peer reviewer for several medical journals including Blood Journal.  Dr. Komrokji’s research interests are in Phase I and II Clinical Trials, and in the outcome research in hematologic malignancies with focus on myeloid neoplasms. His clinical interests are Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), Acute Leukemias, and Myeloproliferative neoplasms. He serves as the Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute Principle investigator for the Clinical MDS consortium, a collaborative effort between six largest MDS programs nationwide and prestigious grant supported by Evans’ foundation through Aplastic Anemia and MDS foundation.

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Joseph R. Mikhael, MD, FRCPC, MEd: "Plasma Cell Disorders (Myeloma)"

Dr. Mikhael is a consultant hematologist at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona. He specializes in plasma cell disorders, namely multiple myeloma, amyloidosis and Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia. Dr. Mikhael is currently the principal investigator of many clinical trials, primarily in multiple myeloma. His clinical research interests also include pharmaco-economics, communication skills and supportive care in cancer. He did his medical school and internal medicine training at the University of Ottawa, Canada. He then did his Hematology training at the University of Toronto, followed by a masters’ degree in education and a Multiple Myeloma fellowship at Princess Margaret Hospital. He was a staff physician at the Princess Margaret Hospital and Toronto General Hospital from 2004 until 2008 when he moved to Arizona to work at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Mikhael is an associate professor at the Mayo College of Medicine, and is heavily involved in education. He is the Associate Chair of Education for the Department of Medicine. He is also the Vice-Chair of Education for the division of Hematology-Oncology and is the program director of the Hematology-Oncology Fellowship Training Program at Mayo Clinic Arizona. He is also the vice-chair of the Graduate Education Committee. 

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Lillian Sung, MD, PhD: "Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia and Other Pediatric Leukemias"

Dr. Sung is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto and she is a pediatric oncologist at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. She earned a medical degree from the University of Ottawa and a PhD in Clinical Epidemiology from the University of Toronto. Dr. Sung completed pediatric residency at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario followed by fellowships in Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, and Clinical Investigation at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and The Hospital for Sick Children. She is Chair of the Cancer Control and Supportive Care Committee within the Children’s Oncology Group. She has served in leadership positions for the American Society of Hematology and was the previous Chair of the Sub-committee on Blood Disorders in Childhood and is the current Chair of the Oversight Committee for the Clinical Research Training Institute. In addition to 178 peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Sung holds four Canadian Institutes of Health Research or Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute operating grants and one R21.

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Elizabeth Hexner, MD, MS: "Myeloproliferative Neoplasms including Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: Therapeutic Strategies"

Elizabeth Hexner is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the Hematologic Malignancies Group in the Abramson Cancer Center. Dr. Hexner received her undergraduate degree from Duke University and her medical degree from Columbia University, where she also completed her internship and residency. She completed her fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania, where she also received a Master’s Degree in Translational Research. She was proud to serve on and chair the Trainee council for the American Society of Hematology during her training. She is a physician scientist performing research in late preclinical development and early clinical investigation in the field of experimental therapeutics for myeloproliferative neoplasms and transplantation for hematologic malignancies. She serves on the editorial board of Therapeutic Advances in Hematology and the American Journal of Hematology.

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Agnes Y. Lee, MD, MSc, FRCPC: "Management of Thrombotic Disease: New Anticoagulants/Thromboprophylaxis"

Dr. Lee is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Medical Director of the Thrombosis Program, Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, BC, Canada. She earned her medical degree and finished her postgraduate internal medicine training at the University of British Columbia. She then completed her hematology fellowship at McMaster University, where she did a research fellowship in Thromboembolism and earned a Master’s degree in Health Research Methodology. She is a co-chair of the standardization and scientific subcommittee on Hemostasis and Malignancy of the International Society of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, and is a panel member on the American Society of Clinical Oncology Guidelines on Prevention and Treatment of Venous Thromboembolism in cancer patients.

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Cindy Neunert, MD: "Novel Treatments for Relapsed/Refractory Chronic Immune Thrombocytopenia"

 Dr. Cindy Neunert is Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Member of the Cancer Center at Georgia Health Sciences University in Augusta, Ga. She earned a medical degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School in Virginia and completed her pediatric residency there as well at the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters. Following this she received fellowship training in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas in Texas. During this time she also obtained a Master’s degree in clinical sciences. She was a participant of the American Society of Hematology Clinical Research Training Institute and recently co-authored the American Society of Hematology evidence-based guidelines on the diagnosis and management of Immune Thrombocytopenia.

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Margaret V. Ragni, MD, MPH: "Pathophysiology of Hemorrhage and Thrombosis: Everyday Bleeding Disorders"

Margaret V. Ragni, MD, MPH, is a tenured Professor of Medicine and Clinical Translational Science, in the Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/ Oncology, University of Pittsburgh, and Medical Director, Hemophilia Center of Western Pennsylvania. She received her medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and master’s degree in Epidemiology from the Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh. She completed her medical internship and residency in general Internal Medicine, and fellowships in Hematology/Oncology and Coagulation/ Blood Banking at the University of Pittsburgh. She is actively engaged in patient care, teaching, mentoring, and clinical research, with over 230 peer-reviewed publications in the area of hemophilia, von Willebrand disease (VWD), and thrombosis. She is currently PI on three National Heart Lung Blood Institute (NHLBI) grants and on numerous investigator-initiated studies. She serves on the Advisory Board of the Foundation for Women & Girls with Blood Disorders (FWGBD), on the National Hemophilia Foundation Medical & Scientific Advisory Committee (MASAC), on the ASH Hemostasis Subcommittee, and is past member of the NHLBI Hemostasis Thrombosis Study Section. She is the author of 274 articles.

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Ilene Ceil Weitz, MD: "Thrombotic Angiopathies: New Insights and New Treatmeants"

Dr. Weitz is an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at the Keck-USC School of Medicine. She completed her medical school training at the Medical College of Pennsylvania, Internal Medicine residency at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and Hematology fellowship at Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation, in La Jolla, CA. She is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society and the recipient of the Morris Press Humanism award, the Golden Apple teaching award from Cedars Sinai Medical Center, as well as the Hematology Voluntary Faculty teaching award from USC. Her specific interests include non-malignant hematologic disorders, and thrombosis /hemostasis. She published several papers and chapters on “Effect of Eculizumab on Markers of Hemostatic activation in PNH”, “ Thrombosis in PNH”, “Cancer and thrombosis”, “Thrombosis in PNH” “Hematologic disorders in the elderly”, “DIC”, Iron Homeostasis and the ACP on line management algorithm for the treatment of Hemophilia. She has lectured extensively about PNH and aHUS and the role of complement dysregulation in these disorders.

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Jeffrey L. Winters, MD: "Transfusion Medicine: TRALI/Iron Overload/Pediatric Transfusion/Platelets"

Dr. Jeffrey L. Winters is an Associate Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology in the Mayo College of Medicine, the Vice-chair of the Division of Transfusion Medicine, and the Medical Director of the Therapeutic Apheresis Treatment Unit at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester Minnesota. He graduated with high distinction from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in Lexington Kentucky. Dr Winters completed his postgraduate training in Anatomic/Clinical Pathology at the University of Kentucky and a Transfusion Medicine/Blood Banking fellowship in the Division of Transfusion Medicine at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester Minnesota. He is certified by the American Board of Pathology in Anatomic Pathology, Clinical Pathology, and Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine. Dr. Winters has served on the board of directors of the American Society for Apheresis (ASFA) and was the society’s president from 2010 to 2011. He has served on the ASFA Apheresis Applications Committees responsible for the 2000, 2007, and 2010 guidelines for the use of therapeutic apheresis and is currently on the committee producing the 2013 guidelines. In 2002, he received the Junior Investigator Award from ASFA. Dr Winters is also an associate editor for the Journal of Clinical Apheresis. He was an editor and author for Apheresis: Principles and Practice 3rd edition and Therapeutic Apheresis: A Physician’s Handbook 2nd and 3rd editions. He has been an author on 86 peer-reviewed publications, 7 book chapters, and 112 abstracts.

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Janis L. Abkowitz, MD: "Anemia: Hemoglobin, Iron, and Beyond"

Dr. Abkowitz is the Clement A. Finch Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington; Head of the Division of Hematology; and President of the American Society of Hematology. She completed her MD degree and Internal Medicine residency at Harvard University and her Hematology and Oncology fellowship at the University of Washington. Her laboratory research concerns red cell differentiation and hematopoietic stem cell fate decision-making and her clinical and clinical research expertise is marrow failure.

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Elliott Vichinsky, MD: "Sickle Cell and Thalassemia"

Elliott Vichinsky is Director of Hematology/Oncology at Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland in California and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California San Francisco in California. Dr. Vichinsky completed his internship and residency at Children's Hospital in Seattle, Washington and his fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. He is currently the Director of the Northern California Sickle Cell Center and the Northern California Thalassemia Center. He has been a principal investigator of many translational hemoglobinopathies studies focusing on pathophysiology of the disease and new therapeutic approaches. He has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Cooley's Anemia Foundation and the National Sickle Cell Disease Association. He has been Chairman of the Thalassemia Clinical Research Network and the Cooley's Medical Board. He has been Editor-in-Chief of the Journal Pediatric Hematology and Editor and Chair of the New York Academy of Sciences Cooley's Anemia Symposiums from 2005 to 2010. He has published over 350 articles and several books.

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David J. Straus, MD: "Hodgkin Lymphoma: Biology and Treatment Strategies"

David Straus, MD, is an Attending Physician at Memorial Hospital, Member of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and Professor of Clinical Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. Dr Straus received his undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago, and his medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin (Marquette School of Medicine). He completed an internal medicine internship at Montefiore Hospital, a clinical hematology fellowship at Beth Israel Hospital, and fellowships in medical oncology and clinical hematology at Memorial Hospital. Dr Straus is board certified in internal medicine, hematology, and medical oncology. Dr Straus is extensively published in clinical lymphoma and regularly participates in clinical research and continuing medical education. He served as national chair of CALGB 50203 and serves as current national chair of CALGB 50604, two clinical trials for the treatment of early stage Hodgkin lymphoma. He is affiliated with multiple professional associations, including the American College of Physicians, the American Society of Hematology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Association for Cancer Research, and the American Medical Association.

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Auayporn P. Nademanne, MD: "Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: Therapeutic Strategies in Aggressive and Indolent Lymphomas"

Dr. Auayporn Nademanee is Professor in Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation at City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center. She is also the Chairman of Lymphoma Committee and the Director of Matched Unrelated Donor Program at City of Hope. Dr. Nademanee earned her bachelor’s and medical degrees in Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. Following her internship and residency at Tulane University, she completed her fellowship in Medical Oncology at UCLA’s Sepulveda VA Medical Center and fellowship in Hematology at Los Angeles County, University of Southern California. Dr. Nademanee has dedicated her career in the development and exploration of new treatment for lymphoma. After joining City of Hope National Medical Center in 1981, she continues her passion and dedication in lymphoma research and has served as principal investigator of several protocols for treatment of lymphoma. She has focused her research interest in the area of stem cell transplant for treatment of lymphoma and has developed innovative strategy of incorporating radioimmunotherapy into the high-dose regimen. She also has conducted several clinical trials of stem cell mobilization for lymphoma patients. Her productivity is illustrated by the list of publications > 300 manuscripts and abstracts and 10 book chapters which she was an author and a co-author. Dr. Nademanee also serves as a member of NCCN Lymphoma Committee and was actively involved in the development of Guideline for treatment of NHL. She serves as peer-review for manuscripts submitted for publication for multiple journals. She also participates in Scientific Review Committee for National Cancer Institute.

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Jacqueline C. Barrientos, MD: "Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: Prognostic Factors and Treatment"

 Jacqueline C. Barrientos, MD, is Attending physician at the CLL Research and Treatment Program of the North Shore – LIJ Health System in Lake Success, New York, and is Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine. Dr. Barrientos received her medical degree at the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico, where she was elected vice-president of the local Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society chapter. During her medical studies, she was the recipient of two Research Fellowship Awards from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She completed her internship and residency in internal medicine at Yale-New Haven Hospital of the Yale School of Medicine, and her fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at New York Presbyterian Hospital of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, where she served as Chief Fellow. She has extensive experience with the new promising agents targeting the B-cell receptor pathways in CLL, serving as Principal Investigator on several phase I-III clinical trials. She actively participates in multi-institutional clinical trials with the Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Research Consortium (CRC) and the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology Foundation. Dr. Barrientos is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the American Society of Hematology (ASH). She has been an invited faculty member of ASCO University CLL Tumor Board and has participated as a panelist for ASH State of the Art Symposia.

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