George Dover, MD

2011-05-01

Given Professor and Director, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University 

Honorific Awards, the Society’s most prestigious awards, are presented during the annual meeting each year to recognize significant contributions to the field of hematology. For many years, there were only three awards — the E. Donnall Thomas Lecture and Prize, the William Dameshek Prize, and the Henry M. Stratton Medal. However, as the field of hematology has grown, so has the need for additional recognition. By 2009, the Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize and the Society’s highest honor, the Wallace H. Coulter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Hematology, were added to the awards portfolio, which also includes the Mentor Award, established in 2006 to honor outstanding mentors in the hematology community. The Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize recognizes major translational advances related to a single topic, while the Wallace H. Coulter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Hematology acknowledges an individual’s lifetime commitment and outstanding contributions to hematology— specifically one who has made a significant impact on education, research, and/or practice.

The field of hematology continues to be on the leading edge of targeted therapies and serves as a paradigm for the movement of knowledge from the bench to the bedside. Exponential growth in clinical research in recent years has resulted in further progress within the field of hematology. To capture the full breadth of the field, and to recognize colleagues at all stages of their careers, the Society decided to expand the portfolio of honorific awards even further, while at the same time redefining the descriptions of some of the existing awards.

In recognition of the work being done by both basic science researchers and clinical researchers, the Henry M. Stratton Medal will now be awarded to two individuals annually — one in basic science and one in clinical research. Furthermore, the Society wanted to recognize hematologists at all stages of their independent careers. As of the 2012 award cycle, the Stratton Medal will be awarded to mid-level and senior investigators (older than 50 years of age) and the William Dameshek Prize will be awarded to early-career investigators no more than 50 years of age. The criteria for the Wallace H. Coulter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Hematology, Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize, and the E. Donnall Thomas Lecture and Prize will remain the same.

The changes to the honorific awards are meant to encourage a diverse pool of nominations, reflecting the evolving field of hematology and the researchers doing the work.

The nomination cycle for the 2012 honorific awards is now open, and the deadline to nominate a colleague is July 1, 2011. Please read the updated descriptions and submit a nomination by visiting the ASH website at http://www.hematology.org/awards/honorific/2239.aspx.  

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