ASH Scholar Awards

2008 Scholar Award Winners Announced

Purpose

The ASH Scholar Awards are designed to support hematologists who have chosen a career in research by providing partial salary or other support during that critical period required for completion of training and achievement of status as an independent investigator. The program was established over 20 years ago and has proven to be successful, supporting more than 150 scholars.

ASP-ASH GERIATRIC HEMATOLOGY RESEARCH AWARD

ASH and the Association of Specialty Professors (ASP) have partnered to introduce the ASP-ASH Geriatric Hematology Research Award as part of the ASH Scholar Awards program. The intent of this Scholar Award is to support junior faculty who are interested in hematology aging research.

All applicants who want to be considered for this award should state this clearly in their letter of intent when applying for a Scholar Award. To find out if you are eligible to apply for this award, please visit the ASP Web site to review their eligibility requirements.

Please note, this award may not be granted every year. All proposals for the award will be included in the pool of Scholar Award applications. The award will only be granted if a geriatric hematology research proposal falls within the highest rankings of all applications.

Eligibility (status as of August 28, 2008)

To be eligible for the Junior Faculty Scholar Award (either basic or clinical/translational research), applicants must be within the first two years of their initial tenure-track faculty appointment as Assistant Professor at the time of application.

To be eligible for the Fellow Scholar Award (either basic or clinical/translational research), applicants must have more than two years, but less than six years postdoctoral research training at the time of application. Applicants who are hematology or hematology/oncology fellows must have completed their clinical year plus two full years (but no more than six) of postdoctoral research at the time of application.

In addition to fellows, instructors, lecturers, and research associates should apply in the fellow category. The six-year maximum for postdoctoral research training also applies to these individuals. Applicants with these job titles are not yet eligible for the Junior Faculty Award.

Applicants must work in a U.S. or Canadian institution (such as a medical school, hospital, or research institute). An institution qualifies if it independently receives and administers grants and contracts from the National Institutes of Health. Employees of the PHS at the NIH are not eligible for these awards as their salaries for research are covered under the terms of their employment.

Individuals with K awards from the NIH are eligible to apply. Individuals with R01 grants at the time of application are not eligible for these awards.

At least 75 percent of the applicant’s full-time professional effort must be devoted to research.

Application Process

• FAQs for Scholar Award Applicants

ASH requires applicants to submit a letter of intent (two copies) in early May, in order to be eligible to submit a full proposal in August. The letter of intent should include the following:

• Cover letter signed by applicant (include mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address)
• Abstract of proposed project, including title (please do not exceed 350 words)
• Applicant's curriculum vitae
• Identify which award category you plan to apply for:
  • Basic Research Fellow
  • Basic Research Junior Faculty
  • Clinical/Translational Research Fellow
  • Clinical/Translational Research Junior Faculty

Please mail two copies of your letter of intent to:

American Society of Hematology
Attn: Tiffanie Luckett
1900 M Street, NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20036

ASH will perform a preliminary review of these materials to confirm eligibility and the appropriateness of the research category applied to. If additional information is required, ASH staff will contact you prior to June.

The full ASH Scholar Award applications will be available in early June only for those individuals who successfully submit a letter of intent by the deadline and are confirmed to be eligible. The 2008 deadline for the full proposal is Thursday, August 28.

Acceptance Policy

Anyone meeting the eligibility requirements set forth above can submit an application. The review of the scholar award applications is based solely on the scientific merit and quality of the applicant. However, in fairness to programmatic balance, no more than two awards will be granted per category (basic research fellow, basic research junior faculty, clinical/translational fellow, clinical/translational junior faculty) per medical school. For this purpose, ASH defines medical school so that it encompasses all sub-institutions (e.g., University of Washington would include the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Children’s Hospital, etc.).

Research Supported

• Basic Research: ASH considers basic research to include a broad spectrum of studies on genes, proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, biochemical and signaling pathways, receptors, cells and animals, as well as samples obtained from humans, all of which are designed to further our understanding of the blood, bone marrow, and related organs or the pathogenesis of blood disorders. The emphasis for grants in this category should be on the discovery of new knowledge in a traditional laboratory setting.

• Clinical/Translational Research: ASH considers clinical/translational research to include translational research, patient-oriented research, and outcomes-based research. ASH emphasizes that clinical/translational research must involve substantial interaction with patients.

  Translational Research
  For the purposes of the ASH Scholar Awards program, translational research means using knowledge of human biology to develop and test the feasibility of relevant interventions in humans and/or determine the biological basis for observations made in individuals with hematologic conditions or in populations at risk. Translational research should be founded on and directly connected to some aspect of human biology and may encompass any form of cellular, molecular, structural, biochemical, genetic, or other appropriate experimental approach. The proposal should address clinical applications – not just test development – although the development of novel instrumentation of value to hematology is clearly within the scope of the application.

  Patient-Oriented Research
  For the purposes of the ASH Scholar Awards program, patient-oriented research is defined as research conducted with human subjects and involves an investigator directly interacting with human subjects. Categories of patient-oriented research include: 1) mechanisms of human disease, 2) therapeutic interventions, 3) clinical trials, and 4) development of new technologies.

  Outcomes-Based Research
  ASH strongly encourages applications in outcomes-based research. Options for outcomes-based research include: 1) a decision-analysis or cost-effectiveness analysis of a relevant topic within hematology, 2) survey-based research investigating practice patterns, access to care, quality of care, clinical outcomes, or quality of life among patients with hematologic conditions, 3) retrospective analyses of large administrative databases (e.g., CMS, a large insurer, SEER) that may enlighten health care policy decisions related to hematologic disease, and 4) large scale epidemiologic or genetic epidemiologic studies that define the incidence, prevalence, prognosis, and natural history or the effects of therapy of blood disorders.

  Applications that fall within any of the categories discussed above are encouraged.

Support

Awards are limited to a maximum of $100,000 for fellow scholars and $150,000 for junior faculty scholars over a two- to three-year period, with an annual maximum of $50,000 for fellows and $75,000 for junior faculty. Up to 15 percent of the award can be (but is not required to be) used for benefits, including medical and dental insurance, life insurance, and retirement benefits.

All awards are activated on July 1 of the following year. The applicant has the option of concluding the award on June 30, two or three years after activation. All award payments are made on a quarterly basis – the amount depends on whether the award is being spread over two or three years. Payments are made to the appropriate financial officer of the institution as indicated on the proposed budget within the full application.

General Timeline

ASH Scholar Awardees

• Current ASH Scholars:
  • 2007-2009 Scholars
  • 2006-2008 Scholars
• Past Scholar Awardees

Joanne Levy, MD, Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement
Current ASH Scholars are eligible for the Joanne Levy, MD, Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement.

2007 Scholar Award Supporters:

• Amgen Oncology
• Eli Lilly and Company
• Novartis Oncology

2007 Scholar Award Foundation Supporters:

• Henry M. & Lillian Stratton Foundation
• Henry M. Stratton – Ernst R. Jaffé Scholarship Fund

Questions
For more information about the ASH Scholar Awards program, please contact Tiffanie Luckett, ASH Director of Development, via e-mail or by phone at 202-776-0544.