Deerfield Management and the Deerfield Foundation Announce the Creation of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Peter Steelman Scholar Award and the First Annual AML Summit to Advance Research for Acute Myeloid Leukemia

NEW YORK, June 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Deerfield Management and the Deerfield Foundation announced today the creation of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Peter Steelman Scholar Award and the first Annual AML Summit in honor of former, longtime Deerfield Partner Peter Steelman. Both efforts aim to further advance research for Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).

The 2022 inaugural recipient of the ASH Peter Steelman Scholar Award is Simone Riedel, Ph.D. who will be a keynote speaker at the AML Summit. Dr. Riedel currently serves as a doctoral fellow at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Bernt Lab, as part of a team of researchers focused on investigating the role of epigenetic gene regulation in hematopoietic stem cells and their relation to leukemia. More specifically, Dr. Riedel works on a protein called Meningioma-1 (MN1) that, when overexpressed, causes a highly aggressive AML.

The first annual AML Summit will be held on Tuesday, June 13 at Cure®, a healthcare innovation campus in New York City.

Guest speakers at the inaugural AML Summit will include:

• Omar Abdel-Wahab, M.D., Director of the Center for Hematologic Malignancies at Memorial Sloan Kettering;
• Lore Gruenbaum, Ph.D., Vice President, Therapy Acceleration Program;
• Ross Levine, M.D., Leukemia Specialist & Physician-Scientist, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Chair of The AML Summit;
• Alicia Loffler, former Executive Director of the Innovation and New Ventures Office at Northwestern University;
• Simone Riedel, Ph.D., Children's Hospital of Philadelphia;
• Ulrich Steidl M.D., Ph.D., Chair of Cell Biology and co-director of the Blood Cancer Institute at Albert Einstein College of Medicine;
• Aaron Viny, M.D., Cancer Care, Hematology at Columbia.

Each year there are approximately 18,000 new cases of diagnosed AML, with about 126,000 diagnosed prevalent patients per year in total. The AML Summit will bring together thought leaders from across the healthcare ecosystem to advance scientific research and bring us closer to a cure.

About the ASH Peter Steelman Scholar Award

Designed by Deerfield Management and Deerfield Foundation in partnership with ASH, the ASH Peter Steelman Scholar Award supports exceptional academic research efforts focused on AML, and will become part of ASH's Scholar Award program. For many researchers, the period between the completion of training and the establishment of an independent career can be a perilous and uncertain time. Since 1985, the ASH Scholar Award program has helped ease this difficult transition by providing support during that critical period required for the completion of training and achievement of status as an independent investigator. 

Dr. Riedel and future recipients of the award will receive an extensive benefits package from the Deerfield Foundation, including:

• Complete funding support to participate in the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Conference.
• A yearly invitation and a travel stipend to participate in Deerfield Management's AML Summit.
• A designated research presentation slot at the AML Summit.
• Biannual meetings with Deerfield Management's Oncology Working Group, a team of oncology-focused colleagues spanning science and investment.
• Ongoing collaboration with Deerfield Management personnel focused on translational research and product commercialization.
• (For female recipients), ongoing access to Deerfield and Advancium Health Networks Women in Science Translational Research Symposia.

About Peter Steelman

The award was named in honor of former Deerfield Management Partner, Peter Steelman, who will always be remembered as a genuinely kind person who accepted everyone on their own terms. He was a hard worker and a great team player. Peter was devoted to supporting his family (his wife Sara and three boys, Grant, Trent and Kurt) and ensuring they had every opportunity that he could provide. Peter enjoyed going to the beach, running and keeping fit, traveling, and spending time in New York City. While at Deerfield, he was instrumental in the creation of Deerfield's academic network, which today spans nearly 30 of the country's most prestigious institutions. Peter will always be missed and forever remembered.  

"We are proud to offer this award in memory of former friend and Deerfield colleague, Peter Steelman, who, throughout his life and career, was a passionate advocate of Deerfield's mission to advance healthcare," said Jim Flynn, Managing Partner of Deerfield Management and Cure® Founder. "We thank ASH for its partnership and are honored to name Dr. Riedel as the first recipient. We hope our support of the field will bring us closer to a cure for this difficult and painful disease."

About The Deerfield Foundation

An affiliate of Deerfield Management, the Deerfield Foundation is a New York City-based not-for-profit organization whose mission is to strive to improve health, accelerate innovation and promote human equity. Since its inception in 2007, the Foundation has formed numerous partnerships and invested in the advancement of children's health, from clinics in the South Bronx to Nepal. Funds are provided through employee contributions and directly from Deerfield's profits.

About Deerfield Management

Deerfield is an investment management firm committed to advancing healthcare through investment, information and philanthropy. The Firm works across the healthcare ecosystem to connect people, capital, ideas and technology in bold, collaborative and inclusive ways. For more information, please visit www.deerfield.com.

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SOURCE Deerfield Management Company, L.P.