The American Society of Hematology's 52nd Annual Meeting and Exposition Showcases the Latest Advances in the Field

ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 30, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Society of Hematology (ASH) will host its 52nd annual meeting at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL, December 4-7.  More than 20,000 attendees are expected for this event, which will highlight emerging research trends in the diagnosis, treatment, and understanding of blood disorders.

"It gives me great pleasure to host the 2010 ASH annual meeting, which provides a stellar educational and scientific program for hematologists across the globe," said ASH President Hal E. Broxmeyer, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the Indiana University School of Medicine. "Not only is the meeting invaluable to hematologists because it offers current information in a constantly-changing field, but it also gives them an opportunity to grow professionally and connect with colleagues and leaders in hematology." 

New additions to this year's program include "Practice Makes Perfect" sessions geared toward practicing hematologists and a special symposium celebrating the 60th anniversary of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). The "Practice Makes Perfect" sessions will touch on relevant topics for clinicians, including Pay for Performance and the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative, new models for payment, and maintenance of certification (MOC). The NIDDK special symposium taking place on Monday, December 6, will highlight advances and future opportunities for progress in three key areas of research supported by the Institute – hematopoiesis, hemoglobin, and iron – in honor of its 60th anniversary.

In addition, the annual meeting offers special presentations from leaders in hematology. On Saturday, December 4, Tsvee Lapidot, Ph.D., will present the Ham-Wasserman lecture on the inner workings of stem cell homing and mobilization. Leonard I. Zon, MD, will give the E. Donnall Thomas Lecture on stem cell renewal and differentiation on Monday, December 6, and Barry S. Coller, MD, and Joel S. Bennett, MD, will present this year's Ernest Beutler Lecture, "From the Mechanism of Platelet Aggregation to the First Rationally Designed Antiplatelet Agent."

Offering nearly 30 education sessions, ASH expands upon its Education Program this year by covering an even wider variety of hematologic topics, from marrow responses in aging and inflammation to consultative hematology in the pregnant patient, as well as two sessions aimed at hematology trainees on the subjects of grant writing and understanding the economic aspect of academic medicine. The 2010 Scientific Program consists of 17 sessions about topics such as transplantation biology and blood disorders in childhood.

This year's "Special Symposium on the Basic Science of Hemostasis and Thrombosis," a session that focuses on the most notable contributions made in the areas of thrombosis, blood coagulation and fibrinolysis, and platelet biology, will take place on Tuesday, December 7, starting with presentations by the invited speakers and followed by oral abstract-based sessions.    

Several notable hematologists will be presented with awards at the meeting. The Society's highest honor, the Wallace H. Coulter Award for Lifetime Achievement, will be presented to Volker Diehl, MD, on Sunday, December 5, for his pioneering research on Hodgkin lymphoma. On the final day of the meeting, David T. Scadden, MD, will be recognized with the William Dameshek Prize for his breakthroughs in stem cell biology, and Sanford Shattil, MD, will be honored with this year's Henry M. Stratton Medal for his achievements in the area of platelet cell biology and signal transduction.

Following the announcement of these awards on Tuesday, the Presidential Symposium will highlight "Innovations and the Future of Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation." Featured symposium speakers will be Eliane Gluckman, MD, John Wagner, MD, and Joanne Kurtzberg, MD.

More information about the ASH annual meeting is available at www.hematology.org/Meetings/Annual-Meeting/.

The American Society of Hematology (www.hematology.org) is the world's largest professional society concerned with the causes and treatment of blood disorders. Its mission is to further the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders affecting blood, bone marrow, and the immunologic, hemostatic, and vascular systems, by promoting research, clinical care, education, training, and advocacy in hematology. Blood, the official journal of the American Society of Hematology, is the most cited peer-reviewed publication in the field. Blood is issued to Society members and other subscribers weekly, available in print and online at www.bloodjournal.org. Follow ASH on Twitter at ASH_hematology.

SOURCE American Society of Hematology