ATLANTA, Dec. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --- The American Society of Hematology (ASH) is honoring two important figures today with ASH Mentor Awards in recognition of the important role they play in the training and career development of hematologists early in their careers. Edward J. Benz, Jr., MD, and Harold R. Roberts, MD, will receive their awards during the 49th ASH Annual Meeting in Atlanta.
Each year, two awardees, one from the realm of laboratory science and the other from patient-oriented research, are selected from a pool of candidates nominated by individuals whose careers they have helped shape.
Dr. Benz, President of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and a faculty member at Harvard Medical School, was a guiding force in the career development of dozens of individuals in the field of hematology. According to his nominator, Nancy Berliner, MD, “Ed has had a lifelong commitment to medical education - teaching, advising, and nurturing the careers of students, fellows, and junior faculty... He is a consummate scientist, physician, and teacher who leads by example - as a research advisor, career counselor, and multi-faceted role model.”
Dr. Roberts, renowned for his work in blood coagulation, is a faculty member at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine at Chapel Hill. He has directly mentored more than 50 individuals, providing guidance and support to undergraduate students, medical students, residents, and fellows. In his nomination letter, Gilbert C. White, II, MD, wrote of him, “As a mentor, there is none better. . . He taught me how to think, how to teach, how to communicate with patients, and how to present my research.”
Christine L. Kempton, MD, who also submitted a statement of support for Dr. Roberts’ nomination wrote, “He has mentored by modeling a superior physician-scientist and compassionate human being. And, as great mentors do, he has actively fostered my career in hemostasis by always being available, creating opportunity, and insisting that I had more potential than even I thought I had.”
Drs. Benz and Roberts will be presented with their honors at an awards ceremony at 1:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, December 9, in the Georgia World Congress Center.
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, treatmenht, 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.
CONTACT: Marina Carter of Fleishman-Hillard, +1-202-828-8878,
marina.carter@fleishman.com or Laura Stark of ASH, +1-202-776-0544,
lstark@hematology.org. On site contact 12/7-12/11: +_1-404-222-5705
Web site: http://www.hematology.org/