Expansion and Inclusion in Hematology
Commitment to Excellence Through Expansion and Inclusion
As the world’s largest professional society of clinicians and scientists dedicated to conquering blood diseases, ASH seeks to expand the availability of hematologic care while promoting the highest standards of excellence in hematology research, training, and practice.
ASH also supports the education, development, and enlistment of skilled and dedicated scientists and clinicians from all backgrounds in the fight against blood diseases. ASH vigorously opposes all forms of discrimination, harassment, violence, and bigotry that impede patients’ access to high-quality care or deny qualified clinicians and scientists access to educational and professional development opportunities that serve to expand the universe of qualified professionals devoted to the field of hematology. ASH’s commitment to excellence through expansion and inclusion takes many forms. Examples include:
- Helping researchers to better understand how and why diseases can disproportionally affect some populations, thus enabling clinicians to tailor treatments to individual patients or subsets of patients for better health outcomes.
- Educating health care providers about how to overcome barriers to providing quality care, including how to deal with patient fears and how to have culturally and situationally appropriate conversations with patients about their conditions and the available treatments.
- Catalyzing progress in discovering new treatments and cures for rare diseases that have historically been neglected.
- Reducing harm to patients by updating or correcting outdated or flawed medical information and data, including algorithms that inappropriately use race broadly as a proxy for specific genetic characteristics.
- Enriching the hematology workforce through a longitudinal pathway of competitive awards that strives to ensure that hematology reflects and better serves the heterogenous world we live in.
ASH Inclusion Program Retained and Engaged Hematologists Underrepresented in Field, 20-Year Analysis Shows
Participants in the ASH Minority Recruitment Initiative had lower attrition rates in graduate and medical programs, were more likely to pursue a career in hematology, and had high levels of engagement at ASH beyond their participation in the program, according to a study published in .
Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC)
Reference Ranges by Duffy Status
The Duffy-null Associated Neutrophil Count (DANC) is a two-year project focused on improving care for individuals with the Duffy-null phenotype, characterized by the absence of the Duffy antigen on red blood cells. The project seeks to enhance understanding of DANC and its impact, from clinical trials to patient care. To achieve this, the initiative aims to better inform health care systems, educate professionals, and implement population-level interventions. This project is funded by a grant from the .
Resources
ASH provides valuable educational opportunities to help shape a new developmental framework for the next generation of hematologists.
Toolkit for Clinical Trial Sponsors
This guide is designed to help ensure that clinical trials yield results that are generalizable and directly applicable to the patient populations affected by the disease being studied. It includes actionable recommendations, reference articles, and additional resources from both national and international regulatory bodies and research organizations.
