ASH News Daily 2017 - Issue 3 - B-3

Monday, December 11, 2017

ASH News Daily

Page B-3
®

Dr. James Downing to Present the
2017 E. Donnall Thomas Lecture Today

oday at 9:00 a.m., James
R. Downing, MD, of St.
Jude Children's Research
Hospital will be awarded the
2017 E. Donnall Thomas Lecture and Prize in recognition
of his discoveries related to the
hematopathology and molecular biology of childhood leukemia. This award is named after
the late Nobel Prize laureate
and past ASH president Dr. E.
Donnall Thomas, to recognize
pioneering research achieve-

ments in hematology that represent
a paradigm shift or significant discovery in the field of hematology.
Given Dr. Downing's great admiration for Dr. Thomas, whom he
calls a visionary and pioneer in the
field of bone marrow transplantation, he is humbled by his selection for the prize, and shares the
honor with his St. Jude Children's
Research Hospital colleagues. "In
science and medicine, collaboration
»» LECTURE Page B-40

Editor
Saad Usmani, MD
Carolinas HealthCare System
Managing Editor
Juana Llorens, MS
Editorial Coordinator
Laura M. Santini, MS
Director of Communications
Jenifer Hamilton, CAE

James R. Downing, MD

ASH Medical Educators Institute:
Enrichment and Inspiration for Junior Faculty

ince its first cohort back in
2016, the ASH Medical Educators Institute (MEI) had the
lofty goal of igniting inspiration
and enthusiasm around teaching
for its participants, all of whom are
at the junior faculty level. Last year,
program Co-Chair Dr. Jennifer Kesselheim said that MEI was for her,
an opportunity to "see the thing
you worked on 'in theory' become a
reality." Now two years in, the institute has helped to turn instructional
theory into real-world, meaningful
wisdom for dozens of new faculty
members.
The yearlong MEI curriculum
targets those looking to hone their
skills in a litany of areas, including effective teaching strategies,
test question and curriculum development, as well as evidencebased concepts on active learning
and technology-based education.
It consists of three core activities: 1)
a three-day fall workshop at ASH
Headquarters in Washington, DC;
2) a webinar series that extends the
in-person workshop throughout
the following six months; and 3) a
mentorship program whereby faculty assist participants in the completion of a scholarly project and
provide them with career guidance
as well.
Any successful program is only
as good as the faculty members
building skills from behind the
podium. One 2017 participant, Dr.
Courtney Miller-Chism with Baylor College of Medicine, is highly
enthusiastic about the MEI faculty,
who, in her words, "provided highquality, high-yield presentations
that certainly will provide the necessary wisdom and tools to become
a more effective teacher in the classroom setting, a more polished researcher in medical education, and
a more successful academic physi-

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2017 ASH MEI participants and faculty celebrate a successful workshop. For a
list of all participants and faculty, visit www.hematology.org/MEI.

cian on a path for promotion."
The mentorship component is
also core to the program, both in
the curriculum that is provided and
through the relationships with faculty that last throughout the year.
The workshop curriculum includes
best practices for deriving the most
out of mentoring relationships in
which one is mentee, and also for
becoming a good mentor to more
junior faculty members and trainees. Cultivating strong connections
was central for 2017 participant Dr.
Amber Yates of Baylor College of
Medicine. "ASH MEI filled a desire
to connect with medical educators,
both experts and newbies like myself, in the field of hematology," she
said, touting the lifelong friendships and collaborative relationships that she formed.
If you are still on the fence about
applying to MEI, the most recent
class believes you'll be happy you
took the plunge. "The ASH MEI
provided
mentorship,
encouraged scholarship, and engaged me
in ways that I did not even know
were what I needed at this stage of

The next MEI application
period, spring 2018, is
from February 1, through
March 30, 2018.
my career," says Dr. Tiffany Lin of
the University of California (San
Francisco). Fellow participant Dr.
Adolfo Enrique Diaz with University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio strongly agrees:
"This is a 'must-attend' workshop
for anyone interested in medical
education," he says, highlighting
the program's chief aim to not only
provide junior faculty with tools
to make their educational projects
successful, but also meaningful
year-round guidance on putting
those tools to good use.
If you are interested in applying,
mark your calendar for the next MEI
application period, which opens
in spring 2018, from February 1,
through March 30, 2018. For more
information, including key dates,
eligibility details, and complete curricula, visit www.hematology.org/MEI.

The information contained in ASH
News Daily is provided solely for
educational purposes. A diversity
of opinions exists in the field of
hematology, and the articles in
this publication are often intended
to inform readers about more than
one point of view. These articles
are not comprehensive and should
not be used as a substitute for
traditional sources of hematology
information, traditional diagnostic
and treatment information,
or the individual judgment of
health-care providers. The views
expressed in ASH News Daily do
not necessarily represent ASH's
views, and their inclusion in
this publication should not be
interpreted as an endorsement by
ASH. ASH is not responsible for
any inaccurate or inappropriate
use of the information,
publications, products, or services
discussed or advertised within.
©2017 by the American Society of
Hematology
All materials contained in this
newspaper are protected by
copyright laws and may not be
used, reproduced, or otherwise
exploited in any manner without
the express prior permission of
ASH News Daily.
Contributing authors have
declared any financial interest
in a product or in potentially
competing products, regardless
of the dollar amount. Any such
financial interest is noted with the
author byline.

http://www.hematology.org/MEI http://www.hematology.org/MEI

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ASH News Daily 2017 - Issue 3