ASTCT to Present Distinguished Honors at the 2024 Tandem Meetings

CHICAGO, February 22, 2024 (Newswire.com) - American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy® (ASTCT) presents top awards to leaders in the field of transplantation and cellular therapy at the Tandem Meetings | Transplantation & Cellular Therapy Meetings of ASTCT® and CIBMTR®, Feb. 21-24 in San Antonio, Texas. 

Gerard Socie, MD, PhD receives the 2024 ASTCT Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Socie's main field of research both clinically and in the lab is focused on Graft-versus-host disease. His research also includes aplastic anemia, Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH), malignant tumors after treatment of aplastic anemia and late effects after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Dr. Socie is a leader in the field. He was president of the French Society of Hematology (2014-2018) and president of the National University Council in Hematology (2015-2021). As of November 2023, he is the president of the scientific committee of the French National Cancer Institute, a role he will serve in for the next five years. He has been a member of different scientific societies over the years, including ASH (1992), EHA (1993), EBMT (1992), ASTCT (1995). Dr. Socie supervised more than 40 MD and 15 PhD theses and mentored more than 50 foreign fellows. 

The 2024 ASTCT Public Service Award honors the patient advocacy work of Robin Roberts. Robin Roberts is the versatile co-anchor of America’s top-rated morning news program, Good Morning America, with more than 30 years of experience as a producer, reporter and anchor in radio and television. In 2012, Roberts received a life-saving blood stem cell transplant to treat myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Over the past 10 years, Roberts has been an advocate for the NMDP Registry. Roberts uses her platform to raise awareness and encourage thousands of people to join the registry. More than 140 of those individuals have gone on to donate life-saving blood stem cells to patients in need.

John F. DiPersio, MD, PhD, receives the honor of delivering the 2024 E. Donnall Thomas Lecture. Dr. DiPersio is a Professor of Medicine and Pathology & Immunology, Director, Center for Gene and Cellular Immunotherapy at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Virginia E. and Sam J. Golman Professor of Medicine. His research focuses on mechanistic and translational aspects of leukemia and stem cell biology. He has played a key role in the clinical development of plerixafor as a mobilizing agent for stem cell transplantation. Dr. DiPersio presents Is Transplantation Only Copacetic? A Personal Tale of Mentors, Trainees and Colleagues, which focuses on examples of progress in the fields of transplantation and cellular therapy, with a focus on not only his own contributions but also acknowledging those who have shaped the field in general.

Additional information about the 2024 award winners is available on the 2024 Tandem Meetings website.