The American Society of Hematology (ASH) recently announced the 20 hematologists and other medical professionals selected to participate in the 2014 ASH Visitor Training Program. This program provides talented hematologists, scientists, and laboratory staff from developing countries the opportunity to receive training on a specific area of hematology from an ASH member located anywhere in the world for up to 12 weeks. The goal of this program is to build hematology capacity in developing countries and ultimately improve the care of patients with blood diseases worldwide.
The ASH Visitor Training Program is offered to hematologists and scientists from developing countries at any level of their careers. The availability of program mentors from any institution and country around the world allows participants to select an expert in the specific area of hematology in which they are interested. Hematologists selected for the ASH Visitor Training Program are also paired with a member of the ASH International Members Committee, who is charged with helping participants prepare for and evaluate their training program experience.
“The exchange of knowledge and best practices among hematologists around the world is critical to continue to move the field of hematology forward,” said ASH President Linda J. Burns, MD, of the University of Minnesota. “The ASH Visitor Training Program aims to facilitate that exchange, helping participants bring their new knowledge back to their home institutions to ultimately expand research opportunities and improve the care of patients with blood disorders.”
2014 Participants
The 2014 Visitor Training Program participants are:
- Renate Asare, BSc (Ghana) and mentor Alok Srivastava, MD (Christian Medical College, Vellore, India)
- Adriana Bello, MD (Venezuela) and mentor Sergio Giralt, MD (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York)
- Jorge Luis Contreras Saavedra, MD (Peru) and mentor Monica Thakar, MD (Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee)
- Reynaldo Angelo De Castro, BSc (Philippines) and mentor Carolyn C. Hoppe, MD (Children’s Hospital and Research Center,
Oakland, California) - Ahmet Emre Eskazan, MD (Turkey) and mentor Jorge Cortes, MD (The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston)
- Pamela Fajardo, MD (Philippines) and mentor David Williams, MD (Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston)
- Toman Tua Julian, MD (Indonesia) and mentor Wee Joo Chng, MD (National University Cancer Institute, Singapore)
- Sehar Khaliq, MBBS, FCPS (Pakistan) and mentor Suthat Fucharoen, MD (Mahidol University, Bangkok)
- Pedro Lovato, MD (Peru) and mentor Rizwan Romee, MD (Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis)
- Aime Mbaya, MD (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and mentor Lekidelu Taddesse-Heath, MD (Howard University Hospital, Washington, DC)
- Magdalene Namuwonge, Nursing Officer Diplomat (Uganda) and mentor Jeannie Callum, MD, FRCP (Sunnybrook Health and Sciences Centre and University Health Network, Toronto)
- Onsongo Simon Nyangena, MMed (Kenya) and mentor Nigel Key, MB, ChB (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)
- Sunday Ocheni, MBBS, FMCPath (Nigeria) and mentor Ayman Saad, MD (Evelina London Children’s Hospital, London)
- Emmanuel Okakpu, MBBS (Nigeria) and mentor Jean-Jacques Kiladjan, MD, PhD (Saint-Louis Centre D’Investigations Clinique, Paris)
- Ekarat Rattarittamrong, MD (Thailand) and mentor Jean-Jacques Kiladjan, MD, PhD (Saint-Louis Centre D’Investigations Clinique, Paris)
- Eloísa Riva, MD (Uruguay) and mentor Giampaolo Merlini, MD (Amyloidosis Research and Treatment Center at the University
of Pavia, Italy) - Ninoska Rojas Soto, MD (Peru) and mentor Heather Symons, MD (The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore)
- Yuliya Shestovska, MD (Ukraine) and mentors Sergio Giralt, MD, and Miguel-Angel Perales, MD (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York)
- Zsofia Varady, MD, PhD (Romania) and mentor Richard Jones, MD (Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, Baltimore)
- Tamunomieibi Wakama, MBBS, FMCPath (Nigeria) and mentor Vishalla Neppalli, MD (Roswell Park Cancer Center, Buffalo) ■
