ISEH 2024 Society Award Winners

On behalf of the Awards Committee, ISEH would like to congratulate the recipients of the 2024 ISEH Society Awards which will be presented at the ISEH 53rd Annual Scientific Meeting.

Donald Metcalf Award Winner - Emmanuelle Passegué

The 2024 Donald Metcalf Award goes to Dr. Emmanuelle Passegué for her outstanding work in the fields of normal and malignant hematopoietic stem cell biology. Dr. Passegué, Alumni Professor of Genetics & Development and Director of the Columbia Stem Cell Initiative (CSCI) at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York city, receives the highest honor bestowed by the Society for her distinguished work as an outstanding scientist, leader, and role model. 

Dr. Passegué grew up in France, and after PhD studies at the Collège de France in Paris she went on to postdoctoral research, first with Dr. Erwin Wagner at the Institute of Molecular Pathology in Vienna and with Dr. Irv. Weissman at Stanford University. In 2005, she started her own independent research group at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF), where she became full Professor in 2014. In 2017, she moved to Columbia University, where she became the director of their Stem Cell program, further proving her engagement as leader and mentor. 

 

Dr. Passegué has made seminal contributions to our understanding of mechanisms that regulate hematopoietic stem cells and blood production, how these are affected in contexts such as normal aging, stress, or inflammation, and can be targeted to help developing new therapeutic and anti-aging interventions. Her work established important new hallmark features of an old state in the blood system, identified key aspect of the bone marrow niche important for normal and malignant hematopoiesis, and dissected novel mechanisms of myeloid cell amplifications. In addition to her groundbreaking contributions to the field, Dr. Passegué has assumed the role of mentor for many younger scientists, encouraging and supporting them in their careers. A Past President of ISEH in 2019, Dr. Passegué was also awarded the McCulloch and Till Award in 2014 and the William Dameshek prize from the American Society of Hematology in 2019. Within ISEH, she has shown a long-standing commitment throughout her career and has greatly contributed to the development of the community. Dr. Passegué signifies an exceptional scientist, leader and role model for future researchers.

McCulloch and Till Award Winner - Ravindra 'Ravi' Majeti

The recipient of the prestigious 2024 McCulloch & Till Award is Dr. Ravindra 'Ravi' Majeti, for his outstanding contributions to the field of hematology and stem cell research, particularly his groundbreaking work in acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

During his stint as postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Irving Weissman at Stanford University, Dr. Majeti produced some seminal papers on the hierarchy of stem and progenitor cells in human hematopoiesis, along with major insights on AML physiopathology. Establishing his own laboratory in 2009, Dr. Majeti continued to push the boundaries of AML research, exploring alternative experimental models, and uncovering foundational results on the genetic determinants of cancer progression and leukemic clonal evolution. His leadership as the Director of the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, coupled with his position as the Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Professor of Medicine, underscores his significant impact on the stem cell field.

But Dr. Majeti's impact extends far beyond academia: as the founder of three biotech startups, he exemplifies the spirit of bridging the gap between academia and industry, championing the "bench to bedside" approach. His entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to translating scientific discoveries into tangible treatments have reshaped the landscape of AML research and treatment.

Janet Rowley Award Winner - Robert Signer

Dr. Robert Signer is the recipient of the 2024 Janet Rowley Award for his pioneering work on the role of protein homeostasis in hematopoietic stem cells. Dr. Signer has made key discoveries revealing how cell-type- and age-specific mechanisms of protein synthesis, protein quality control, and protein degradation regulate stem cell self-renewal and longevity. As part of this work, Dr. Signer adapted and developed multiple technologies for interrogating protein homeostasis within hematopoietic stem cells in vivo that have been widely adopted by the field, fostering a broader ecosystem of discovery. Dr. Signer is currently an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Regenerative Medicine and serves as Deputy Director of the Sanford Stem Cell Discovery Center at UC San Diego.

Dr. Signer’s interest in protein homeostasis emerged from his postdoctoral research in Dr. Sean Morrison’s laboratory at UT Southwestern. There, he was the first to discover that hematopoietic stem cells have unusually low protein synthesis rates and are exquisitely dependent on precise translational control. Prior to that, he completed his doctoral studies in Dr. Kenneth Dorshkind’s laboratory at UCLA where he discovered mechanisms of immune aging and its connection to leukemia development.  

Dr. Sean Morrison speaks glowingly of Dr. Signer’s accomplishments: “Rob is a creative and ambitious scientist who has a knack for taking new approaches and seeing unexpected things in the data that reveal new biology. His discoveries related to protein synthesis regulation in stem cells are changing the way we think about protein homeostasis in stem cells”.

Dr. Signer has been a leader in ISEH at multiple levels.  Perhaps most notably, he was co-senior author on an ISEH consensus approach to defining mouse multipotent progenitor subsets in 2021 that has become the standard in the field of hematopoiesis.

Outstanding Mentor Award Winner - Ross Levine

Dr. Ross Levine is a physician researcher at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where he is the Laurence Joseph Dineen Chair in Leukemia Research and the Senior Vice President for Translational Research at Memorial Hospital.  He completed his medical degree at Johns Hopkins, residency in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Hematology/Oncology fellowship at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.  He completed his postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Dr. Gary Gilliland where he worked to identify mutations in JAK2 as drivers of myeloproliferative diseases.  In his career, he has been the recipient of numerous prestigious awards including the William Dameshek prize from the American Society of Hematology.  He has published over 300 peer-reviewed research papers, highlighting his broad impact on the fields of acute myeloid leukemia, myeloproliferative disorders, and clonal hematopoiesis.  In his career, he has trained 17 postdoctroal fellows and 6 graduate students.

Dr. Levine continues to support colleagues at all levels.  Dr. Jennifer Trowbridge writes, “Dr. Levine has profoundly impacted my career trajectory as well as those of many others. He is exceedingly generous in offering career advice in all respects and always makes time to coach and mentor formally and informally.”  His recent trainee, Aaron Viny writes, “Ross has been the driving scientific influence in my career.  In my opinion, Ross represents the model for mentoring the next generation of independent scientists.  Ross is distinguished by how deeply and genuinely he cares about his trainees.”  This sentiment is echoed by another recent trainee, Bobby Bowman, who writes, “The implicit trust Ross offered throughout my postdoc is the single most important mentoring experience I have had to date, and something I aim to offer every future lab member.”  Another trainee, Linde Miles, writes, “Ross truly takes the time to interact, understand, and support each of his mentees. We are and always have been his top priority, regardless of how busy his schedule is. Ross supports each mentee to the fullest of his ability and provides personalized mentorship based on their needs and career path.”

Leadership in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award Winner - Katherine King

Dr. Katherine King, the 2024 recipient of the ISEH DEI award, is a trailblazer in the field of immunology and hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) research. With an MD/PhD from the Washington University School of Medicine and a residency in Pediatrics from Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. King has dedicated her career to understanding the intricate relationship between inflammation and HSC biology.

Dr. King's groundbreaking work began during her postdoctoral research in the lab of Dr. Margaret “Peggy” Goodell, where she made seminal discoveries regarding the direct impact of inflammation on HSCs. In 2013, Dr. King established her own lab at the Pediatrics Department of Baylor College of Medicine, where she produced a wealth of insights into the role of inflammatory mediators on HSC function, exploring areas such as the intestinal microbiome and the consequences of chronic inflammation on aging, clonal hematopoiesis, and cancer.

Beyond her research, Dr. King is deeply committed to training the next generation of clinical and research fellows. Her dedication to mentorship is evident in the scores of alumni and mentees, from high school to postdoctoral fellow, who have had the opportunity to work alongside her, benefiting from her expertise, guidance, and unwavering support. In a truly remarkable fashion, Dr. King provided in the last decade mentorship to clinical fellows, research scientists and graduate students, reminding us of the importance of bridging gaps between different research communities. As the 2024 recipient of the ISEH DEI award, Dr. Katherine King exemplifies the mentorship that the society promotes and encourages from its members. Her dedication to advancing our understanding of immunology and HSC biology, coupled with her commitment to nurturing the next generation of scientists, serves as an inspiration to us all.

Blog post contributed by members of the ISEH Publications Committee.

Please note that the statements made by Simply Blood authors are their own views and not necessarily the views of ISEH. ISEH disclaims any or all liability arising from any author's statements or materials.