Dr. Owhofasa Agbedia Honored With The 2022 ASH-CIBMTR-ASTCT Career Development Award

NMDP/Be The Match and the CIBMTR to provide research mentorship and facilities to Dr. Agbedia to further work on hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy.

MINNEAPOLIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplantation (CIBMTR), is delighted to announce that Owhofasa Agbedia, MD, MPH, has been selected to receive the ASH-CIBMTR-ASTCT Career Development Award. The award includes a stipend of $100,000 to conduct clinical or laboratory-based hematology research projects and to be mentored in person by faculty at the CIBMTR’s two parent institutions.

The CIBMTR is a research collaboration between the National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP)/Be The Match® and the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW). The award is part of a program to increase racial and ethnic diversity in the next generation of medical professionals.

“NMDP/Be The Match is proud to provide Dr. Agbedia mentorship and support research with ASH and the CIBMTR that will positively impact patients and expand representation in our field,” said Stephen Spellman, Vice President, Research, NMDP/Be The Match. “We believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion in our field are essential to innovation and eliminating health care disparities.”

Dr. Agbedia is a fellow, Hematology/Oncology at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center and a graduate student at MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Dr. Agbedia is interested in investigating an innovative cellular therapeutic option for treating CD94-expressing NK/T-cell lymphoproliferative disorders.

“Along with our partner organizations, the CIBMTR is committed to supporting the career development of our next generation, particularly those with diverse backgrounds. In so doing, we ensure the future success of our field by fostering the minds and hearts of those who will discover novel approaches to improve patient outcomes,” said CIBMTR Chief Scientific Director Jeffery Auletta, MD.

The award enrolls Dr. Agbedia in the American Society for Transplant and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) Leadership and the ASTCT Clinical Research Training courses and includes membership on the ASTCT Committee on Diversity and Inclusion. Dr. Agbedia receives registration for the 2023 Tandem Meetings: Transplantation & Cellular Therapy Meetings of ASTCT and CIBMTR. Additionally, Dr. Agbedia will be invited to present research findings during the Promoting Minorities in Hematology event at the ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition.

The CIBMTR/American Society of Hematology, (ASH)/American Society of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) award is part of the ASH Minority Hematology Fellow Award (MHFA) program, which supports early-career researchers from racial and ethnic groups that were historically underrepresented in medicine. This award is exclusively for fellows pursuing careers in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy. It is one of six programs under ASH’s Minority Recruitment Initiative, a series of programs committed to increasing racial and ethnic diversity in physicians training in hematology-related fields and in hematologists with academic and research appointments.

Background:

The National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP)/Be The Match® is the leading global partner working to save lives through cellular therapy. With more than 35 years of experience managing the most diverse registry of potential unrelated blood stem cell donors and cord blood units worldwide, NMDP/Be The Match is a proven partner in providing cures to patients with life-threatening blood and marrow cancers and diseases. Its global network connects centers and patients to their best cell therapy option. It is a tireless advocate for the cell therapy community, working with hematologists/oncologists to remove barriers to consultation and treatment and supporting patients through no-cost programs to eliminate non-medical obstacles to cell therapy. NMDP/Be The Match is a global leader in research through the CIBMTR®, investing in and managing research studies that improve patient outcomes and advance the future of care.

The CIBMTR^® (Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research^®) is a research collaboration between the National Marrow Donor Program^® (NMDP)/Be The Match^® and the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW). The CIBMTR collaborates with the global scientific community to advance hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) and cellular therapy worldwide to increase survival and enrich the quality of life for patients. The CIBMTR facilitates critical observational and interventional research through scientific and statistical expertise, a large network of transplant centers, and a unique and extensive clinical outcomes database. For more information on the CIBMTR, please visit www.cibmtr.org or follow the CIBMTR on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter at @CIBMTR.

The American Society of Hematology (ASH) (www.hematology.org) is the world’s largest professional society of hematologists dedicated to furthering the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders affecting the blood. For more than 60 years, the Society has led the development of hematology as a discipline by promoting research, patient care, education, training, and advocacy in hematology. ASH publishes Blood (www.bloodjournal.org), the most cited peer-reviewed publication in the field, and Blood Advances (www.bloodadvances.org), an online, peer-reviewed open-access journal.

The American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT), with headquarters in Chicago, is a professional society over 3,000 00 healthcare professionals and scientists from more than 45 countries who are dedicated to improving the application and success of blood and marrow transplantation and related cellular therapies. ASTCT strives to be the leading organization promoting research, education and clinical practice to deliver the best, comprehensive patient care.

Contacts

Clarity Quest, 877-887-7611

Bonnie Quintanilla, [email protected]
Phyllis Grabot, [email protected]