Ahead of the 2021 ASH Annual Meeting , ASH Clinical News spoke with the program co-chairs to find out how they balanced delivering timely , relevant content to in-person and virtual attendees . Several moderators and speakers also offered sneak peeks at some of the sessions in this year ’ s Education and Scientific Programs .
Covering the Full Breadth and Depth of Hematology
Interview with Education Program Co-Chairs Alison Loren , MD , and Anita Rajasekhar , MD
What were your goals in crafting this year ’ s education program ? Dr . Loren : Dr . Rajasekhar and I aimed to create a program that offers novel , exciting , yet accessible content for every attendee . We know there are certain conditions that the hematology community wants to hear about
Alison Loren , MD every year , but we also felt that new topics and concepts were important , such as long-term survivorship and minimizing late effects of treatment for blood cancers where outcomes have improved significantly . We also wanted to highlight psychosocial and economic issues , such as costs of therapy and access to care .
Dr . Rajasekhar : I wanted to make sure this year that any attendee , whether virtual or in person , could find interesting , relevant , and cutting-edge sessions . We wanted sessions that spoke to all attendees – clinicians and
Anita Rajasekhar , MD scientists , pediatric and adult hematologists , nonmalignant or malignant hematologists , and trainees and senior faculty . The nonmalignant education program sessions were specifically designed to tackle common consults that hematologists face routinely – challenging disorders where approaches to diagnosis and management may vary , and topics in which recent advances have occurred .
We worked closely with the Scientific Program co-chairs to ensure that the breadth and depth of hematology progress was covered throughout the program . We hope that attendees will find that the Education and Scientific programs harmonize well without significant overlap . We are also proud of the diversity of our speakers – they represent the gender , ethnic , and geographic diversity of our attendees .
How does this year ’ s program differ from previous meetings ? Did the hybrid platform affect the program planning ? Dr . Loren : This year will assuredly be different from every other year because of the hybrid platform ! We anticipate that the live question-and-answer sessions in particular will make for compelling viewing , as we anticipate being able to field questions from both live and virtual attendees .
Dr . Rajasekhar : These last two years have been in flux for us all . With all the uncertainty , ASH has done a tremendous job adapting to a hybrid platform , with the primary goal of providing a safe and engaging format to deliver hematology information to its attendees . Preserving what worked well last year , many sessions will be prerecorded to allow attendees to digest content on their own time , but the live question-and-answer sessions are when the most flavorful discussions occur .
This year , we also introduced an expanded form of the Poster Walks within multiple hematology topic areas , which will provide a virtual curated overview of selected abstracts , followed by an interactive questionand-answer period among the session organizers , abstract authors , and virtual audience .
Dr . Loren : In addition , we anticipate several COVID-19 – focused sessions and interesting content regarding its impact on the field of hematology – both COVID-19 – induced hematologic disorders and how COVID-19 affected delivery of hematology care .
The COVID Crash : Hematology Lessons from a World on Pause
Saturday , December 11 , 2021 , 9:30 a . m . - 10 : 15 a . m . Georgia World Congress Center , Hall C2-C3
What are the “ must-see ” sessions that attendees should put on their agendas ? Dr . Loren : This is a little bit like asking a parent to name their favorite child ! There are a few sessions focused on the concepts of cure and survivorship , including in Hodgkin lymphoma and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation . I hope the latter will appeal specifically to providers who do not primarily practice in a transplant center but assume care for transplant recipients . Similarly , the session about ensuring access to transplantation will highlight broad and important themes about justice and access to care that are widely translatable across hematology .
Survivorship After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplant
Saturday , December 11 , 2021 , 9:30 a . m . - 10 : 15 a . m . Georgia World Congress Center , B206 , Level 2
How Can We Ensure That Everyone Who Needs A Transplant Can Get One ?
Saturday , December 11 , 2021 , 2:00 p . m . - 2:45 p . m . Georgia World Congress Center , B206 , Level 2
Dr . Rajasekhar : Luckily , with the Education Program sessions being prerecorded , attendees will not feel the pangs of missing out on the incredible content . I ’ m confident everyone will find interest in the Spotlight Session , “ Financial Stewardship in the Era of Hematologic Advances in Care : Whose Value ? What Price ?” A panel of experts will debate the cost and value of various emerging therapies for hematologic disorders . This session will have attendees critically analyzing how , as a medical community , we can approach the issue of the added cost and added value of promising therapies .
Financial Stewardship in the Era of Hematologic Advances in Care : Whose Value ? What Price ?
Sunday , December 12 , 2021 , 4:30 p . m . - 5:15 p . m . Georgia World Congress Center , C208-C210 , Level 2
Dr . Loren : I ’ m very excited that we are offering an “ Immunology 101 ” session on the fundamentals of immunology for hematologists who might not have visited this topic since their medical school days . Immunotherapy and immune complications of treatment are increasingly important in hematology . The speakers were specifically chosen to provide a strong background with an eye toward how the basics apply to novel therapies .
Immunology 101 : What the Practicing Hematologist Needs to Know
Sunday , December 12 , 2021 , 4:30 p . m . - 5:15 p . m . Georgia World Congress Center , Georgia Ballroom 1-3
Dr . Rajasekhar : Of course , no annual meeting is complete without the Plenary and Late-Breaking Abstract sessions . This year ’ s programming is no exception and will be sure to have attendees on the edge of their seats !
What sessions are on your “ must-see ” list ? Dr . Rajasekhar : There are several sessions directly relevant to my day-to-day practice as a nonmalignant hematologist , including “ Clotting and Bleeding Conundrums ,” which will provide a practical approach to the most cryptogenic cases of bleeding and thrombosis that keep me up at night .
With the rapidly changing landscape of therapies available for sickle cell disease , I will be tuning in to the session on “ Management Strategies for Sickle
26 ASH Clinical News Bonus 2021 ASH Annual Meeting Preview Edition