Editor's Note: The author acknowledges the input of the following Hematology Review Series Task Force members and ASH staff: Hanny Al-Samkari, MD; Urshila Durani, MD; Srikanth Nagalla, MD; Jori May, MD; Ida Wong, MD; Lachelle D. Weeks, MD, PhD; Josel Fritz; and Piper Harmon.
“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
— Benjamin Franklin
ASH has a long-standing reputation of strongly supporting trainees and junior faculty, as evidenced by the continual expansion of its diverse portfolio of networking, funding, and educational opportunities. Among those that stand out are the revamp of the annual meeting's Trainee Day (the now widely celebrated ASH-A-Palooza); multiple trainee grants and awards, including the Minority Recruitment Initiative programs and the distinguished ASH Scholar Award; and educational opportunities such as the Clinical Research Training Institute and the Medical Educators Institute. Most recently, the ASH Hematology Review Series, which is the latest part of ASH's educational curriculum, was conceived and implemented to address an urgent trainee need.
In the initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ASH Trainee Council developed and distributed a survey to trainees to ascertain how ASH could provide support during these unusual times. Respondents highlighted a need for improved and accessible board review materials. With that, a multidisciplinary task force of ASH members developed a board review series. The goal of the series was twofold: to prepare trainee participants for the American Board of Internal Medicine Hematology examination and to provide an up-to-date review of all hematologic topics for practicing hematologists.
As members of the task force, we took on the challenge because we felt that such a series, if done well, would not only benefit trainees, but perhaps be a resource to the hematology community as a whole. It was gratifying that even during its first year, enthusiasm for this review series was palpable. Overall, the message has been that ASH has the standing and expertise to support and deliver a review of hematology that reinforces fundamentals and provides useful and relevant materials and instruction to students.
The ASH Hematology Review Series is now fully entrenched in its second year. The 16-week comprehensive review of hematology runs from June 1 to September 24, 2021, and given its success in 2020, we opted for evolution rather than revolution — expanding the timeline to provide more topics while still allowing participants to study at their own unique pace and schedule. We hope this will provide an outstanding experience that is accessible to everyone. Additionally, we are developing a question bank to accompany the review series, as we know how valuable just sitting down and doing questions can be when reviewing for a board exam.
For those who did not participate last year, the review series is composed of binary sessions. Prerecorded lectures are released at the beginning of each week, followed by a live study session at the end of the week (Figure). Each week is themed, featuring several lectures covering related topics. Perhaps the most unique feature of the series is the live study session where Trainee Council members facilitate review of multiple-choice questions with subject matter experts, and answer live questions from attendees all over the world. This year, we also implemented “lighting rounds” during the live sessions — quick one-line questions on high-impact topics. In this way, the series is able to cover as much key material as possible without sacrificing depth.
We hope that everyone — our spectacular trainees in particular — will find the ASH Hematology Review Series useful and fulfilling! Learn more by visiting https://www.hematology.org/education/trainees/hematology-review-series.
