My career dreams started young. As a child, I knew that I wanted to be a physician. I had always been intrigued by science, and that interest was encouraged by my father, a surgeon and an immigrant from Mexico. Today, I am a professor of medicine and senior advisor to the president of Atrium Health Cancer Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina.
I am also a first-generation Mexican American, a wife, mother to three grown children, and grandmother to five granddaughters and one grandson. In my work as a physician-scientist, I have focused on leukemogenesis, congenital neutropenia, transplantation, and cellular therapy.
Why do I share these details? It’s the start of a new year, which means that ASH has a new slate of officers, and it is my great honor to serve as the Society’s 67th president. For some readers of this President’s Column, I may be an unfamiliar name and face. So, it feels appropriate that I should use my first column to introduce myself, sharing a little about myself and my hopes and dreams for ASH and hematology in general.
To start, I’ll confess to a bias: I absolutely love ASH. I attended my first ASH meeting in 1985 when I was pregnant with my first child and had an abstract selected for oral presentation. This Society has played a key role in my career, offering valuable professional networking experiences, exposing me to brilliant minds, and expanding my horizons.
It’s also given me treasured opportunities to help shape the field of hematology and support physicians and scientists who are broadening our understanding of blood disorders and advancing our care to our patients.
I’ve been involved in abstract and grant reviews, supported ASH’s vital advocacy work, served as editor-in-chief of ASH News Daily, sat on multiple committees, served as a councillor on the ASH Executive Committee, and acted as a moderator at annual meetings. I’ve also had the privilege to serve as chair of ASH’s Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. With the latter role, I’m proud of what we achieved in expanding recognition and opportunities for medical students, residents, fellows, graduate students, postdocs, and others who come from varying backgrounds.
It’s in that spirit that I’m pleased to help spread the word about ASH’s Hematology Inclusion Pathway (HIP), the successor program to the ASH Minority Recruitment Initiative. HIP offers a comprehensive 13-year career pathway of awards that seeks to ensure that hematology reflects and serves our diverse world — from medical students to mid-career professionals. In short, HIP builds on ASH’s long-standing and unwavering commitment to fostering and empowering diverse future generations of leaders in hematology.
I’m also eager to help shine a light on ASH’s inspiring and burgeoning work on the global front. ASH’s formal name (the American Society of Hematology) does not fully capture the scope of its influence and impact on the international stage. Through the ASH Global Research Awards, the Global Clinical Research Training Institute, the Visitor Training Program, the Consortium on Newborn Screening in Africa, and other programs, ASH is helping hematologists around the world conquer blood diseases.
I’m excited to see how ASH soars ever higher in 2025. As we look at the opportunities and challenges we will all face this year and beyond, I’d like to share a piece of advice that I received long ago: “Progress, not perfection.” It reminds me that even as we advance the ball — whether in our individual careers, our respective organizations, or the field in general — there will be setbacks and stumbles. When those moments happen (and they will), let’s take a step back to recognize and celebrate our progress, keep our eyes on the horizon, and practice grace and understanding in our support of one another.
So that’s a little about what’s on my mind. Over the next 12 months, I hope to learn more about you. Your insights and experiences are key to ASH’s continued growth, and I know they will enrich my experience as ASH president.
