Irv Weissman awarded hematology society's most prestigious honor

Dec 10, 2022

Former institute director Irv Weissman, MD was presented with the American Society of Hematology’s (ASH) highest honor, the 2022 Wallace H. Coulter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Hematology. The society says the intent of the award is to honor an “individual who has demonstrated a lifetime commitment and has made outstanding contributions to hematology, and who has made a significant impact on education, research, and/or practice.” 

ASH noted Weissman’s achievements  “include the isolation and transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells as well as the isolation of hematopoietic progenitor cells, central nervous system cells and solid tumor cells.” 

ASH president Jane Winter, MD, listed the many additional achievements by Weissman that played a role in giving him the award. “Your work has been foundational to our current understanding of the clonal evolution of leukemia,” she said. “You discovered the CD47-SIRPalpha interaction to be a key modulator of programmed cell removal and then used this finding to develop a novel cancer immunotherapy.” 

Winter also noted Weissman’s many efforts in support of stem cell science. “You were a tireless advocate for stem cell research and guided this important research through obstructive political climate,” she continued. “This advocacy has made it possible for promising scientists to pursue their careers in this field. In addition, you have enhanced the field of hematology through your multiple generations of mentees who have gone on to make significant discoveries in science.”

The award was presented to Weissman at the ASH annual meeting in New Orleans December 10, 2022.

Link to video about Irv Weissman's work shown at the ASH awards ceremony