Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) is proud that our own Stephanie Lee, MD, MPH served as the 2020 president of the American Society of Hematology (ASH). Dr. Lee is a highly regarded expert in graft-versus-host disease, as well as blood and bone marrow diseases. She treats patients with leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome and serves as the research director of the Fred Hutch Long-Term Follow-Up Program at SCCA, the associate director of Fred Hutch’s Clinical Research Division and a professor in the Division of Medical Oncology at the University of Washington. We asked Dr. Lee about her time as president of ASH and what she sees as the direction of oncology care in the future.
What has your experience as ASH president been like?
Unusual, like the rest of this year. Under normal circumstances, the duties of the ASH president are pretty consistent from year to year. But with the pandemic, everything changed, and so did the conduct of ASH business and the role of the ASH president. Early in the pandemic, I was meeting with ASH staff and volunteers three times a week to plan our response and prepare ASH to meet its obligations. Those meetings are only once a week or so now. 2020 has also brought changes in medical practice and the delivery of care, research, environmental challenges (fires, hurricanes, tornadoes), protests against racism, and economic devastation. All our ASH conferences and meetings have been virtual, so I did not have to travel. That saved a lot of time I could spend on other things.
How has your leadership role shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic?
My ASH responsibilities have focused a lot on COVID-19 and trying to make sure the Society is contributing what it can to our understanding of the disease and how to manage affected patients. Although it didn’t initially seem like the pandemic was going to affect hematology, it turns out there is a lot of overlap. There are people who either have hematologic diseases and catch SARS-CoV-2, or who have COVID-19 and then get a hematologic disease, such as blood clots. Convalescent plasma has been used to treat ill patients. Early in the pandemic, no one knew what was going on, and there was a lot of misinformation because everyone was desperate for any news. I saw my role as helping make sure ASH supported hematologists and contributed to the conversation where we were well positioned to comment.
What has been the highlight of your time serving as president?
Honestly, the highlight has been working so closely with the fabulous ASH staff and the dedicated volunteers to try to make a difference in a shifting landscape. I’m proud of how ASH has handled itself by continuing our normal activities while also responding to the pandemic. I think we were resilient, strategic and effective.
What is one thing you are looking forward to at the ASH conference this year?
I am looking forward to actually seeing a lot of the conference myself. Usually, the ASH president presides over a few scientific sessions, but mostly he or she meets with people and societies. As a result, the president doesn’t see a lot of the science and education sessions in real time. Because everything is pre-recorded and we moved most Society meetings before the ASH conference, I will actually be able to participate in the meeting as an audience member. I am looking forward to diving into the sessions and hearing about all the exciting science and education, because in 2021 I’ll be shifting back to my research and clinical work. This meeting will mark the gateway to that transition because my term ends after this meeting.
Where do you see hematology care headed in the next five years, and how does this fit in with the direction of oncology care in general?
Hematology is becoming more targeted in all realms including cellular immunotherapy, identification of molecular subsets, gene therapy and oral targeted therapies. Our treatments are thankfully becoming more effective and less toxic, accelerating a trend in both hematology and oncology. This is a win-win for patients and providers built upon decades of research and development. It is an exciting time to be practicing hematology.
How is SCCA (and our alliance partners) poised to innovate and to tackle new challenges in years to come?
I know there is a major push to ensure that SCCA and all involved partners are deeply engaged in research. I really think that is important for our organization. Our patients want to be sure they are receiving cutting-edge treatments and access to what the researchers think are the advances of tomorrow. Providers want to be involved in exciting studies that can make a difference to future generations. I think you can both deliver outstanding care and do research so that we have even better treatment options in the future.
If you're attending ASH, you can watch Dr. Stephanie Lee kick off the meeting with a fireside chat with Dr. Anthony Fauci. Follow her on Twitter: @StephanieLeeMD.
