American Society of Hematology Selects Varun Sudunagunta to Receive the 2022 Hematology Opportunities for the Next Generation of Research Scientists (HONORS) Award

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons is pleased to announce that Varun Sudunagunta has been selected by the American Society of Hematology (ASH) to receive the 2022 Hematology Opportunities for the Next Generation of Research Scientists (HONORS) Award as one of 30 medical students and residents.

The ASH HONORS Award aims to support talented medical students and residents who are interested in hematology but have not yet entered a hematology-related training program. Recipients receive $5,000 to conduct hematology research projects. Each HONORS participant will have an ASH research mentor who will assist and oversee the awardee’s work and progress. 

Sudunagunta’s area of interest includes hematopoietic stem cell function, cohesin, and chromatin architecture in the context of normal and malignant hematopoiesis. 

I cannot express how grateful I am for ASH’s support. The HONORS Award will be invaluable to my career development and helps me get one step closer to becoming a hematologist by supporting my scientific investigation of hematopoietic stem cell function and cohesin.

“To maintain a strong hematology workforce, ASH is committed to recruiting talented and passionate scientists at this early stage of their careers,” said 2022 ASH President Jane N. Winter, MD, of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. “We know the ASH HONORS award positions them to better navigate the exciting opportunities available to them in hematology and we congratulate them on their success.” 

The American Society of Hematology (ASH) is the world’s largest professional society of hematologists dedicated to furthering the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders affecting the blood. For more than 60 years, the Society has led the development of hematology as a discipline by promoting research, patient care, education, training, and advocacy in hematology. ASH publishes Blood, the most cited peer-reviewed publication in the field, and Blood Advances, an online, peer-reviewed open-access journal.