The American Society of Hematology Honors Senator Robert Casey and Patient Advocate Marie Arturi with 2011 Public Service Awards
December 1, 2011
(WASHINGTON) – The American Society of Hematology (ASH) will recognize Senator Robert Casey (D-PA) and Marie Arturi, co-founder and Executive Director of the Daniella Maria Arturi Foundation, with awards for their outstanding support and advocacy for biomedical research and the practice of hematology at the 53rd ASH Annual Meeting in San Diego.
Sen. Casey will receive the 2011 ASH Public Service Award to honor his unparalleled leadership as an elected public official on issues of importance to hematology research and practice. Since his election to the U.S. Senate in 2006, Sen. Casey has served on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and has been a strong and vocal supporter of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and medical research. Earlier this year, Sen. Casey led an effort to increase funding for NIH. Additionally, in February 2011, he joined Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) to introduce thePreserving Access to Life-Saving Medications Act (S. 296), which seeks to take the first steps toward addressing the nation’s critical shortages of certain hematology-related chemotherapy and other lifesaving drugs. The legislation would require prescription drug manufacturers to provide early notification to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of any incident that would likely result in a drug shortage.
Ms. Arturi will receive the 2011 ASH Outstanding Service Award to recognize her individual efforts over more than a decade to raise public awareness and increase research funding for hematologic diseases. She founded the Daniella Maria Arturi Foundation (DMAF) with her husband in 1996, shortly after their daughter Daniella died of Diamond Blackfan anemia, a rare bone marrow failure disorder. Since then, Ms. Arturi has worked to improve the clinical care environment for the disorder, as well as to improve family and physician access to current disease information, raise public awareness, and support and stimulate research initiatives. Ms. Arturi has been a dedicated supporter of congenital bone marrow failures research, evidenced bythe Daniella Maria Arturi Foundation’s International DBA Consensus Conference currently in its 12th year.
“ASH is pleased to recognize these outstanding individuals for their steadfast commitment to advocating for and supporting issues important to the field of hematology,” said ASH President J. Evan Sadler, MD, PhD, of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “Their efforts will help improve the quality of care that patients with blood disorders receive today and lead to better treatments and possible cures in the future.”
The 2011 Public Service and Outstanding Service Award will be presented on Sunday, December 11, at 1:30 p.m. PT prior to the Plenary Scientific Session at the San Diego Convention Center.
Reporter inquiries may be directed to Lindsey Love, ASH Communications Assistant, at 202-552-4925 or llove@hematology.org.
The American Society of Hematology is the world’s largest professional society concerned with the causes and treatment of blood disorders. Its mission is to further the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders affecting blood, bone marrow, and the immunologic, hemostatic, and vascular systems by promoting research, clinical care, education, training, and advocacy in hematology. The official journal of ASH is Blood, the most cited peer-reviewed publication in the field, which is available weekly in print and online.