The American Society of Hematology recognizes Stephen Ansell, M.D., for lymphoma research

The American Society of Hematology (ASH) has recognized Stephen Ansell, M.D., of Mayo Clinic with the highly distinguished Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize as part of its Honorific Awards to recognize exemplary hematologists who have made significant contributions to the field and have been nominated by ASH members.

Dr. Ansell, a hematologist in the Department of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic and a distinguished leader in the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center in Rochester, Minnesota, was recognized as the translational/clinical awardee for his work on understanding the tumor microenvironment in lymphoma and for developing treatment strategies that block inhibitory signals or deplete suppressive cells to eradicate cancer.

“This is a tremendous and richly deserved honor for Dr. Ansell,” says Cheryl Willman, M.D., executive director of Mayo Clinic Cancer Programs and director of Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. “We could not be more proud of Dr. Ansell and his discoveries of novel treatment approaches for patients with lymphoma.”

Dr. Ansell shares the Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize with Margaret Shipp, M.D., of Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center. According to the American Society of Hematology, Drs. Ansell and Shipp have brought their breakthroughs in understanding the lymphoma tumor cellular environment out of the research lab and into the lives of patients through more effective immunotherapies.

Named for the late Dr. Ernest Beutler, a past president of ASH and physician-scientist for more than 50 years, this two-part lectureship is intended to recognize major translational advances related to a single topic. Each year, ASH presents this award to two individuals: one who has enabled advances in basic science and one for achievements in clinical science or translational research.

The awards were presented during the 63rd ASH Annual Meeting, Dec. 11–14.

A version of this story was originally published as a news release on the Mayo Clinic News Network.