Drs. Jan Bewersdorf, Coraline Mlynarczyk, and Rubia Mancuso Receive ASH Scholar Awards

Jan Bewersdorf, MD, assistant professor of medicine (medical oncology and hematology), Coraline Mlynarczyk, PhD, assistant professor of medicine (medical oncology, hematology, and pathology), and Rubia Mancuso, PhD, postdoctoral associate, received American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2026 Scholar Awards. They are among 53 early-career investigators dedicated to advancing the field of hematology who received this prestigious award, which supports basic, translational, and clinical research that enhances understanding and treatment of blood disorders.

Dr. Bewersdorf’s award will support additional studies from an ongoing clinical trial investigating the novel combination of the JAK2 inhibitor ruxolitinib with the CDK4/6 inhibitor abemaciclib in patients with myelofibrosis. Preliminary results are encouraging, and he hopes to further understand the molecular mechanisms at play within the cancer cells in the bone marrow and develop predictive measures for patient response to this novel combination therapy.

Dr. Mlynarczyk's project, “Elucidating mechanisms of Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma infiltration into the Central Nervous System,” seeks to define the intracellular signaling thresholds and reprogramming events necessary for the abnormal fitness acquisition in GC B cells and the maintenance of CNS DLBCLs. Additionally, her research will characterize the pro-tumorigenic niche of CNS-infiltrated DLBCLs and identify the dependencies within the microenvironment that support their growth.

Dr. Mancuso will focus on megakaryocyte-erythroid progenitors (MEP), which are essential for producing platelets and red blood cells. Her hypothesis is that metabolic changes influence MEP fate and subsequent epigenetic regulation. Using bone marrow cells from patients with myeloproliferative disorders, her study aims to compare these cells with healthy controls to discover metabolic differences. The findings could lead to better-targeted therapies and new research directions for hematologic diseases.

Since its inception, ASH has awarded 731 Scholar Awards to 684 investigators, leading to transformative blood disorder research, including treatment advances for acute myeloid leukemia, the identification of a new platelet disorder, and extensive genotyping of over 11,000 individuals with hemophilia.