Division News
MDS Foundation Honors Bennett with a Lifetime Achievement Award
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
John M. Bennett, MD
John M Bennett, MD, professor emeritus of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and a founding leader of the now Wilmot Cancer Center, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Myelodysplastic Syndromes Foundation on May 8 at the 18th annual International Congress held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Recognized for his leadership and pivotal contributions to the field, Bennett was the editor-in-chief of the Leukemia Research Journal for 20 years and served as the first chair of the Myelodysplastic Syndromes Foundation from 1997 to 2010.
He came to University of Rochester in July 1969, practicing a few years at Highland Hospital as head of the Hematology/Oncology program before shifting to Strong Memorial Hospital, which was in the beginning stages of forming a cancer center. Surgical Oncology, Radiation Oncology, and other departments came together to create the University of Rochester Cancer Center in 1974.
Bennett served as URCC clinical director from its inception until 1996, when he shifted to a part-time role with hematopathology. In those early years, he helped create the foundation for the center’s strength in attending to patients' psychosocial needs, commitment to educational programs, and national leadership in clinical trials that would help make today's cancer treatments possible.
A role model and dedicated mentor, many young physicians were drawn to Rochester to study with Bennett. He is a member of numerous professional societies and contributed more than 600 publications to medical literature as well as several books.
National Champs: Wilmot Future Deaf Scientists Program Recognized at Deaf Education Conference
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
DOM Chair Ruth O’Regan, MD, and fellow co-director of the Wilmot Future Deaf Scientists Program, Wyatte Hall, PhD, received the National Champion Award from the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf (CEASD) last week. O’Regan and Hall were honored for their “visionary leadership in establishing and expanding the [Wilmot] Future Deaf Scientists program,” which introduces deaf and hard-of-hearing high school students to the world of science and medicine with a focus on cancer research.
The National Champion Award honors stakeholders external to the CEASD for, “exemplary strategic assistance, substantive financial or programmatic support, legislative or policy advocacy, or other unique efforts which directly impact the success of CEASD on behalf of the member schools and programs, students and their families.”
Hall (right) and McLetchie (left) accepted the award at the CEASD meeting in Pittsburgh on behalf of O’Regan and the entire Wilmot Future Deaf Scientists team.The Wilmot Future Deaf Scientists Program began as a partnership between the Wilmot Cancer Institute and the Rochester School for the Deaf in 2021, offering a four-week summer internship at Wilmot for RSD high school students. Last summer, the program secured funding from the National Cancer Institute to expand its programming to four other cancer centers who will collaborate with their respective local schools for the Deaf. This summer, the internship will be offered for the first time at Yale Cancer Center, Stanford Cancer Institute, Indiana University Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, and University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center.
This fall, the program will also implement a new year-round curriculum for RSD students. Wilmot researchers and medical professionals will deliver classroom lessons and fireside chats at RSD throughout the school year culminating in an expanded summer internship at Wilmot.
“Students have expressed life-changing impacts, with some identifying career goals in nursing and medicine as a direct result of their participation,” said RSD Superintendent and CEASD board member Anthony McLetchie in a letter nominating O’Regan and Hall for the award. “Drs. Hall and O'Regan have created not just an academic initiative but a transformative model for fostering scientific ambition, representation, and equity among Deaf youth. Their dedication to removing systemic barriers and empowering Deaf students exemplifies the spirit of the National Champion Award, and we are immensely proud to celebrate their far-reaching contributions to our school and the broader Deaf community.”
Kah Poh Loh to Receive 2025 Scholar Award in Clinical Research Junior Faculty from American Society of Hematolog
Friday, January 24, 2025
Kah Poh (Melissa) Loh, MD, MS, FACCC, FASCO, associate professor in the Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, will receive a 2025 Scholar Award in the Clinical Research Junior Faculty category from the American Society of Hematology (ASH). She is one of 35 recipients this year. She is receiving the award for her project titled, “A Telehealth Serious Illness Care Program for Older Adults with Myeloid Malignancies.” The project involved developing and testing a serious illness care program for older adults with myeloid cancers and the work was supported by the Cancer and Aging Research Group (CARG).