Oncologist to receive award for ‘groundbreaking’ research in graft-versus-host disease
Shernan Holtan, MD, has been named the recipient of 2025 Lukas D. Wartman Award.
Holtan, chief of blood and marrow transplantation at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, will be honored for her “groundbreaking” work on preventing and treating graft-versus-host disease during the 2025 Tandem Transplantation & Cellular Therapy Meetings of the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) and Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) in Honolulu, Hawaii, according to a press release.
The award honors individuals who have shown “persistent dedication to improving outcomes for patients with GVHD, served as their advocate, embraced new ideas to improve GVHD outcomes and advanced the science behind treating GVHD,” according to the release.
“I am deeply honored to receive the 2025 Lukas Wartman Award, recognizing Dr. Wartman’s formidable journey with GVHD and reinforcing my commitment to advancing research and patient care,” Holtan told Healio. “I am especially proud to join a legacy defined by remarkable mentors, including Steven Pavletic, MD, PhD, whose pioneering work ignited my interest in transplantation during medical school, and Stephanie Lee, MD, MPH, whose support in accessing critical samples and biostatistical expertise led to our identification of amphiregulin as a biomarker for GVHD. Their guidance inspires me to maintain focus and pursue continual improvement as we work to alleviate the burden of this disease. We have made great strides, but we have much work left to do.”
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