Dr Yazan Abou-Ismail (left) and Dr Peter Kouides at the American Society of Haematology conference.
A WCM-Q alumnus from the Class of 2014 has had his research abstract named among the best by the American Society of Haematology, the premier and largest haematology conference in the world . For any specific research category, the committee reviews the abstract submissions, and selects the top six studies worldwide to be presented as an oral session.
Dr Yazan Abou-Ismail, who is now in the final year of internal medicine residency training at Rochester General Hospital and will be specialising in haematology and oncology, submitted the abstract for his research on von Willebrand Disease, a hereditary bleeding disorder. Competing against 200 other abstracts on the disease, Dr Abou-Ismail’s was chosen as one of the top six. He then presented it before an audience of 400 specialists and was presented with abstract achievement award for the research.
“Having opportunity to present our research at such a prestigious setting was a surreal experience. As an internal medicine resident, speaking to a hall filled with around 400 worldwide specialists and experts with decades of experience was intimidating. However, it was phenomenally rewarding to witness their interest in our results and learn they were impressed with our work,” said Dr Abou-Ismail.
The idea behind Dr Abou-Ismail’s research – ‘Outgrowing’ the Laboratory Diagnosis of Type 1 Von Willebrand’s Disease: A Two-Decade Study — was proposed by his mentor, Dr Peter Kouides, an award-winning and international expert on bleeding disorders.
Von Willebrand disease is the commonest hereditary bleeding disorder and arises from a qualitative or quantitative deficiency in von Willebrand factor (vWF), a multimeric protein that is required for platelet adhesion and plays vital role in blood coagulation. Because of this deficiency, patients have an increased tendency towards life-threatening bleeding, and often require hemostatic therapy before undergoing any procedures.
