UF Health Cancer Institute members Jatinder Lamba, Ph.D., and Dina Khalaf, M.D., have been selected to participate as mentors in the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Careers in Hematology Advancement Mentorship Program (CHAMP).
The yearlong opportunity pairs experienced mentors with pediatric and adult hematology/oncology fellows interested in clinical careers in classical and malignant hematology.
As mentors, Lamba and Khalaf will provide valuable guidance to ensure fellows are equipped to successfully pursue careers in hematology.
The program includes an in-person retreat at ASH Headquarters in Washington, D.C., this summer and an in-person meet-up at the ASH annual meeting in December. These activities help participants navigate their hematology careers and strengthen their relationships with peers and mentors.
For Khalaf, a clinical associate professor in the UF Division of Hematology and Oncology, serving as a mentor is deeply personal.
“My passion for hematology comes from caring for patients with complex and life-threatening blood disorders, where evidence-based medicine, urgency and humanity intersect, and where trust and advocacy shape outcomes,” she said. “Influenced by both my clinical work in hematologic malignancies and my own experience navigating medicine while carrying identities not always reflected in leadership spaces, my mentorship centers on believing in your own strengths, pursuing your passion, striving for excellence and belonging. Through CHAMP, I aspire to help trainees find their voice, claim their place with confidence and pursue hematology with the same sense of purpose and responsibility that drew me to the field.”
“I aspire to help trainees find their voice, claim their place with confidence and pursue hematology with the same sense of purpose and responsibility that drew me to the field.” — Dina Khalaf, M.D.
The most powerful advances in hematology come from fostering curiosity and resilience in the next generation of scientists and clinicians, said Lamba. A professor and associate dean in the UF College of Pharmacy, Lamba has guided more than 50 students, postdocs and fellows across multiple institutions over the past decade.
“Each mentoring experience has deepened my conviction that mentorship is not merely a professional duty but a moral imperative,” said Lamba, co-leader of the UF Health Cancer Institute’s Cancer Targeting and Therapeutics research program. “CHAMP gives me a dedicated platform to extend that commitment, helping young hematologists hone the multidisciplinary skills — clinical insight, data‑driven research and translational thinking — essential for transforming patient care in leukemia and beyond.”
“Mentorship is not merely a professional duty but a moral imperative.” — Jatinder Lamba, Ph.D.
Lamba and Khalaf are collaborating on several research projects that aim to develop new therapies for blood cancers and advance precision medicine.
One collaboration, presented at the 2025 ASH Annual Meeting, uses CRIPSR/Cas9 technology to identify genetic mutations that make leukemia cells stick to the bone marrow environment. That adherence leads to treatment resistance or relapse. The patient-derived CRISPR platform could pave the way for new therapeutic targets in acute myeloid leukemia.
