As a result of our most recent Board of Directors election, ASTCT welcomes our newly elected board members. New board members begin their service to ASTCT after the 2026 Tandem Meetings of ASTCT® and CIBMTR®. The Treasurer and Director positions will serve a three-year term from 2026 - 2029. The Vice President serves a four-year term that will rotate through the presidential line, with the 2027 – 2028 term as President.
Please join us in congratulating our new officers. We look forward to your leadership!
Incoming Board Members
Click on a name to jump to their nomination letter and learn more about them.
Vice President - Leslie S. Kean, MD, PhD
Boston Children’s Hospital/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Nomination Letter
I am very honored to be running for ASTCT Vice-President. I am the Stranahan Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, and Director of the Pediatric Stem Cell Transplant Program at Boston Children’s Hospital/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. I am an enthusiastic and active member of the ASTCT.
My research is focused on transplant immunology, with an emphasis on GVHD and immune reconstitution. Because of the highly translational nature of my work, I have deep expertise in both bench research and clinical trials, and have multiple funding streams, including NIH funding for >20 years, along with biotech and pharma funding. Mentorship of young clinicians and scientists has been a central focus of my career: I have been the primary mentor for >42 graduate students, post-doctoral and MD fellows, and also mentor a growing number of young faculty around the country.
I have held multiple national ladership positions: I have Chaired the PTCTC, the BMT-CTN Pediatric SOSS committee, the NIH TTT study section, and the ASH Immunology Scientific Committee. I Co-Directed the ASH-EHA TRTH Course, and Co-Chaired the ASH meeting program committee. I am also very active in the ASTCT: I was the ASTCT Tandem SOC Co-Chair, and the ASTCT Laboratory Science Board Director. I am the founding Vice-Chair of ASTCT’s Committee on Scientific Affairs, and the founding Co-Chair of the ASTCT Laboratory Sciences Training Course. All of these speak to my dedication and passion for our organization, and my preparation to lead.
If I am fortunate enough to become your ASTCT Vice-President, I will focus on three key priorities: (1) Growing ASTCT’s support for the next generation of clinical and scientific leaders; (2) Sustaining a highly diversified funding portfolio that enables ASTCT to launch, and maintain, innovative and impactful programs for both established and new physicians and scientists; (3) Ensuring that ASTCT continues to be a force for pushing the boundaries of scientific discovery and clinical trials for patients in need of transplant and cellular therapies.
Director of Laboratory Science - Saar Gill, MD, PhD
University of Pennsylvania
Nomination Letter
As a physician-scientist with dual training in malignant hematology and immunology, I have devoted my career to advancing cellular and transplantation therapies from concept to clinic. After earning my medical degree and Ph.D. from the University of Melbourne and completing hematology training at some of Australia’s leading academic hospitals, I moved to the United States to pursue postdoctoral research in cellular therapy at Stanford University, followed by a faculty appointment at the University of Pennsylvania. I currently serve as Professor of Medicine, Scientific Director of Penn’s Center for Cell Therapy and Transplantation, Director of the Translational Center of Excellence in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Engineering, and Co-Director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Penn.
My clinical practice centers on leukemia and bone marrow transplantation, and my laboratory focuses on the interface between genetic engineering and adoptive cellular therapy. Over the past decade, I have led multiple clinical trials of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy for both acute and chronic leukemias. My research group aims to understand and overcome barriers to durable responses and to develop next-generation cellular therapies that are safer, more effective, and accessible to all patients.
As Director of Laboratory Science for the ASTCT, I would bring a translational mindset that bridges discovery and application. I am particularly motivated by my experiences in innovation, regulatory science, and collaboration across academia, industry, and clinical practice. I hope to use these experiences and my perspectives on bench-bedside-bench translational research to help make ASTCT’s laboratory science portfolio a dynamic platform that nurtures scientific excellence, fosters collaboration, and accelerates the translation of transformative cellular therapies to patient care.
Director of Community/Clinical Practice - Jennifer Holter-Chakrabarty, MD
University of Oklahoma
Nomination Letter
I am honored to be considered for a position on the Board of ASTCT. I am a tenured, Presidential Professor of Hematology/Bone Marrow Transplant(BMT)/Cellular Therapy(CT) and the Gary McKinney Chair of Bone Marrow Diseases at the NCI-designated Stephenson Cancer Center at the University of Oklahoma. With 20 years of experience in BMT/CT, I have co-authored seminal guidelines in Hematology/BMT/CT with the American Society of Hematology(ASH)/American Society of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy(ASTCT). My NIH-funded research studies graft failure and imaging of marrow transplant/repopulation as well as complications such as GVHD.
Currently, I serve ASTCT as co-chair of the Leadership Course Planning Committee, member of multiple CIBMTR Working Committees and co-chair of the ASTCT-NMDP ACCESS Initiative Awareness Committee and member of the content committee, government relations and payor committee. My former service to ASTCT includes co-chair of the Leadership Course Meeting (2025), member of the Guidelines for Toxicity of Cellular Therapies Writing Committee
(2019-2025), Chair of the Membership Committee (2025), Board Liaison to the Content Committee (2021-2023), member, Faculty Leader of the Leadership Conference (2022, 2024), Board of Directors At-large (2019-2022), and Board Liaison to the Committee on Cellular Therapy (2020-2021).
In addition to my extensive service to ASTCT, I am heavily involved in service to the American Society of Hematology (ASH), and the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) as a member of the nomination committee.
It would be my honor to serve on the board, as I am eager to contribute to ASTCT through active engagement in advocacy initiatives, mentorship for early-career members, guidance and support in research endeavors, and dedicated outreach to members based in the central United States.
Director at Large - Rebecca Gardner, MD
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Nomination Letter
I am honored to be nominated for the Director-at-Large position on the ASTCT Board of Directors. ASTCT has been central to my professional growth and essential to the advancement of our field. I would be privileged to contribute to its continued leadership in cellular and gene therapy.
As a physician-scientist in pediatric cellular immunotherapy, I have devoted my career to translating discovery into accessible, effective therapies for children and young adults. I have led multi-institutional consortia and clinical trials, built infrastructure to support regulatory and operational excellence, and partnered across academic, industry, and data science communities—all with the goal of driving the field forward.
My work is guided by the belief that our greatest advances come through collaboration, transparency, and shared purpose. Service to our present and mentorship for our future are core to my professional identity.
I have chaired institutional oversight and quality committees, contributed to national working groups, and mentored emerging investigators and experts across disciplines. I am deeply committed to fostering inclusive, team-based science across institutions and to empowering the next generation of leaders in cellular therapy.
If elected, I would bring a collaborative and solutions-focused approach to advancing ASTCT’s strategic priorities—expanding member engagement, strengthening advocacy for equitable access, and ensuring the society remains at the forefront of innovation and professional development. It would be a privilege to serve and help shape ASTCT’s future with energy, integrity, and a steadfast commitment to its mission of advancing cellular and gene therapy for all patients.
It would be my honor to serve on the board, as I am eager to contribute to ASTCT through active engagement in advocacy initiatives, mentorship for early-career members, guidance and support in research endeavors, and dedicated outreach to members based in the central United States.
Secretary - Marcelo Pasquini, MD
Cleveland Clinic
Nomination Letter
It is a great honor to be considered for the position of Secretary of ASTCT. I am deeply committed to advancing the society’s mission and advocating for our community in the areas of education, research, and equitable access to transformative therapies. Currently, I serve as the Director of the Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program at Cleveland Clinic, where I lead clinical and research initiatives focused on improving patient outcomes.
Prior to this role, I spent most of my career as a Scientific Director at CIBMTR, where I had the privilege of collaborating with ASTCT on numerous impactful projects. These experiences have given me a broad perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing our field. My research interests include novel applications of CAR T cell therapy, strategies to reduce toxicity and improve safety, cell therapies for multiple myeloma, prevention of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and expanding the scope and accessibility of transplant- and cellular therapy-related research.
I am passionate about translating scientific innovation into clinical practice and fostering collaboration across disciplines. As Secretary, I will work diligently to represent the diverse voices within our transplant and cellular therapy community. I aim to strengthen ASTCT’s role in shaping policy, supporting education, and promoting research that drives progress. I believe in the power of collective advocacy and am committed to ensuring that our society remains a leading force in advancing patient care and scientific excellence.