By: President Phillip Scheinberg, MD, PhD
“This is a moment of unprecedented progress in our field,” 2024-2025 SOHO President Phillip Scheinberg, MD, PhD, writes in this year’s welcome address.
These are truly transformative times in the field of hematologic malignancies. Diseases that were once considered untreatable are now being managed—and in some cases cured—thanks to cutting-edge therapies. Just a few years ago, such outcomes would have seemed unimaginable. However, as we travel the world, we are constantly reminded of the urgent need to make these advancements accessible on a global scale.
A key aspect of these advances is medical education. At SOHO, we are deeply committed to bringing timely, high-quality educational content to practicing hematologists around the world. One of the most impactful ways we have done this is by supporting the launch of SOHO-branded meetings in various countries, organized by local hematologists. What began in Brazil in 2018 as the first SOHO edition outside the United States has evolved into a global network of educational events. Today, SOHO meetings are held in countries such as Italy, France, Spain, Turkey, Israel, Poland, and across the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, with new editions underway in Central Europe, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, India, Egypt, and Latin America.
These regional editions follow the format of the original SOHO Annual Meeting in Houston, offering participants high-level scientific content, access to international thought leaders, and valuable networking opportunities. For many hematologists who are unable to attend global conferences, these meetings serve as a vital local forum to stay current with diagnostic and therapeutic advances. In Brazil, for example, the local edition of SOHO records approximately 1,500 in-person registrations each year.
Participation in SOHO events also opens doors to deepen engagement with the Society. Membership offers numerous benefits for professionals involved in patient care, research, and education related to hematologic malignancies. Notably, travel grants are awarded to authors of selected abstracts, covering full logistical support to attend and present at the SOHO Annual Meeting in Houston.
The Annual Meeting is a 3.5-day program featuring over 150 world-class speakers and comprehensive coverage of all major areas in hematologic malignancies. It serves as a premier forum for scientific exchange, clinical updates, and technological innovation. This year’s theme—2025: A Hematology Odyssey – Unleashing AI, Genomics, Targets, and Immune Engineering—was inspired by the iconic film 2001: A Space Odyssey, a visionary sci-fi epic that explores human evolution, artificial intelligence (AI), and cosmic mystery.
Houston, with its deep ties to the space program and MD Anderson’s cutting-edge research, provides the perfect backdrop. SOHO, in turn, is dedicated to presenting pioneering science that is shaping the future of hematology. Given the film’s prescient focus on AI, it would be remiss not to highlight its transformative role in medicine today, particularly as we navigate the explosion of data and its applications in health and hematology.
This year, we are proud to launch the SOHO EAGLE Program, an exciting new initiative that creates pathways for international physicians to pursue advanced training at leading cancer centers in the United States. Through a network of SOHO-affiliated institutions, the program will facilitate connections, guide applicants, and foster high-impact educational exchanges.
SOHO’s reach now extends to over 10,000 members worldwide, a number that continues to grow each year. As we look ahead, we remain steadfast in our mission to promote research, education, prevention, and optimal patient care across all aspects of hematologic malignancies. We are honored by the growing number of hematologists worldwide who are joining us in this mission and contributing to our shared vision.
This is a moment of unprecedented progress in our field, and we are proud as a Society to be helping hematologists everywhere understand and harness these breakthroughs. We are equally proud to support the professional development and training of the next generation of leaders in hematology.
It has been a privilege to contribute to the society’s mission as president this year, and I look forward to all that lies ahead.
Phillip Scheinberg, MD, PhD
Hospital A Beneficência Portuguesa de São Paulo in Brazil
President, Society of Hematologic Oncology (SOHO)
Visit the SOHO 2025 meeting news page for more coverage from the meeting.
