Dr. Vaishali Sanchorawala to Serve on Board of International Society of Amyloidosis

Vaishali Sanchorawala, MD, professor of medicine and director of the Amyloidosis Center, was recently elected secretary of the International Society of Amyloidosis.  She will serve in this role for a term of two years.

In this position she will be responsible for keeping minutes of the proceedings of members’ meetings, meetings of the Board and meetings of the Executive Committee. She will conduct other duties as specified by the bylaws and as directed by the Board or Executive Committee including being in charge of distributing the ballot for election of officers of the society. Business activities of the Board include, the discussion of accounts, policies and general directives of the Society, nominations for Board and officer positions, proposed changes to the Society’s Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws and other matters affecting the Society.

Considered to be one of the pioneers in the field of research in systemic AL amyloidosis, Dr. Sanchorawala’s work has been published in many peer-reviewed journals, which has resulted in the evolution of the standard of care for these patients. She is the director of the Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation Program at Boston Medical Center where she is currently leading several clinical trials in the treatment of AL amyloidosis.

Dr. Sanchorawala was principal investigator and study coordinator of a clinical trial conducted nationally through the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) of stem cell transplantation in AL amyloidosis in which 110 patients from 2004 to 2010 participated at 17 SWOG affiliated centers in the U.S.; findings were published in the journal Bone Marrow Transplantation in 2013. She also has successfully collaborated with other researchers, and produced peer-reviewed publications from each project.

Dr. Sanchorawala is a member of the Executive Steering Committee of Amyloidosis Research Consortium. She  has participated in meetings with the FDA for enhancing the amyloidosis drug development pathway, guidance for more efficient and successful programs and has helped to create and cultivate the next generation of physician-scientists in the area of clinical research in AL amyloidosis.

The International Society of Amyloidosis is a non-profit organization of Scientists and Physicians engaged in research, teaching, or practice in connection with amyloid and amyloidosis. The aims of their Society is to promote research, education, clinical studies (including diagnosis and treatment), conferences and symposia on all aspects of amyloidosis worldwide.