Origins and Early History
The Division of Hematology was founded in 1938 by Carl V. Moore, MD, a native St. Louisan and graduate of Washington University School of Medicine. Moore was part of a new generation of physician-scientists who believed that fundamental laboratory investigation and clinical medicine should be closely integrated.
His laboratory became a leading training center for hematologists during the 1940s and made fundamental contributions to the understanding of iron absorption, transport and storage. In a remarkable series of clinical investigations with William J. Harrington, MD, in the early 1950s, Moore and Harrington established that thrombocytopenia in patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (now immune thrombocytopenia, or ITP) was caused by a circulating factor in the globulin fraction of plasma. These studies famously included experiments in which plasma from patients with ITP was administered to healthy volunteers, including the investigators themselves. Moore and his colleagues subsequently used similar approaches to elucidate the mechanism of quinine-induced thrombocytopenia.
Other notable achievements during the Division’s first two decades included demonstrating that febrile transfusion reactions are caused by sensitivity to donor leukocytes and platelets by Thomas E. Brittingham and Hugh Chaplin Jr., MD; the successful treatment of polycythemia vera with radioactive phosphorus by Edward H. Reinhard, MD, and colleagues; and the identification of hemoglobin E by Virginia Minnich.
Moore hired Minnich in 1939 as a laboratory technician. An extraordinary morphologist and educator, she ultimately became a full professor of medicine, the first person without an MD or PhD to attain that rank at Washington University. She went on to train generations of hematology fellows before her retirement in 1984.
When Moore became Chair of the Department of Medicine in 1955, Harrington succeeded him as Chief of the Division. Harrington continued his influential investigations of immune thrombocytopenia as well as studies of glucocorticoid therapy in leukemia and lymphoma. He departed in 1964 to become Chair of Medicine at the University of Miami. Elmer B. Brown, MD, led the Division from 1964 until 1973, with a research program focused on iron metabolism, including the function of transferrin and the use of chelating agents to treat iron overload.
The Kornfeld and Majerus Era
A transformative period in the history of the Division began when Stuart A. Kornfeld, MD, and Philip W. Majerus, MD, joined the faculty in 1966 after both completing residency training in internal medicine and research training at the National Institutes of Health. In 1973, they became co-directors of the newly designated Division of Hematology-Oncology and subsequently led the hematology research enterprise for more than three decades.
Kornfeld’s laboratory made fundamental discoveries explaining how lysosomal enzymes are transported to lysosomes, including identification of the mannose-6-phosphate recognition system. His work helped establish the modern field of glycobiology and ultimately contributed to the development of therapies for inherited lysosomal storage disorders.
Majerus’s laboratory discovered the molecular mechanism by which aspirin inhibits platelet function and helped establish the use of low-dose aspirin to prevent thrombosis. His laboratory also made fundamental contributions to the understanding of inositol phosphate metabolism. Majerus was equally influential as a mentor, recruiting and training a generation of investigators who would become leaders in hematology and biomedical science.
In little more than a decade, Kornfeld and Majerus recruited an extraordinary group of investigators, including Robert H. Allen, MD; Thomas F. Deuel, MD; George J. Broze Jr., MD; Douglas M. Tollefsen, MD, PhD; J. Evan Sadler, MD, PhD; Lee Ratner, MD, PhD; Timothy J. Ley, MD; and Stanley J. Korsmeyer, MD. Their work produced discoveries spanning vitamin B12 metabolism, growth factor signaling, coagulation, globin gene regulation and programmed cell death and helped establish Washington University as an international center for fundamental and translational hematology research.
During this period, the Division’s clinical mission also expanded. Geoffrey P. Herzig, MD, was recruited to establish a bone marrow transplantation program, and additional faculty were recruited in medical oncology. Morey A. Blinder, MD, established the sickle cell anemia service and assumed leadership roles in the outpatient hematology program. Faculty also developed hematology-oncology services at the St. Louis Veterans Affairs Medical Center. In 1994, the bone marrow transplantation and medical oncology programs were transferred to the newly established Division of Oncology, allowing the Division of Hematology to renew its focus on classical hematology, myeloid disorders and fundamental hematologic research.
The Sadler Era
J. Evan Sadler, MD, PhD, became Chief of the Division of Hematology in 2009 and served in that role until his death in 2018. Joining Washington University faculty in 1984, Sadler became an internationally recognized authority on hemostasis and thrombosis.
Sadler’s laboratory made fundamental contributions to understanding the biology of von Willebrand factor, identified mutations responsible for von Willebrand disease, and characterized the metalloprotease ADAMTS13, deficiency of which causes thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. His discoveries transformed the understanding of bleeding and thrombotic disorders and contributed directly to advances in their diagnosis and treatment.
Sadler’s influence extended well beyond his laboratory. He served as President of the American Society of Hematology in 2010, received many of the field’s highest honors, and was an exceptional mentor who trained nearly 100 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows over the course of his career. His commitment to rigorous science, mentorship and collegiality embodied values that had defined the Division since its founding.
Sadler died on December 13, 2018, at age 67 while still serving as Division Chief. His death represented a profound loss for Washington University and the international hematology community.
Contemporary Hematology
Following Sadler’s death, Elaine M. Majerus, MD, PhD, was appointed Interim Chief of the Division. Under her leadership, the Division expanded its clinical reach, including new regional services, expansion of sickle cell services, development of an outpatient pulmonary embolism clinic in collaboration with Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, and growth of telemedicine.
In December 2021, Majerus and Stephen T. Oh, MD, PhD, were appointed Co-Chiefs of the Division of Hematology. The co-leadership model reflects the complementary clinical and scientific missions that have characterized the Division throughout its history. Majerus leads the Division’s clinical operations, clinical research and clinical training programs, while Oh leads its basic and translational research programs.
Under their leadership, the Division has continued to grow across its clinical, research and educational missions. Clinical programs encompass bleeding and thrombotic disorders, sickle cell disease and other red blood cell disorders, bone marrow failure syndromes, myeloproliferative neoplasms and other myeloid disorders, combining multidisciplinary clinical care with clinical and translational investigation.
The Division’s longstanding strength in hemostasis and thrombosis — extending from the work of Moore and Harrington through the discoveries of Majerus, Broze, Tollefsen and Sadler — continues through the Washington University Adult Hemophilia and Bleeding Disorders Center. This federally supported center provides comprehensive multidisciplinary care for patients with hemophilia, von Willebrand disease and other bleeding disorders while also supporting clinical research, education and the training of future specialists in hemostasis and thrombosis.
The Division’s research enterprise has similarly continued to evolve. Contemporary areas of investigation include hematopoietic stem cell biology, clonal hematopoiesis and clonal evolution, inflammation and the bone marrow microenvironment, hemostasis and thrombosis, red blood cell disorders, gene and cellular therapies, and the molecular mechanisms underlying myeloid malignancies.
Since 2010, the Division has developed a particular strength in translational research focused on myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), including studies defining inflammatory and signaling pathways contributing to disease development, therapeutic resistance and progression. These discoveries have identified new therapeutic vulnerabilities and contributed to clinical studies of novel therapies. In 2026, this work was further strengthened by the award of a multidisciplinary NHLBI Program Project Grant focused on the intrinsic and extrinsic factors driving clonal evolution and disease progression in MPNs. The program brings together investigators across Washington University and exemplifies the collaborative, team-science approach that increasingly characterizes research within the Division.
More broadly, Division investigators continue to apply advances in genomics, single-cell technologies, immunology, cell signaling and gene therapy to fundamental questions in hematology. This contemporary work continues a principle evident throughout the Division’s history: observations made in patients generate fundamental biological questions, discoveries in the laboratory suggest new approaches to treatment, and collaboration across disciplines accelerates both.
In Remembrance
Recent years have also brought the loss of several extraordinary physician-scientists whose careers helped shape the Division.
Philip W. Majerus, MD, died in 2016 at age 79. One of the defining figures in the history of Washington University Hematology, Majerus co-led the Division with Stuart Kornfeld for more than three decades and helped establish its international reputation for hematology research. His landmark studies defined the mechanism by which aspirin inhibits platelet function and helped establish the effectiveness of low-dose aspirin in preventing thrombosis. He also made fundamental contributions to understanding inositol phosphate metabolism and was an influential mentor to generations of investigators.
George J. Broze Jr., MD, died in 2019 after spending nearly his entire academic career at Washington University. A world leader in coagulation biology, Broze discovered tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) and established its central role in regulating coagulation. He was also an outstanding clinician whose expertise was frequently sought for patients with the most challenging bleeding and thrombotic disorders.
Stuart A. Kornfeld, MD, died in 2025 at age 88. One of the defining figures in the history of Washington University Hematology, Kornfeld co-led the Division with Philip Majerus for more than three decades and helped build the scientific culture that established the Division as an international center for hematology research. His foundational discoveries in glycobiology, including elucidation of the mannose-6-phosphate pathway responsible for directing enzymes to lysosomes, transformed understanding of intracellular protein trafficking and ultimately contributed to the development of therapies for lysosomal storage diseases. Kornfeld also had an extraordinary impact on physician-scientist education at Washington University, helping establish and lead training pathways that integrated rigorous scientific investigation with clinical medicine and mentoring generations of investigators.
In 2026, the Division mourned the loss of Katherine “Kathy” Parker Ponder, MD, a valued colleague and pioneering investigator in gene therapy. Ponder spent 24 years in the Division of Hematology and developed innovative approaches to gene therapy for inherited diseases, including hemophilia and lysosomal storage disorders. She was also a dedicated mentor and advocate for young investigators.
Together with Sadler and many other faculty members and trainees, Majerus, Broze, Kornfeld and Ponder created an enduring scientific and educational legacy. Their careers exemplified a culture in which fundamental discovery, clinical investigation, patient care and mentorship are deeply interconnected.
Training the Next Generation
Training and mentorship have been defining missions of the Division since Carl Moore established one of the country’s leading centers for hematology training in the 1940s. Through subsequent decades, hundreds of clinical fellows, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and physician-scientists have trained within the Division, many going on to leadership positions in academic medicine and biomedical research.
The NHLBI-supported Molecular Hematology T32 training program continues this tradition by providing intensive research training for predoctoral and postdoctoral investigators. In 2026, the program was renewed through its 55th year of support, reflecting both the Division’s historic strength in fundamental hematology research and its continued commitment to developing the next generation of investigators.
The Division has also made an important commitment to the future clinical and academic hematology workforce through the American Society of Hematology’s Hematology-Focused Fellowship Training Program (HFFTP). Washington University was selected as one of ten institutions to participate in this national initiative to expand the pipeline of physicians pursuing careers in classical hematology. The program combines rigorous clinical training with research, mentorship and structured career development, building on Washington University’s longstanding tradition of preparing future leaders in academic hematology.
Together with the Hematology-Oncology Fellowship, Department of Medicine physician-scientist training pathways, Washington University’s Medical Scientist Training Program and graduate programs, these programs provide a continuum of education and mentorship extending from graduate and medical training through fellowship and the transition to independent academic careers.
Looking Forward
More than eight decades after Carl V. Moore founded the Division in 1938, the principles that shaped its earliest years remain remarkably relevant. The Division continues to pursue fundamental questions about blood and blood-forming tissues, translate discoveries into improved care for patients, and train future generations of hematologists and scientists.
The scientific culture established by Moore and carried forward by Kornfeld, Majerus, Sadler and their colleagues has evolved to encompass new technologies, new therapeutic approaches and increasingly collaborative models of investigation. Yet its central philosophy remains unchanged: outstanding patient care, transformative discovery and exceptional training strengthen one another.
As the Division enters its next era, this tradition provides both its foundation and its purpose — to advance the understanding and treatment of blood disorders while preparing the next generation of leaders who will shape the future of hematology.
Original history written by Douglas M. Tollefsen, MD, PhD; Stuart A. Kornfeld, MD; and J. Evan Sadler, MD, PhD, for the Washington University Department of Medicine Centennial Celebration, September 2010. Updated in 2026 to reflect the subsequent history and continued evolution of the Division of Hematology.