Elaine Jaffe

Elaine Sarkin Jaffe (born in August 1943) is a senior National Cancer Institute (NCI) investigator at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) most well known for her contribution to hematopathology. She completed her medical education at Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania, receiving her M.D. degree from University of Pennsylvania in 1969. After an internship at Georgetown University she joined NCI as a resident in anatomic pathology, and has been a senior investigator since 1974, focusing on the classification and definition of lymphomas. Jaffe's early work helped to provide a deeper understanding of the origin of lymphomas, especially follicular lymphoma. Her team notably elucidated the difference between T cell and B cell lymphomas.

Her lab's findings led to the development of the WHO Classification of Tumours of the Hematopoietic and Lymphoid Tissues. Jaffe was the President of the Society of Hematopathology at the time that the WHO's Revised European-American Classification of Lymphoid Neoplasms (REAL) classification system was developed in 1994; the REAL classification system is now considered the gold standard in hematopathology. Today, her research includes genetic and epigenetic studies aimed at understanding how B-cells become Hodgkin's lymphoma cells, particularly through the lens of the microenvironment. Jaffe's research has led to improvements in cancer treatments, including disease-specific therapies and improved clinical outcomes. Provided by Wikipedia