I agree that an unusually high number of ASH abstracts from a student or resident can raise concerns. Quality research demands time, rigor, and genuine intellectual contribution, which is challenging to achieve at that scale without compromising standards. Unfortunately, the pressure to amass publications for competitive training positions often fuels a culture of quantity over quality. This can lead to borderline ethical practices, like minimal involvement in projects or reliance on questionable methodologies, often within loosely connected research groups lacking cohesive goals or in-person collaboration. Academic institutions should prioritize fostering meaningful, ethical research with long-term vision over short-term resume-padding, as this trend undermines the integrity of scientific inquiry and fails to build true research expertise.
Unpopular opinion but seeing someone with >10 ASH abstracts as a student/resident seems like a red flag to me. Quality research takes time, and unless you are a full time scientist (or a faculty with multiple mentors) I'm not sure how this can be achieved.