
Family Sickle Cell Research and Educational Summit
June 19, 2018
Post-Event Summary
The Sickle Cell Center of Excellence hosted a very successful, informative, and well-received World Sickle Cell Day event on Tuesday, June 19, which included tours of the Vascular Medicine Institute laboratories. The event was attended by over 100 patients, families, faculty, researchers, and staff.
Patient Presenters
Lauren Ransom
Shyala Pelmon
Todd Griffin, Jr.
UPMC SCD Program
Cheryl Hillery, MD
Enrico Novelli, MD
Children’s Sickle Cell Foundation
Michael Matthews
University of Pittsburgh:
Vascular Medicine Institute Presenters
Mark Gladwin, MD Ling Wang, PhD
Greg Kato, MD Maria Kapetanaki, PhD
Laura De Castro, MD Lynda Ihrig, BS
Prithu Sundd, PhD Tomasz Brzoska, PhD
Aisha Walker, PhD, MPH Katherine Wood, PhD
Charles Jonassaint, PhD Bukola Gbotosho, PhD
Ram Kalpatthi, MD Oyin Dosunmu-Ogunbi
Ravi Vats, MS
Key Components
Patient Presentations – Peer-to-peer talks on living with sickle cell disease, including diet, peer support, and use of poetry for coping.
Overview of Pittsburgh Hospital & Community-Based Services – Physicians from the UPMC Adult & Pediatric SCD Program outlined hospital-based services, and Michael Matthews from the Children’s Sickle Cell Foundation spoke about community-based services.
Advances in SCD Research at UPMC and Pitt
- Research Talks – Researchers from the Vascular Medicine Institute (VMI) provided 5-minute overviews of their research.
- VMI Tours – 30 adult participants toured the VMI lab facility Small groups rotated through six different lab stations, stopping at each to engage with the research staff in an interactive presentation.
- Research Demos – Families participated in educational research demonstrations geared towards children & youth, including videos and coloringin the auditorium, including watching videos and coloring.


Presentations
Click on the titles below to view the presentation slides.
Understanding Hemoglobin and How to Stop the Sickling
Aisha Walker, PhD, MPH
Taming the immune system to stop pain crisis
Prithu Sundd, PhD
Can We Predict Brain Function in Aging Patients with SCD?
Enrico Novelli, MD, MS
The UPMC Adult Sickle Cell Program
Enrico Novelli, MD, MS
What Happens When Heme Gets Out of the Hemoglobin?
Gregory Kato, MD
Stroke in Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease
Ram Kalpatthi, MD
Using Smartphones to Improve Your Care
Charles Jonassaint, PhD
The Comprehensive Pediatric Sickle Cell Program
Cheryl Hillery, MD
Pain in Sickle Cell Disease: Lessons from Sickle Cell Mice
Cheryl Hillery, MD
Taking Part in Clinical Trials Speeds Up the Cure for Sickle Cell Disease
Laura De Castro, MD, MHSc