D E S I G N I N G E FFEC T I V E , A FFO R DA B L E SYS T E M S O F C A R E
Innovation & Research Investigating sickle cell disease Researchers from ChristianaCare are part of a multidisciplinary team that received $10.5 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support the Delaware Comprehensive Sickle Cell Research Program. The five-year award from the NIH Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) will support clinical, translational and psychosocial research in sickle cell disease, one of the most common inherited conditions in Black populations and prevalent in Afro-Caribbean and Middle Eastern populations. The work will be led by a diverse team of clinician-scientists from ChristianaCare, Nemours, University of Delaware, and Delaware State University. The program will primarily focus on pediatric, adolescent and young adult patients with sickle cell disease. The grant will support a comprehensive sickle cell disease program made up of four research projects aimed at reducing barriers to care, including racism and stigma, innovative eye exams to identify stroke risk, and improved awareness and counseling on sickle cell inheritance.
Sickle cell disease is a part of my family’s story. Every day, I look forward to bringing my patients hopeful, compassionate care I know they deserve. Charmaine
S M I T H W R I G H T, M . D . , M S H P
MEDICAL DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR SPECIAL HEALTH CARE NEEDS
20 WE SERVE TO GETH ER 2 02 1
