2010-09-01

Congress has designated September as National Sickle Cell Awareness Month to help focus attention on the need for more research and improvements in the treatment of sickle cell disease.

Also marking an important date related to sickle cell disease, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is hosting the “James B. Herrick Symposium – Sickle Cell Disease Care and Research: Past, Present, and Future” in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Dr. James Herrick’s initial description of sickle cell anemia. It will be held November 16-17, 2010, on the NIH campus in Bethesda, MD. This symposium will convene leading sickle cell experts to celebrate research advances and explore promising new scientific opportunities. A number of ASH members will be speakers. Look for a summary of the event in the January/February 2011 edition of The Hematologist.

ASH continues to work with Congress, the NIH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other federal agencies to increase sickle cell research, treatment options, and access to care for patients with sickle cell disease. ASH has developed a sickle cell working group to help identify ways the Society can support federal programs and enhance the Society’s advocacy efforts to improve research and treatment.

Information about NHLBI’s recent workshop on “Framing the Research Agenda for Sickle Cell Trait” can be found on page 4 of this issue. To register for the Herrick Symposium, visit the symposium website at www.nhlbi.nih.gov/meetings/James-Herrick-Sicklecell.