Center for Sickle Cell Disease 50th Anniversary - Letter from the President
Dear Howard University Community,
September is National Sickle Cell Awareness Month, a time where we must renew our efforts and reconcentrate our energy in advocating for those who suffer from sickle cell disease. Only through dedicated research can we develop treatments and, ultimately, find a cure for this affliction that affects more than 100,000 people in the United States.
This year, however, the month of September is particularly meaningful as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Howard University Center for Sickle Cell Disease.
In 1971, the late Dr. Roland B. Scott, a pediatrician, an expert on allergies, and an authority on sickle cell disease, helped champion the Sickle Cell Anemia Control Act, which was passed by Congress in order to establish research and treatment centers around the country. One such center was founded here at Howard University in September of that year.
Dr. Scott became passionate about sickle cell as he treated numerous children experiencing complications from the disease at Howard University Hospital in the 1950s. Knowing how little understood and often misdiagnosed sickle cell was at the time, Dr. Scott knew that our country needed to enhance education about the disease and revitalize the medical system’s ability to care for patients suffering from it.
The sickle cell center was one of the primary reasons I decided to attend Howard University in 1988. My experience with sickle cell disease motivated me to become a physician, so I enrolled in Howard’s Bachelor’s/M.D. dual degree program at the age of 16. But just as importantly, I knew that I needed to learn how to manage my own disease, and I knew that the center was the best place for me to do so.
Growing up in Trinidad and Tobago, I would spend weeks in the hospital every year as a result of numerous sickle cell crises. The pain I endured during these episodes was completely debilitating. I knew that if I were to become a physician myself, I would need a supportive team of nurses and doctors, as well as a group of peers, who understood my disease and could teach me how to manage it. That was precisely what I found at Howard’s Center for Sickle Cell Disease.
Not only has the center helped countless numbers of patients like me, but it has also played an instrumental role in improving sickle cell research and treatment. I am proud to say that the center has participated in every major clinical trial that has led to FDA-approved medications for the treatment of sickle cell disease.
Today, sickle cell patients receive a higher quality of care – and have a higher quality of life – thanks to the efforts of institutions like Howard’s Center for Sickle Cell Disease. As a result of the sustained advocacy from the center and other organizations dedicated to the fight against sickle cell, the federal government invests around $100 million annually in sickle cell research in an effort to continue enhancing treatment options and hopefully discovering a cure for the disease.
Personally, I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the center, to Dr. Scott and to Dr. Oswaldo Castro, my personal physician at the center. I am incredibly thankful to all the nurses and staff members who cared for me and empowered me to take control of the disease that I have suffered from all my life. It is incredibly meaningful to me that, this year, I also celebrated my 50th birthday. I arrived in the world the same year that Howard’s Center for Sickle Cell Disease came into existence, inextricably linking us together. It was the center that pulled me to the United States, to Washington, D.C., to Howard University. Together, these places have not only added years to my life, but also added life to my years.
Congratulations to the Center for Sickle Cell Disease on the occasion of its 50th anniversary.
Excellence in Truth and Service,
Wayne A. I. Frederick
Charles R. Drew Professor of Surgery
President