St. Jude hematologists have been researching sickle cell disease since the hospital opened in 1962. The institution’s first research grant was to study sickle cell disease, and St. Jude is where the first patient with both leukemia and sickle cell disease was cured of both diseases by a stem cell transplant.
To schedule an interview, email media@stjude.org.
Sickle Cell and other nonmalignant blood disorder experts
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Yvonne Carroll, JD, RN
Carroll
Yvonne Carroll, JD, RN, St. Jude Department of Hematology, Patient Services director, is a principal investigator and program manager for the sickle cell disease program. She has facilitated the continuity of care for young adults with sickle cell disease by improving the transition from pediatric to adult medical care through developing a skills lab, a transition readiness assessment and transition educational material.
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Alexis K. Leonard, MD
Leonard
Alexis Leonard, MD, St. Jude Department of Hematology, is a clinical trial leader who researches curative therapies for sickle cell disease, including gene therapy approaches.
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Jerlym S. Porter, PhD, MPH
Porter
Jerlym Porter, PhD, MPH, St. Jude Department of Psychology and Biobehavioral Sciences, studies issues relevant to the transition from pediatric to adult care for sickle cell disease. Porter also researches psychosocial factors impacting health promotion, treatment adherence and disease management.
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Akshay Sharma, MBBS, MSc.
Sharma
Akshay Sharma, MD, Msc., St. Jude Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation & Cellular Therapy, coordinates the bone marrow transplantation program for patients with sickle cell disease. Sharma is leading clinical research using gene editing for treating sickle cell disease.
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Mitchell Weiss, MD, PhD, St. Jude Department of Hematology chair, studies genome editing approaches for treating sickle cell disease, beta thalassemia and other blood disorders. His research interests include gene expression mechanisms during blood cell development, non-coding RNAs in red blood cell formation and hemoglobin structure and biology.
