Our Expertise

One of every 400 African-American children and one of every 1,250 Hispanic American children is born with sickle cell anemia that can result in recurrent, painful episodes called "sickle cell crises." The disease also results in increased vulnerability to infections, organ damage, and early death. A child with sickle cell can develop a painful crisis at any time. The pain can last for days to weeks and is often severe enough to require hospitalization. The unpredictability of these pain events and their recurrent nature contribute significantly to the suffering of these children.

Research

We are actively pursuing new agents to treat sickle cell disease as well as new approaches to alleviate the physical and emotional suffering. Our goal, in partnership with prominent scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, is to find new cures for sickle cell disease. Our patients have the opportunity to be actively involved in federally funded national clinical trials to explore new treatment methods. These include new anti-adhesive and anti-inflammatory therapies for the treatment of pain crises, stroke prevention, strategies for improved adherence to medication and transition to adult care. We are dedicated to ensuring that our patients receive the best standard of care and utilize robust and ongoing quality improvement interventions. By working with our colleagues at the Center for Health Data Innovations we also incorporate machine learning into our algorithms to optimize care delivery.

Our Team

CHAM provides comprehensive, compassionate, multimodal and individualized care to over 600 children with sickle cell anemia. A team of dedicated hematologists, pain specialists, nurses, social workers, psychologists and child life therapists work closely together to bring innovative care to each of our patients from birth through adulthood. We invite you to meet our team of experts:

Deepa Manwani, MD
Director, Pediatric Hematology.

Kerry Morrone, MD
Director, Pediatric Sickle Cell Program

Kaitlin L. Strumph, MD
Assistant Director, Pediatric Sickle Cell Program