Charlotte Curtis, Launches Podcast for People with SCD
Sickle Cycle, a Sickle Cell Disease advocacy and awareness organization, has released a third installment of The Sickle Cycle Podcast with the advent of the 10th anniversary of World Sickle Cell Awareness Day on June 19th. The podcast, launched in April 2019 in celebration of National Minority Health Month, is a monthly conversation about all things related to SCD, boasting over 300 listeners across iTunes, Google Play, and Soundcloud.
The Next Sickle Cycle Podcast
The next Sickle Cycle Podcast features world-renowned Dr. Kwaku Ohene-Frempong, Director Emeritus of the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center at The Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia and President of the Sickle Cell Foundation of Ghana. In this new episode, Dr. Ohene-Frempong discusses the history of Sickle Cell Disease and how this illness has guided his life, personally and professionally. As a physician and father of a child who had Sickle Cell Anemia, he offers recommendations for parents and patients. At the age of 73, he continues to dedicate his life to research, treatments, and access to quality care for patients, especially in Ghana.
More information about Dr. Ohene-Frempong can be found here.
In coming episodes of the podcast, topics ranging from Howard University’s challenges for its Center for Sickle Cell Disease, the transition from pediatrics to adult-care for sickle cell patients, and effective forms of advocacy for the disease will be explored.
Charlotte Curtis, founder of Sickle Cycle, is an advocate and strategist with a passion for community engagement and policy. As a patient living with Sickle Cell Disease, Mrs. Curtis created Sickle Cycle in May 2017 to bring awareness to the inherited blood disorder. Since its inception, Sickle Cycle has raised thousands of dollars for research and community based programs in sickle cell. In April of 2019, The Sickle Cycle Podcast was launched to provide education and resources about Sickle Cell Disease.
Prior to Sickle Cycle, Mrs. Curtis served as a Presidential Appointee under President Obama from 2014-2017. She has held many roles at federal agencies, local municipals, non-profit organizations and NGO’s, and her expertise is in international policy and government relations. Her academic credentials include a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from Spelman College and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Northeastern University.
Sickle Cell: A Definition
In a person without sickle cell, red blood cells are flexible and round, moving easily through blood vessels. In sickle cell anemia, the red blood cells are shaped like sickles or crescents that can get stuck in small blood vessels, slowing or blocking blood flow and oxygen to parts of the body. For additional information on SCD see Black Health Matters.
