WASHINGTON — The Howard University Center for Sickle Cell Disease will host its 11th annual World Sickle Cell Day program on Tuesday, June 18. The Center is dedicated to raising awareness, advancing research, and supporting individuals affected by sickle cell disease. 

World Sickle Cell Day at Howard University aims to bring together patients, families, healthcare professionals, researchers, and the community to promote understanding and drive progress in the fight against sickle cell disease. This event is free and open to the public. 

The program, titled “Life with Sickle Cell Disease: The Reality and the Hope,” will take place virtually from 2 – 3:30 p.m.  It will feature a conversation with Victoria Gray, who was amongst the first sickle cell patients treated with innovative gene therapy, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in December. The conversation will be led by broadcast journalist Harold T. Fisher, the host of WHUR-FM’s news program “The Daily Drum.” 

The Howard program will feature remarks from renowned experts in sickle cell disease, sharing their insights and latest research findings, as well as patient and family perspectives into life living with Sickle Cell Disease. Panel discussions will highlight the latest advancements in treatment, the importance of comprehensive care, and how family members and patients are affected by the innovations in Sickle Cell Disease. Additionally, it will showcase testimonies from individuals, such as Gray, living with sickle cell disease, highlighting both their challenges and triumphs.

Established by the United Nations in 2008, World Sickle Cell Day is recognized annually on June 19th to raise public awareness about sickle cell disease, a genetic blood disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. The day emphasizes the need for improved patient care, access to treatment, and ongoing research. 

World Sickle Cell Day is officially recognized on June 19. However, due to the Juneteenth federal holiday, the University’s World Sickle Cell Day program will take place on June 18.

For more information and to register for the event, please visit bit.ly/HU-WSCD-2024.

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About Howard University 

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 14 schools and colleges. Students pursue more than 140 programs of study leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced two Schwarzman Scholars, four Marshall Scholars, four Rhodes Scholars, 12 Truman Scholars, 25 Pickering Fellows and more than 165 Fulbright recipients. Howard also produces more on-campus African American PhD. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, visit www.howard.edu.  

Media contact: Sholnn Freeman; sholnn.freeman@howard.edu