Centers of Excellence: Sickle-Cell Anemia

This debilitating, hereditary red blood cell disorder strikes primarily African-American children. There are thousands of cases in the Delaware Valley that require chronic transfusions along with comprehensive routine and acute care to deal with the disease’s many complications — asthma, pulmonary problems, stroke, sleep difficulty, gallstones organ damage. Under the direction of Kwaku Ohene-Frempong, the devoted, highly trained staff of specialists at the Sickle Cell Center at CHOP manages both the in-patient and out-patient needs of this population. Since 1988, this program, one of the largest in the United States, has been one of 10 designated NIH centers nationwide conducting ongoing research (34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard, 215-590-3535, with satellite clinics in Voorhees, 856-435-7502, and King of Prussia, 610-337-8160, chop.edu).