Lydia Pecker, M.D., is a pediatric hematologist and director of research and advocacy at the Sickle Cell Center for Adults at Johns Hopkins University. She previously served as the founding director of the Center's Young Adult Clinic, which was built to support young people transitioning from pediatric to adult care systems. She received her undergraduate degree in Africana studies from Brown University, earned her M.D. at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and received a Master's degree in Health Sciences from the Bloomberg School of Public Health.
In this episode, Lydia talks about her path to becoming a physician working with sickle cell patients, tells us what sickle cell disease is and what it's like for patients, and talks about the treatment landscape, including a need for more sickle cell healthcare providers and more blood donation to support transfusions, a key part of sickle cell treatment.
Resources mentioned in the episode:
National Geographic article on sickle cell gene therapy (PDF from author Linda Marsa's webpage)
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