Jeffrey Glassberg, MD, Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, and Medicine (Hematology and Medical Oncology), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Doris Wethers, MD; Jena Simon, NP; and Sydra Stuart, Phlebotomy Coordinator, Outreach Laboratories
The Mount Sinai Health System observed Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) Awareness Month by hosting “Community Engagement Day: Mount Sinai Cares About Sickle Cell Disease” on Saturday, September 12, on The Mount Sinai Hospital campus. Sickle cell disease is a genetic blood disorder that tends to occur in people of African, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, and South Asian descent, causing severe pain, tissue damage, infections, and organ failure. More than 120 attendees learned about SCD from patients and a panel of physician researchers, and were reminded that babies should be screened soon after birth. The establishment of the Doris Wethers Award—which will be presented each year to an individual who does outstanding work with SCD—was a highlight of the event. Doris Wethers, MD, a retired physician from Mount Sinai St. Luke’s and Mount Sinai Roosevelt, is a renowned expert on pediatric SCD.