Can paediatric sickle cell disease patients be cared for without blood transfusion? Dr Lewis Hsu discusses newer therapeutics and innovations which make bloodless care possible in this vulnerable population of patients.
Lewis Hsu, MD, PhD, is a professor of Pediatric Hematology at University of Illinois at Chicago with a career devoted to sickle cell disease. He earned MD-PhD (Biophysics) at University of Rochester, followed by pediatric residency at Yale, and fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. His clinical and translational research in sickle cell disease led to over 100 scientific publications including the landmark STOP study of transfusion to reduce stroke risk in sickle cell, landmark studies of bone marrow transplantation to cure sickle cell disease, clinical research on pain management of patients hospitalized with sickle cell pain, and studies of inflammatory vasculopathy due to hemolysis in mouse models. During 25 years in leadership of some of the largest sickle cell programs in the country, he co-authored the “Hope and Destiny” books for family education on sickle cell. He provides training for community health workers for sickle cell disease with Sickle Cell Disease Association of America (SCDAA). His experience in applying implementation science includes formal training from NIH TIDIRC program and sickle cell disease projects funded by NIH for sickle cell in the USA and by the European Union for sickle cell in Africa. He volunteers as Chief Medical Officer of SCDAA since October 2020 and has been available for pediatric sickle cell case discussions for the national Hospital Liaison Committee since the 1990’s.
