Physician seeks US PhD to tackle sickle cell disease in Nigeria
Hematologist to spend 3 years at University of Tennessee
A Nigerian hematologist will pursue a PhD in health policy at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center to help advance her work on programs for sickle cell disease (SCD) in her home country.
Aisha Galadanci Akilu, MD, helped implement a newborn screening program in Kano City, Nigeria, which has the highest pediatric SCD population in that country. Half of the approximately 300,000 children born with SCD globally are in Nigeria, where SCD is the sixth leading cause of death in children.
“I have realized that in a resource-limited setting like Nigeria, public health-related constraints often serve as stumbling blocks to effectively delivering health care services to our most vulnerable populations,” Galadanci Akilu said in a university news story. “Participation in the Health Outcome and Policy Research PhD program is an excellent opportunity to learn and develop research and management skills while building proficiency in epidemiology, leadership skills, policy analysis, cost-effectiveness, and cost-benefit analysis.”
Sickle cell disease is an inherited condition caused by mutations in the beta-globin (HBB) gene that result in the production of an abnormal version of hemoglobin, the protein responsible for carrying oxygen in red blood cells. The mutated hemoglobin clumps inside these cells, giving them the characteristic sickle shape that slows or blocks blood flow.
Screening, genetic testing for sickle cell disease in Nigeria
Galadanci Akilu will be mentored by Sara Day, PhD, assistant dean and professor at the center’s nursing college. Day’s team has received a $364,502 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture supporting SCD outreach.
Day developed an education program to support parents of children with SCD. The program has helped reduce Pneumococcus sepsis, a widespread, severe inflammation caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria, which is the most common cause of death among young children with SCD, the university said.
“I am honored to serve as a mentor for Dr. Galadanci Akilu as she pursues her PhD … and know we will both benefit from each other’s knowledge and experience,” Day said.
Galadanci Akilu’s Kano newborn screening program was developed with funding and collaboration from the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a partnership she said “has been instrumental” in establishing the program. “Screening more than 9,000 newborns is a remarkable achievement, significantly increasing early detection rates,” she said.
In addition to the screening program, Galadanci Akilu helped establish a genetic counseling program for engaged couples, starting with gathering local religious leaders to make them familiar with the policy.
“Dr. Galadanci Akilu is not only a dedicated hematologist, she is also a public health advocate and was instrumental in the passage of a law for pre-marital genetic counseling for sickle cell disease in Kano in 2023,” said Yvonne Carroll, co-investigator in Day’s USDA project and director of patient services in the hematology department at St. Jude.
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