Nigeria’s Leading Sickle Cell Doctor Seeks PhD at UT Health Sciences Center – UTHSC News

Aisha Galadanci Akilu, MD, is making a major investment in changing the course of sickle cell disease in her home country of Nigeria. That investment is equivalent to about three years of his life, which he will spend in Memphis pursuing a PhD in health outcomes and policy research with Assistant Dean Sara Day, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Nursing. .

Dr. Galadanci Akilu is a hematologist whose focus is sickle cell disease (SCD), a genetic disease that approximately 300,000 children are born with every year worldwide – 50% of them in Nigeria alone. SCD is the sixth leading cause of death among children in Nigeria, and in Kano City, where Dr. Galadanci Akilu where he works, has the highest number of children with SCD in Nigeria.

But thanks to funding and cooperation from the Children’s Research Hospital of St. Jude, Dr. Galadanci Akilu helped implement newborn screening in Kano, Nigeria, in 2020, and it has seen great results. The collaboration “helped establish a robust newborn screening program for SCD in Kano,” he said. “Screening more than 9,000 newborns is a remarkable achievement, greatly increasing early detection rates.”

Dr. Galadanci Akilu commented on the impact of the evaluation program Sickle Cell Boot Camp in Developing Nursing Excellence, which was held on Sept. 9-13 at the UT Health Sciences Center. The boot camp is a collaboration of the UT Health Science Center College of Nursing, Department of Hematology St. Jude, and the International Association of Sickle Cell Nurses and Professional Associates (IASCNAPA). September is National Sickle Cell Awareness Month.

The decision of Dr. Galadanci Akilu’s pursuit of a PhD in health policy at the UT Health Sciences Center is a strategic decision, he said.

“I have noticed that in a resource-poor place like Nigeria, public health-related barriers often act as barriers to providing health services to the most vulnerable,” he said. “Participating in the Health Outcome and Policy Research PhD program is an excellent opportunity to learn and develop research and management skills while building your epidemiology skills, leadership skills, evaluation of policy, cost-effectiveness and benefit analysis.”

A mother of five children from 3 to 21 years old, Dr. Galadanci Akilu does not have sickle cell disease in his family, but he sees its huge impact in his country. So, she and her three youngest children will go home to Germantown as she pursues a degree that will help her make a big impact on sickle cell disease in Nigeria. His older children work or are at college in the United Kingdom.

Dr. Galadanci Akilu also helped spearhead pre-marital genetic counseling for engaged couples in his village, convened an educational meeting for local religious leaders to participate in the policy first. “They are important stakeholders. We have to involve them,” he said.

Dr. Day said, “I am honored to serve as Dr. Galadanci Akilu’s advisor as he pursues his PhD in the UT Health Science Center’s Health Outcomes and Policy Research Program and we know that we will both benefit from his knowledge and experience.” of another.”

The work of Dr. Day’s outreach to children with sickle cell disease has been an important part of his career. In the year that newborn screening for sickle cell disease was implemented nationwide, she created one of the first multi-level educational programs to support parents of sickle cell disease. The results of the program included an excellent retention rate, and a significant reduction in the rate of pneumococcal sepsis, the leading cause of death among young children with sickle cell disease. As soon as it aired, the show was repeated nationally and around the world. He is currently the principal investigator of a $364,502 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that supports sickle cell-specific education for health professionals in the Mid-South Delta region.

Yvonne Carroll, JD, RN, is director of patient services in the Department of Hematology at St. Jude. He said, “Dr. Galadanci Akilu is not only a dedicated hematologist, he is also a public health advocate and was instrumental in passing the premarital genetic counseling law for sickle cell disease in Kano in 2023.”

Carroll is a co-investigator with a USDA grant and Dr. Day and has been involved in sickle cell research for over 25 years. He has worked with Drs. Galadanci Akilu eight years ago.

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