‘Top Docs’ addresses sickle cell & ‘Be the Match’ bone marrow donor program
The latest edition of the Medical Association of Georgia’s (MAG) ‘Top Docs’ show addresses sickle cell disease and the non-profit ‘Be The Match’ bone marrow donation program, which includes more than 20 million potential donors and nearly 300,000 cord blood units – keeping in mind “that is still not enough to meet the needs of every sickle cell patient.”
The program features Staci D. Arnold, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H., who is a pediatric hematologist/oncologist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, discussing…
– Who sickle cell disease affects
– Why sickle cell affects African American and Latino people in particular
– The misperceptions or stigmas that are sometimes associated with sickle cell disease
– Some of sickle cell disease’s most common complications
– How sickle cell disease can be managed
– How a blood stem cell or bone marrow can be used to cure sickle cell disease
– How many sickle cell patients need a transplant, and how many can actually get one
– Why every sickle cell patient can’t get a transplant today
– Why it is difficult for African Americans to find a match on the registry
– The bone marrow donation process
– How people can join the registry
– What other resources the ‘Be The Match’ program offers
– What ‘Be The Match’ is doing in Atlanta area
Dr. Arnold specializes in pediatric hematology. She has particular expertise in caring for children who are undergoing stem cell transplantation for noncancerous disorders, such as sickle cell anemia and aplastic anemia. Dr. Arnold says that, “This field enables her to combine her joy of caring for patients with her love of research. She appreciates the bonds that she is able to form with the families of children with these diseases. It is an honor for her to shepherd them through some of the most challenging times in their lives.” Dr. Arnold also “conducts outcome research to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of the therapies she uses,” and she “hopes to show this by demonstrating that effective therapies are valuable because they enable children to grow up to become healthy, productive citizens in our society.” In addition to her two master’s degrees, Dr. Arnold has a degree from Spelman College and a medical degree from Duke University.
Between downloads and live listeners, ‘Top Docs’ has now reached more than 1.2 million listeners and viewers – which includes people in all 50 states and more than 80 countries. MAG has won two awards for the show, including an American Association of Medical Society Executives Profiles of Excellence Award and a Health Information Resource Center Digital Health Award.
‘Top Docs’ is supported with a grant from Alliant Health Solutions in memory of Tom Williams, its former CEO.
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