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Sickle Cell Disease
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SPEAKER PROFILES:
Dr Miguel R. Abboud
Miguel R. Abboud earned his medical degree and then pediatrics training at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon (1984). He completed his hematology-oncology specialty training at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and The New York Hospital, Cornell University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA (1987). He was professor at Medical University of South Carolina until in August 2002, he became the first Medical Director of the Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon (CCCL) at the American University of Beirut Medical Center in Lebanon and Professor of Pediatrics at AUB. He established highly visible and successful bone marrow transplant, limb salvage surgery, and sickle cell disease programs as well as an acute lymphoblastic leukemia research protocol in collaboration with the Leukemia/Lymphoma Division at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN, USA. In February 2011, he was appointed as Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at AUBMC and was offered tenured appointment as Professor of Pediatrics at AUB in July 2018. He was assigned as Scientific Advisor of the SCD Association of America in May 2019. He is also the chair of the Red Cell Biology Scientific Committee of the American Society of Hematology. He is consultant on multiple Sickle Cell Disease multicenter clinical trials protocol development. He has published above 170 publications in peer-reviewed journals.
Dr Abboud has been accorded numerous awards and honors. These include Physician of the Year by the National Committee for Lebanese Children in 2007, a “Miracle Maker” award from A.H. Robbins in 1995, and the Mitchell Rubin Research Award in Pediatrics in 1993, among others.
Dr Doreen Mutua
Doreen Mutua is a pediatrician whose passion for children with blood disorders and cancer was ignited during her residency training at the University of Nairobi where she noticed that most of these children had dismal outcomes due to late presentation, lack of appropriate diagnostic and treatment facilities.
Dr. Mutua is a beneficiary of a two year training program conducted as a twinning program between Jimma
She completed her training in
She is passionate about raising awareness on childhood cancer with regard to early detection, establishing treatment guidelines and improving outcomes of Kenyan children who have cancer. She is also keen on seeing the establishment of comprehensive sickle cell centers in the country which can help reduce the morbidity and mortality of these patients.
Dr Anne Mwirigi
Anne Mwirigi is an Assistant Professor and Consultant Haematologist working at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. She obtained her undergraduate MBChB from the University of Glasgow in 2002. After her house jobs and a medical rotation in Glasgow, she moved to London in February 2007.
Her career in Haematology began as a senior house officer at King’s College Hospital, following which she was accepted on the Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust Specialist Registrar Rotation in 2009. She obtained her certificate of completion of training in 2014, and thereafter took on consultant haematologist positions for a period of two and a half years at both Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King’s College Hospitals.
Dr Mwirigi has a passion for haematology and always planned to practice haematology in her country of birth, Kenya. Since moving back in December 2016, she has engaged with haematopathologists and clinical haematologists in the region, and is involved collaborative ventures aimed at improving the quality of haematology services in Kenya. She was a key member of the scientific committee which organised the Haematology and Oncology Society of Africa 3rdinaugural conference held in Nairobi in August 2017.
Dr Sarah Muma
Sarah Muma is a Pediatric Hemato – Oncologist at Kenyatta National Hospital.
She is a graduate of the University of Nairobi where she received her Bachelor’s degree (MBChB) as well as her Master’s degree in Pediatrics and Child Health. Dr Muma did a fellowship in Pediatric Oncology at Frere Hospital, Walter Sisulu University in East London, South Africa. She also holds a Master’s degree in Advanced Oncology from Ulm University in Germany. Her main interest is in developing low-cost, high impact models of management for children with cancer in low-income settings.
Dr Rohini Radia
Rohini Radia completed her medical degree and postgraduate sub-specialty training in the UK. She obtained her MBChB degree in 1999. She continued with postgraduate training and obtained the MRCP (UK) qualification in internal medicine in 2005. She was a Specialist Registrar in haematology on a 5 year training programme at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Trust and obtained FRCPath(Haem) in 2005.
During her haematology training and work as a consultant, she pursued an interest in malignant haematology and allogeneic transplantation. She has extensive experience in haematology with a special interest in myeloid malignancies and bone marrow transplantation, including 10 years at consultant level at The Russell Centre for Clinical Haematology, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. Dr Radia is a Kenyan and is keen to contribute her clinical expertise where there is a huge unmet clinical need in the area of stem cell transplantation. In January 2023, she returned home and started as BMT Consultant at the The Nairobi West Hospital. She is currently based at the Aga Khan University Hospital.
Her BMT experience spans all aspects of stem cell transplantation from patient and donor selection to appropriate selection of conditioning protocol, GVHD prophylaxis and post-transplant management of immune suppression, acute and chronic GVHD and late effects. She worked closely with the Anthony Nolan transplant registry. She was the lead consultant for myelodysplasia, GVHD and apheresis. Dr Radia carried out the first syngeneic stem cell transplant at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. Clinical research has been an interest she has consolidated by active participation in clinical trials.
Dr Grace Mbatia
Grace Mbatia is currently serving as Full-time faculty at the Aga Khan University, Nairobi providing clinical care to children with blood and cancer disorders as well as supporting paediatric post-graduate medical training for future paediatricians. Her core clinical interests lie in providing care to children with brain and solid tumors whereas her broader interests include supporting medical education, health-systems research and the optimization of both general paediatric and paediatric blood and cancer care in resource-constrained settings.
Dr Catherine Muendo
Catherine Muendo is a Paediatric Hematologist and Oncologist who completed her fellowship training at Makerere university in collaboration with Mulago National Referral Hospital, Baylor college of medicine and Texas cancer children’s hospital.
She works as a consultant paediatrician at Kenyatta National Hospital. Dr Muendo received her medical degree (MBChB) and pediatrics and child health degree (MMed) at the University of Nairobi.
She is enthusiastic about improving the outcomes of children with blood and cancer disorders in Kenya through novel interventions that are sustainable in a resource limited setting.
Dr Irene Nzamu (Moderator)
Irene Nzamu is a Pediatric Hematologist Oncologist. She is the Head of the Pediatric Hemato Oncology Unit at the Kenyatta National Hospital.
Dr Nzamu attained her undergraduate training (MBChB) & postgraduate training (M.MED) at The University of Nairobi. She did her Fellowship in Pediatric Hematology & Oncology at Makerere University in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine & Global HOPE Texas Children’s Hospital.
She is passionate about offering evidence based, affordable care for children with cancer & blood diseases in our resource limited settings.
