WGSCD™ LAN Program & Clinical Care
Future Meetings:
Co-Chairs:
| Member | Institution/Center | Member Type | |
| Andrew O’Brien, MD | Indiana University | Co-Chair, Adult Hematologist | obrienar@iu.edu |
| Alecia Nero, MD, MSCS, FACP | Co-Chair, Pediatric Hematologist | info@sicklecellmd.com |
Charter:
To serve as a member-driven subcommittee within the WGSCD LAN that enables clinicians and care teams to learn from one another and take collective, practical action to improve the health and care for women and girls with sickle cell disease (SCD). This subcommittee will focus on the development and sustainability of clinics or clinical pathways for women and girls with SCD.
Focus of Work:
Encourage collaborations among clinics that are in development or already developed and working on improving processes by creating and disseminating accessible resources for these clinics to advance clinical care for women and girls with SCD. This subcommittee will facilitate, coordinate, and evaluate the programmatic endeavors through exchange of ideas, data collection, and implementation of evidence-based clinical care practices at that serve or aim to serve women and/or girls with sickle cell disease to optimize their overall care throughout their life span.
Meetings:
- Frequency TBD by subcommittee chair(s) but usually at least once per month.
- Annual WGSCD LAN meeting presentation of the progress on the work being conducted by this subcommittee at the annual FWGBD WGSCD™ LAN meetings.
- Ongoing communication via shared documents and email as required to support information sharing between meetings.
Term: Minimum two-year commitment. December 1, 2025, to November 30, 2027
Work Plan
The subcommittee will focus on a core set of member-driven activities that support shared learning and practical action across the WGSCD LAN. Work will be prioritized annually based on member input and feasibility for members.
The subcommittee will work to:
- Identify and establish a plan for educating WGSCD™ LAN members on clinical care tools, recommendations, and guidelines for women and girls with SCD
- Establish collaborations with Obstetrics and Gynecology/Genetics/Endocrine, and other specialists who are expected partners in the care of women and girls with SCD
- Identify the basic requirements of an interdisciplinary program that recognizes the unique needs of women and girls with SCD
- Co-develop and share concise, implementable clinical tools, pathways, and guidance responsive to identified priorities and needs
- Support quality improvement projects and resource distribution to the sickle cell community on issues that affect women and girls with SCD
- Promote consistent and high-quality care by sharing emerging best practices and lessons learned from implementation across LAN sites and other sources
- Review the progress of the WGSCD™ LAN collaborative clinical care project efforts for women and girls with SCD and recommend modifications as needed