More than 150 primary care providers will come to Memphis from four states March 28 to learn best practices in caring for people with sickle cell disease. Led by the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Nursing, the one-day conference will bring nationally-known experts in sickle cell patient care to Memphis. Sponsors include the College of Nursing, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Baptist Memorial Health Care.
The Sickle Cell Disease Comprehensive Management for Health Care Providers conference is funded by a two-year, $364,502 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The grant’s focus on specialized educational outreach also includes workshops at emergency departments for hospitals in the Delta that have educated about 100 providers so far. Professor Sara Day, PhD, RN, FAAN, is the principal investigator on the grant and is assistant dean for Community and Global Partnerships at the College of Nursing. Co-principal investigators are Professor Keesha Roach, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Yvonne Carroll, RN, JD, director of Patient Services in the Department of Hematology at St. Jude.
“There is such a shortage of adult providers with sickle cell expertise,” Dr. Day said. “We want to provide speakers who are experts to give providers the latest updates in evidence-based care. There have been a lot of breakthroughs that haven’t trickled down to primary care providers.” The conference will be held at the FedEx Event Center at Shelby Farms Park from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disorder that affects about 100,000 people in the U.S., including 2,000 in the Mid-South. Among newborn births screened, Mississippi has the second highest incidence of sickle cell disease among infants in the U.S. People of African descent make up 90% of the population with SCD in the U.S. Lack of understanding about complications in SCD can result in health care disparities for these patients. Symptoms can include pain, difficulty breathing, and high fevers. “I hope everyone who attends the conference gains a better understanding of this complicated disease and the current treatment needed to provide quality care,” Dr. Day said.
The College of Nursing has led the charge to make a national and regional impact on the care of patients with SCD by educating front-line providers in its Sickle Cell Nursing Boot Camps. The week-long boot camps are a collaboration between the college, St. Jude, and the International Association of Sickle Cell Nurses and Professional Associates. Because the boot camps use the train-the-trainer model, the nurses can return to their workplaces and train their colleagues. The college has hosted four boot camps educating 120 nurses since 2022, and a fifth boot camp is scheduled for September 8–12.
“The information provided at this conference is vital for primary care physicians, social workers, and other health care providers to enhance their understanding of the complexities of sickle cell disease and to ensure comprehensive care. The knowledge provided during this conference will foster better patient management, help reduce complications, and ultimately improve the quality of life for individuals living with sickle cell disease,” Carroll said.
Mary Ellen Sumrall, vice president and chief nursing executive for Baptist Memorial Health Care, said, “Baptist Memorial Health Care is pleased to support the Sickle Cell Disease Comprehensive Management for Health Care Providers Conference. Sickle cell is a devastating disease that affects a significant portion of our patient population. By educating providers on this disease and advancements in treatment, we can help achieve better care for our community.”
The one-day conference on March 28 represents a major expansion of the college’s sickle cell disease education efforts for providers. Providers at the conference will include social workers, primary care physicians, pediatricians, nurses in various roles, and research physicians. Keynote speakers include Jane S. Hankins, MD, MS, of St. Jude; Wally R. Smith, MD, Florence Neal Cooper Smith Professor of Sickle Cell Disease at Virginia Commonwealth University; Paula J. Tanabe, PhD, MSN, FAAN, professor in the School of Nursing and professor of medicine at Duke University; and Russell Ware, MD, PhD, professor and director of the Division of Hematology at the University of Cincinnati Department of Pediatrics. Additionally, local nurse practitioner Artangela Henry, DNP, AG-ACNP-BC, FNP-C, LSSYB, will speak on acute chest syndrome and pulmonary complications in SCD. A student in the College of Nursing will also speak at the conference. Bria Sharp, a student in the nurse anesthesiology program, will share about her experience of living with SCD. She will present alongside her mother, Assistant Professor Jackie Sharp, DNP, APRN, PMHMP-BC, who is coordinator for the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner concentration in the college’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program.