Birmingham, Ala. (Jan. 21, 2026) — The American Society of Hematology (ASH) Research Collaborative (ASH RC) has awarded Shaniqua Anum, MD, a pediatric hematologist and physician-scientist at Children’s of Alabama and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), a $50,000 grant.
Dr. Anum’s project, which is titled “Real World Predictors of Severe Acute Chest Syndrome Across the Lifespan in Sickle Cell Disease,” will leverage multicenter electronic health record data from the ASH RC Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) Data Hub to identify predictors of severe acute chest syndrome in children and adults who are diagnosed with sickle cell disease. Sickle cell disease is the most common inherited blood disorder. It affects more than 100,000 people in the United States.
“Sickle cell disease affects thousands of children and adults across the state of Alabama,” said Anum. “This study will help clinicians identify those at highest risk for severe complications earlier so we can improve care statewide.”
Acute chest syndrome remains a leading cause of hospitalization and mortality in sickle cell patients, yet contemporary tools to identify patients at the highest risk early in their clinical course remain limited. By defining a modern, multicenter severity phenotype aligned with current clinical practice, this study aims to improve early risk stratification, inform timely clinical interventions, and reduce disparities in acute care outcomes across institutions. The project will also evaluate the feasibility of scalable, equitable data collection to support future multicenter sickle cell disease research.
Children’s and the UAB Lifespan Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center work together to care for nearly 1,000 children who have been diagnosed with sickle cell disease in Alabama. There are at least 40 new diagnoses each year.
