10/01/2026
CAMPUS | Sickle Cell disease, an inherited blood disorder affecting about 100,000 Americans, has an advocacy community at Howard University. To raise awareness, the Howard University Center for Sickle Cell disease offers free screenings to Howard students and recently hosted their annual sickle cell 5k walk.
The Center for Sickle Cell Disease at Howard University was founded in 1971 by Dr. Ronald Scott. Being the first and the oldest sickle cell center in the country, the center has been at the forefront of advocacy and research for sickle cell disease for over 50 years.
Scott and Colbert King, a Howard alumnus from the class of 1961, were major advocates for The National Sickle Cell Anemia Control Act of 1972, an act that prompted some of the first sickle cell education programs. It also promoted research, treatments and counseling for sickle cell. This in turn placed federal legislation on sickle cell disease 1972.
Temitope Creppy, a 2024 Howard alumnus, and now a project coordinator at the center said that the screening program has been implemented since the inception.
“Dr. Scott wanted it to be one of the pillars of the center to do outreach, education and awareness,” Creppy said.
Benjamin Bucholz,the program manager at the center, said that students can visit anytime to get a free screening for the sickle cell trait. Screening for the disease is a two to three minute process where a small sample of blood is taken and sent to the hospital lab. Participants can expect results mailed to them within two to three weeks.
“The purpose of the screening program is to give informed family planning information and then genetic counseling for those who test positive,” said Bucholz.
🔗 Click the link in our bio to read more on how The Center for Sickle Cell Disease at Howard University offers students free screenings for the sickle cell trait.
✍🏾: Aniya Northern and Amen Debretsion
📸: Christian Smith/The Hilltop
