Jeanne A. Smith (1931 – November 11, 2006) was a US

haematologist Hematology ( spelled haematology in British English) is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to blood. It involves treating diseases that affect the production ...

and an expert on

sickle cell anemia Sickle cell disease (SCD), also simply called sickle cell, is a group of inherited haemoglobin-related blood disorders. The most common type is known as sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell anemia results in an abnormality in the oxygen-carrying ...

. The Lancet website, ''Jeanne Allen Smith'', article by Stephen Pincock dated January 13, 2007
/ref> She was also a former administrator at Harlem Hospital Center and helped put in place federal guidelines for testing newborns for sickle cell anemia.

Biography

Dr Smith was born in Manhattan. She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and earned her medical degree from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

in 1957. Later, she also received a master's degree in public health from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. Dr Smith joined Harlem Hospital in 1968 and served as the president of its medical board between 1984 and 1987. She also served as director of its sickle cell center and taught at Columbia. Smith led several

National Institute of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Servic ...

-funded studies throughout the 1970s, 80s, and 90s on sickle cell anemia and related diseases. In the 1970s, she ran a NIH study that followed the growth and development of primarily black patients with sickle cell anemia from infancy through adulthood. The study became an important metric for gauging the severity of the disease over time. In 1993, Smith was co-chairman of a panel that called for more intensive screening for infants of Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and South American descent. This panel also recommended vaccinations and antibiotic treatments for infants with the disease, and these guidelines were accepted by the

American Academy of Pediatrics The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is the largest professional association of pediatricians in the United States. It is headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, and maintains an office in Washington, D.C. The AAP has published hundreds of poli ...

, and were widely adopted. Smith also served as the president of Englewood, NJ's Board of Education in the 1970s and president of its Board of Health in the 1980s.

Publications

''Sickle Cell Disease: Screening, Diagnosis, Management, and Counseling in Newborn and Infants'' (1997) (ISBN 978-0788147036)

Personal life

Dr Smith was married to Russell F Smith; they had two sons. Dr Smith died on November 11, 2006 after complications from a stroke. Gale website, ''Jeanne A. Smith, 75, Expert Who Shaped Sickle Cell Tests'', article by Jeremy Pearce dated December 4, 2006
/ref>

References

External links

Science Direct website
Abstract of 1992 article ''Laboratory profile of sickle cell disease: A cross-sectional analysis'' (co-authored document) 2006 deaths American hematologists Women medical researchers New York University people Sarah Lawrence College alumni Columbia University faculty 1931 births Women hematologists 20th-century American women physicians 20th-century American physicians American medical researchers American women academics 21st-century American women {{US-physician-stub