Sherrill Slichter is an American physician whose work on

platelet Platelets, also called thrombocytes (from Greek θρόμβος, "clot" and κύτος, "cell"), are a component of blood whose function (along with the coagulation factors) is to react to bleeding from blood vessel injury by clumping, thereby i ...

biology earned her

transfusion medicine Transfusion medicine (or transfusiology) is the branch of medicine that encompasses all aspects of the transfusion of blood and blood components including aspects related to hemovigilance. It includes issues of blood donation, immunohematology ...

’s three highest honors: the AABB

Karl Landsteiner Memorial Award The Karl Landsteiner Memorial Award is a scientific award given by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) to scientists with "an international reputation in transfusion medicine or cellular therapies" "whose original research resulted in an ...

;

International Society of Blood Transfusion The International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) is a scientific society founded in 1935, which promotes the study of blood transfusion and spreads reliable information about the ways in which blood transfusion medicine and science can bes ...

Presidential Award; and the British Blood Transfusion Society James Blundell Award.

Education

Slichter earned her M.D. from

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , presi ...

. She did her residency in Internal Medicine at

Mt. Sinai Hospital, New York Mount Sinai Hospital, founded in 1852, is one of the oldest and largest teaching hospitals in the United States. It is located in East Harlem in the New York City borough of Manhattan, on the eastern border of Central Park stretching along Madis ...

and

Parkland Hospital Parkland often refers to a park. Parkland or Parklands may also refer to: Geography * Aspen parkland, a biome transitional between prairie and boreal forest (taiga) * Landscaped parkland, a managed rural area associated with European country h ...

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, and her fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seat ...

, where she stayed on faculty.

Career

In her early work, Slichter measured survival and turnover of platelets and

fibrinogen Fibrinogen (factor I) is a glycoprotein complex, produced in the liver, that circulates in the blood of all vertebrates. During tissue and vascular injury, it is converted enzymatically by thrombin to fibrin and then to a fibrin-based blood ...

. She characterized three types of bleeding problems: platelet and fibrinogen consumption, selective platelet destruction, and

fibrinolysis Fibrinolysis is a process that prevents blood clots from growing and becoming problematic. Primary fibrinolysis is a normal body process, while secondary fibrinolysis is the breakdown of clots due to a medicine, a medical disorder, or some other c ...

. Slichter studied the performance of laboratory tests of

function such as the

bleeding time Bleeding time is a medical test done on someone to assess their platelets function. It involves making a patient bleed, then timing how long it takes for them to stop bleeding using a stopwatch or other suitable devices. The term template bleed ...

. She showed that in patients with artificial heart valves, platelets were consumed by interaction with the valves proportionately to the surface area of the valve. In patients with

immune thrombocytopenia Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), also known as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura or immune thrombocytopenia, is a type of thrombocytopenic purpura defined as an isolated low platelet count with a normal bone marrow in the absence of oth ...

, Slichter infused radiolabeled autologous platelets and measured platelet-associated

immunoglobulin An antibody (Ab), also known as an immunoglobulin (Ig), is a large, Y-shaped protein used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects such as pathogenic bacteria and viruses. The antibody recognizes a unique molecule of the ...

levels. She found that

prednisone Prednisone is a glucocorticoid medication mostly used to suppress the immune system and decrease inflammation in conditions such as asthma, COPD, and rheumatologic diseases. It is also used to treat high blood calcium due to cancer and adren ...

improved platelet counts primarily by increasing platelet production, whereas

splenectomy A splenectomy is the surgical procedure that partially or completely removes the spleen. The spleen is an important organ in regard to immunological function due to its ability to efficiently destroy encapsulated bacteria. Therefore, removal o ...

prolonged platelet survival. Slichter's work helped establish the utility of single-donor

apheresis Apheresis ( ἀφαίρεσις (''aphairesis'', "a taking away")) is a medical technology in which the blood of a person is passed through an apparatus that separates out one particular constituent and returns the remainder to the circulation ...

platelets and the appropriateness of platelet transfusion in various clinical settings. Slichter was the lead author on the Trial to Reduce

Alloimmunization Alloimmunity (sometimes called isoimmunity) is an immune response to nonself antigens from members of the same species, which are called alloantigens or isoantigens. Two major types of alloantigens are blood group antigens and histocompatibility a ...

to Platelets (TRAP) study, which evaluated the utility of leukoreduction and

ultraviolet Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 PHz) to 400 nm (750 THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiati ...

irradiation for reducing platelet refractoriness. She was also lead author on the Optimal Platelet Dose Strategy for Management of Thrombocytopenia (PLADO) trial, which evaluated bleeding outcomes to determine the optimal frequency and dose of platelet transfusion for patients undergoing

chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemothe ...

. She continued to study how platelet dose, source (apheresis vs pooled), donor-recipient ABO compatibility, and duration of storage impacted bleeding outcomes in adults and children. Slichter titled her autobiography ''Path of Persistence: Gender Trailblazer and Platelet Pioneer''. In it, Slichter described how she became a "world-renowned platelet pioneer, and a trailblazer for women in medicine" while researching how to extend the shelf-life of platelets, from cold stored to freeze-dried.

Works

''Path of Persistence: Gender Trailblazer and Platelet Pioneer'', Bloodworks Northwest, 2017.

Awards

America's Blood Centers Founded in 1962, America's Blood Centers (ABC) is an association of independent non-profit blood centers that operates in Canada and the United States. ABC member organizations operate more than 600 blood collection sites providing close to 60 per ...

Thomas F. Zuck Lifetime Achievement Award, 2018 *

American Society of Hematology The American Society of Hematology (ASH) is a professional organization representing hematologists. It was founded in 1958. Its annual meeting is held in December of every year and has attracted more than 30,000 attendees. The society publishes th ...

Henry M. Stratton Medal, 2017 *

American Association of Blood Banks American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, 1998 *

Presidential Award, 2008 *British Blood Transfusion Society James Blundell Award, 2011

References

External links

InterviewUniversity of Washington faculty page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slichter, Sherrill Living people Year of birth missing (living people) University of Washington faculty American hematologists American women physicians George Washington University alumni Physician-scientists