2025 Taru Hays Symposium Program

Taru Hays Symposium Friday

May 16, 2025 8–11 a.m.

Mt. Oxford 2nd Floor Conference Center Children’s Hospital Colorado Virtual Option Link: https://bit.ly/PedsGR25

“Rethinking and Redefining Acute Pain Crisis in Sickle Cell Disease” Julie Kanter, MD

Agenda 8–8:50 a.m.

Julie Kanter, MD “Rethinking and Redefining Acute Pain Crisis in Sickle Cell Disease”

9–9:30 a.m.

Chris McKinney, MD “Implementation of Autologous Gene Therapies for Beta-Globin Disorders”

9:40–10:10 a.m.

Angelo D’Alessandro, PhD “Red Blood Cell metabolism: from Precision Transfusion Medicine to Clinical Metabolomics”

10:20–10:50 a.m.

Alyssa Schlenz, PhD “Advancing Sickle Cell Disease Standards of Care for Neurodevelopmental and Neurocognitive Disorders through NASCC”

Julie Kanter, MD

Director, Adult Sickle Cell Program Co-Director, Lifespan Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center Professor, Division of Hematology and Oncology Department of Medicine The University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine Julie Kanter, MD, is the codirector of the Lifespan Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center and professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine at The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Heersink School of Medicine. She also directs the UAB Adult Sickle Cell Clinic. Her clinical and research interests in sickle cell disease include improving access to care for affected individuals, and identifying and developing novel therapies for sickle cell disease, as well as enhancing horizontal care for patients with sickle cell disease. Kanter comes to UAB from the Medical University of South Carolina, where she was director of sickle cell disease research.

About The Taru Hays Symposium and Lectureship acknowledges the contribution and legacy of Emeritus Professor, Taru Hays, MD, to the Department of Pediatrics, the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, and the greater field of Pediatric Hematology. As an educator, Dr. Hays impacted the practice of many providers within the Children’s Hospital and throughout the community and it is in recognition of this that we invite nationally impactful Pediatric Hematologists as celebrated guest professors.