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Pittsburgh Courier NEW
Vol. 110 No. 31
Two Sections
www.newpittsburghcourier.com
Published Weekly
JULY 31-AUGUST 6, 2019
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MEET THE DOCTORS
REV. SHELDON STOUDEMIRE passed away at the age of 57.
DR. LISA ISSAC, a 30-year Chief of Medical Services at Torrance State Hospital, has three daughters whom all became doctors as well. Pictured are: Veronica Issac, M.D., Erin Issac, DMD, and Lailah Issac, D.O. (Photo by Rob Taylor Jr.)
Dr. Lisa Issac raised three daughters, whom all became successful doctors, too by Renee P. Aldrich For New Pittsburgh Courier
Dr. Lisa Saunders Issac has distinguished herself in so many ways. First, she served 30 years as Chief of Medical Services at Torrance State Hospital, 45 miles east of Pittsburgh—a position she got when she was in her earlyto mid-30s; very young for such an appointment. “I was told that I was one of the youngest to ever hold that position, and the only African American to have held the title,” Dr. Issac told the New Pittsburgh Couri-
er in an exclusive interview. Also, distinctively she’s been married to the same man for 40 years, Calvin Issac, whose love, devotion, and understanding helped create the home atmosphere conducive to her managing a highly impactful and demanding career, raising three children, and maintaining involvement in extracurricular activities. Those activities include her membership at St. James AME Church on Lincoln Avenue, where both she and daughter, Erin Issac, serve as stewards. Dr. Lisa Issac is current
president of the Gateway Medical Society, as well as treasurer of the Pittsburgh Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. “At any time I was not there to fix dinner, my husband could do it and would do it, and that goes for anything else that needed done like laundry and cleaning or taking the girls to their different sports activities; it helps that he is a professional cook so we ate well. Cooking was never a struggle for him,” she said. There’s another way Dr. Issac has distinguished herself—with a little help
from her daughters. (More on that later…) Now retired, the 65-year-old Monroeville resident’s journey began in Baltimore, Dr. Issac’s birthplace. She lost her mother while she was still an infant. Her father brought her to live in Rankin to be raised by his mother. Dr. Issac graduated from Rankin High School and attended
Rev. Stoudemire shot to death on the North Side by Christian Morrow Courier Staff Writer
Being an ex-U.S. Army Ranger, Rev. Sheldon Stoudemire often described his street ministry to rid the Black community of gun vi-
patrol regularly in the Hill District, the North Side, Downtown or the East End waging what he called a “spiritual war” for the soul of the community. He said at the time that while he’d stopped armed
‘He empowered people to let them know they had purpose.’ olence, drugs and crime in military terms. Frequently clad in fatigues, he spoke of going on “missions,” and “building an army of God.” When this reporter met him in January 2006, he’d already been on 568 missions—a month later it was 600—and could be found on
teens from violent retaliation on several occasions, none had joined his army. “I’ve been on 568 street missions in the last two years,” he said. “It could get frustrating, but you have to be tenacious. It’s war, and SEE STOUDEMIRE B8
Pitt/UPMC to launch $19 million Sickle Cell Honorees felt ‘valued, appreciated’ treatment study at Courier’s Fab 40 Awards Reception by Christian Morrow
by Christian Morrow Courier Staff Writer
With nearly 300 friends, relatives and co-workers filling the ballroom at the Fairmont Hotel, Downtown, to celebrate the achievements of the New Pittsburgh Courier’s Fab 40 Class of 2019, Glenn Grayson Jr., senior program manager for neighborhood development at Neighborhood Allies, said he felt honored to be included. “It’s amazing,” he said. “I have a new position at Neighborhood Allies and it’s an honor to even be mentioned among these great recipients. You know, you don’t do the work to be recognized—but the recognition still feels very, very nice.” The July 19 awards reception celebrated the work, commitment and achievements of 40 African American men and women under FAB 40 HONOREES SHARISE NANCE, CHARDAE JONES. (Photo the age of 40 who excel in by J.L. Martello)
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SEE ISSAC B9
their respective fields. DeWitt Walton, vice president of the event’s patron sponsor, the A. Phillip Randolph Institute-Pittsburgh Chapter, said honors like the Fab 40 are critical when American society still struggles to deal with issues of race. “It’s about supporting and transitioning to the next generation of leadership— this event does that and we are proud to be a part of it,” he said. Honoree Jullian Turner, owner of Commercial Maintenance & Cleaning Services, embodies that through his Helping Out Our People alliance, which works to heal the trauma of gun violence. “This is the first time I’ve gotten an award like this,” he said. “It reassures me that I’m doing the right thing. It’s a big deal for me, for sure.” Steven Carter said it was a big deal for him too, so SEE FAB 40 B8
Courier Staff Writer
In the U.S., there are about 100,000 people, almost all African Americans, who live with Sickle Cell Disease. And while medical advances have increased their life expectancies, a result is increased risk for organ damage, such as cardiopulmonary complications, and kidney or liver failure. One cause is iron toxicity, a side effect of transfusions used to give Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) patients more healthy red blood cells. One way some doctors have addressed the problem in high-risk patients is via a technique called “Red Cell Exchange Transfusion,” where a patient’s sickled cells are removed as new healthy cells are introduced. However, the process takes longer, is more expensive, and there is disagreement in the medical community on the technique’s effectiveness, and when it
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should be used, if at all. That may soon change. On July 9, the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC announced they would lead the largest-ever clinical trial of the technique, thanks to a $19.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. Co-principal investigator Darrell Triulzi, M.D., professor of pathology and director of the division of transfusion medicine at the Pitt School of Medicine, told the New Pittsburgh Courier there is no consensus on the treatment’s value and the only studies on it have been small. This trial will enroll 150 patients at 22 sites over five years—each will receive the treatment for 12 months, patients will randomly be assigned to receive either the standard of care alone or in combination with monthly red blood cell exchange treatments. “One of the reasons it is so large is we wanted a definitive study,” Dr. Triulzi said. SEE PITT B8