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Andrew Zapfel։ Advancing Sickle Cell Disease Care Through Training, Advocacy and Collaboration

Andrew Zapfel/ inheritedblooddisorders.world

Nov 7, 2026, 15:42

Andrew Zapfel։ Advancing Sickle Cell Disease Care Through Training, Advocacy and Collaboration

Andrew Zapfel, Deputy Director, Global SCD Initiatives and Alliances at American Society of Hematology, shared a post on LinkedIn:

”One final American Society of Hematology Consortium on Newborn Screening in Africa (CONSA) site visit for 2026!

It was a pleasure to spend this week in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, participating in several important activities to advance and expand sickle cell disease (SCD) efforts in the region.

I had the opportunity to join colleagues at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, alongside colleagues from Mwanza, Tanzania, and Kaduna, Nigeria, for training on a new isoelectric focusing machine for newborn screening. When we needed additional blood samples for the training, I was ‘happy’ to volunteer.

I also had the pleasure of meeting with community leaders, including Arafa Said and Neema Mohamed, to discuss our community health advocacy initiative and opportunities to strengthen community engagement in SCD care.

Finally, we participated in an incredible advocacy event at the Finnish Ambassador’s Residence, highlighting the urgent need to scale up newborn screening for both sickle cell disease and congenital hypothyroidism with Ministry of Health and allied organizations.

A special thank you to Revvity for being such an incredible partner in this journey and for their continued commitment to expanding access to newborn screening.

A wonderful way to close out CONSA’s 2026 site visits and a reminder of what can be accomplished through collaboration, partnership, and shared commitment!”

Andrew Zapfel։ Advancing Sickle Cell Disease Care Through Training, Advocacy and Collaboration