Hematology News welcomes Ifeyinwa (Ify) Osunkwo, MD, MPH, as the new editor in chief.
Dr. Ifeyinwa (Ify) Osunkwo
Dr. Osunkwo is a professor of medicine at Atrium Health and the director of the Sickle Cell Enterprise at the Levine Cancer Institute, part of Atrium Health, in Charlotte, N.C.
She has made it her personal mission to improve the quality of life for patients with sickle cell disease, a passion that began during time spent in Nigeria as a child, where 150,000 children are born each year with the condition. In 2014, Dr. Osunkwo created a comprehensive sickle cell center in Charlotte with a multidisciplinary team of providers that includes physicians, nurses, social workers, psychologists, and nurse managers. She has also been an instrumental part of the Carolinas Sickle Cell Collaborative, which seeks to match sickle cell patients in the community with blood donors who have similar blood characteristics.
“As a practicing hematologist and researcher, I have a deep appreciation for the timely and relevant content provided by Hematology News,” Dr. Osunkwo said. “I hope to use my experience to help make this publication even better.”
She is a member of the National Adult Sickle Cell Provider Network and leads the Transition/Medical Home Committee for the Southeast Regional Genetics Network. Her interests include health literacy, adolescent transition of care, and chronic pain management.
Dr. Osunkwo graduated from medical school at the University of Nigeria, Enugu, performed her residency at the New Jersey Medical School, Newark, and completed her fellowship training at Columbia University, New York.
Dr. Osunkwo takes the reigns at Hematology News from Matt Kalaycio, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center. Dr. Kalaycio was the first editor in chief of Hematology News and held the post for 3 years.