Indiana’s Sickle Cell Story: Discoveries, Research, and Treatment

Speaker: Norma Erikson

For centuries, people have lived with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), long before it was formally described in Western medical literature in 1910. What began as a medical mystery led to groundbreaking discoveries, including research at Indiana University Medical Center that helped reveal how SCD affects red blood cells.

This presentation takes you on a journey through the history of SCD—from early misconceptions and scientific breakthroughs to today’s treatments, advances in care, and the ongoing quest for a cure.

Norma Erickson holds Bachelor’s degrees in Religious and General Studies (Math and Science) and a Master’s degree in U.S. History from IUPUI. Her research focused on African American healthcare in Indianapolis at the turn of the twentieth century. She has worked in clinical, forensic, criminal justice, and athletic drug testing laboratories and served as Education Manager at the Indiana Medical History Museum. Currently, she is an Innovation Workshop Facilitator at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum and a volunteer managing editor of the Journal of the Southern Association for the History of Medicine and Science.

Sponsored by Karen Bumb Lauer