Rosie Peterson, director of Institutional Diversity Initiatives at UT Dallas, has been named chair of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America (SCDAA) board.
Ms. Peterson started at UT Dallas in 2004 after nearly 22 years of professional experience serving individuals with special needs or those in medically underserved areas. She was the assistant director of the Sickle Cell Research Center from 2004 to 2008. Over her career, she has written grant proposals, individually and collaborative, to fund more than $4 million in project activities related to sickle cell disease and organizational capacity building.
“Working with the sickle cell disease community-based organizations has always been a passion of mine,” said Ms. Peterson. “Strong community-based programs will ensure that affected individuals around the country will receive appropriate treatment, services and support.”
“The passion that I have for service comes from a deep sense of respect for the individuals, parents and families who face a daily struggle of how to cope with the many issues caused by this devastating disease,” Peterson said. “I would like to use my experience and passion for SCDAA to become the voice that commands the respect it deserves to support services and inspire the research to find a cure for this disease.”
SCDAA has partnered with government, private and other not-for-profit agencies and programs at the local, state, and national levels for more than 35 years to help people with sickle cell disease.