Roland Scott was an American pediatrician and researcher, known for his pioneering work on sickle cell disease and his advocacy on behalf of patients impacted by the illness. Roland Boyd Scott was born on April 18, 1909 in Houston, Texas. Later his family moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where Scott completed high school in 1927. Scott then attended Howard University in Washington, D.C. where he received both his BS and his MD degrees, graduating from medical school in 1934. In 1935 he married Sarah Rosetta Weaver and the couple had three children together. Scott did his internship year at the Kansas City General Hospital, then completed his pediatric residency in Chicago. In 1939, Scott became a professor of pediatrics at Howard University and six years later was promoted to director of the department. Scott would eventually chair the entire pediatrics department in 1949, a role in which he would remain until 1972. Although he was originally trained as a pediatrician and an allergist, Scott was troubled by the many children he saw who had symptoms of sickle cell disease, an illness which was highly misunderstood at the time and thought to only impact African Americans. After his regular work hours … Continue reading Roland Scott (1909-2002)