Biree Andemariam, M.D.
Professor of Medicine
- Storrs CT UNITED STATES
Dr. Andemariam is an expert in treatment and patient care quality for those with sickle cell disease.
Contact More Open optionsBiography
Dr. Biree Andemariam is a hematologist and founding director of the New England Sickle Cell Institute (NESCI) at the University of Connecticut Health Center. NESCI was established in 2009 and now serves nearly 300 adults living with sickle cell disease (SCD). With a staff of twelve individuals, including nurses, social workers, patient navigators, and research assistants, NESCI provides comprehensive care, acute pain management, specialized blood transfusions, and a destination for children in Connecticut who have aged out of pediatric SCD care.
Dr. Andemariam’s research focuses on developing new pathways of care that improve SCD care quality as well as translational research on deciphering the interplay between red blood cell adhesion to the walls of the circulatory system and the development of pain. She holds an undergraduate degree in molecular biology from Princeton University and a medical degree from Tufts. She is also the Chief Medical Officer of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Inc.
Areas of Expertise
Education
Tufts University
M.D.
Medicine
Princeton University
A.B.
Molecular Biology
Accomplishments
Sickle Cell Disease Association of America Chairman’s Award
2019, 2020
Connecticut Womens Hall of Fame
2014-10-19
Design and Innovation Honoree
Links
Media
Media Appearances
FDA moves closer to sickle cell cure that uses gene editing
NBC News online
2023-10-31
The illness causes the body’s red blood cells, usually disk-shaped, to take on a crescent or sickle shape. When that occurs, the cells can clump together, leading to clots and blockages in the blood vessels. That may result in a variety of complications, including excruciating pain, trouble breathing or stroke. “The promise of a universally available, potentially curative option for individuals with sickle cell disease is revolutionary,” said Dr. Biree Andemariam, a hematologist and the director of the New England Sickle Cell Institute at the University of Connecticut. Andemariam has consulted for Vertex Pharmaceuticals, which makes exa-cel.
Cutting-edge sickle cell disease research underway at UConn Health
WTNH tv
2023-07-19
Dr. Biree Andemariam founded the New England Sickle Cell Institute at UConn Health in 2009 after seeing no adult treatment programs for the condition in the state. She set out with the goal of preventing pain and preserving the organ damage that happens without symptoms. “Some place to get care and some place also to participate if they want to in cutting-edge research that can help identify new treatments,” Dr. Andemariam said.
The Unknown Puts Offspring At Risk Of Sickle Cell Disease
CT Health I-Team online
2022-11-02
Dr. Biree Andemariam, director of the New England Sickle Cell Institute at UConn Health, said physicians should include trait testing in routine exams. “It should be standard care,” she said. “It’s like knowing their blood pressure. At the end of the day, if I am a doctor treating a patient, it should be my responsibility,” Andemariam said.
Despite challenges, treatments for sickle cell disease are improving — and more hope is on the horizon.
Connecticut Magazine print
2022-05-19
Sickle cell disease affects 1 in 365 African American people, 1 in 16,300 Latino Americans, and, to a lesser extent, people from Middle Eastern, Asian, Indian and Mediterranean regions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The only potential cure is a bone marrow transplant, which carries risks, including infertility and death, says Dr. Biree Andemariam, director of the New England Sickle Cell Institute at UConn and vice chair of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America board of directors.
U.S. approves new drug to manage sickle cell disease, costs $85,000 to $113,000
PBS online
2019-11-15
“The duration and severity of these pain crises worsens with aging. Often patients die during one of these crises,” said Dr. Biree Andemariam, chief medical officer of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America.
Gene therapies could transform the treatment of sickle cell disease
The Washington Post online
2018-12-03
“We are at such a turning point,” said Biree Andemariam, chief medical officer of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America — not only in terms of managing their disease but also in changing the way people with the disease are treated in society. In addition to genetic therapies, there are novel drugs in the pipeline.
Articles
Economic and Clinical Burden of Managing Sickle Cell Disease with Recurrent Vaso-Occlusive Crises in the United States
Advances in Therapy2023 Introduction: The aim of this study was to describe the clinical complications, treatment use, healthcare resource utilization (HCRU), and costs among patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) with recurrent vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs) in the US. Methods: Merative MarketScan Databases were used to identify patients with SCD with recurrent VOCs from March 1, 2010, to March 1, 2019. Inclusion criteria were ≥ 1 inpatient or ≥ 2 outpatient claims for SCD and ≥ 2 VOCs per year in any 2 consecutive years after the first qualifying SCD diagnosis. Individuals without SCD in these databases were used as matched controls. Patients were followed for ≥ 12 months, from their second VOC in the 2nd year (index date) to the earliest of inpatient death, end of continuous enrollment in medical/pharmacy benefits, or March 1, 2020. Outcomes were assessed during follow-up.
Pain Burden in the CASiRe International Cohort of Sickle Cell Patients: United States and Ghana
Pain Medicine2022 Objectives: Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a genetic blood disorder affecting over 1 million people globally. The aim of this analysis is to explore the pain burden of patients with SCD in two countries: the United States and Ghana. Methods: The Consortium for the Advancement of Sickle Cell Research (CASiRe) was created to better understand the clinical severity of patients with SCD worldwide. Data regarding gender, SCD genotype, prior medical diagnoses, and validated pain burden measures were analyzed from the CASiRe database. The Sickle Cell Pain Burden Interview (SCPBI) was used to assess pain burden, the impact of pain on physical, emotional, and social function.
Global geographic differences in healthcare utilization for sickle cell disease pain crises in the CASiRe cohort
Blood Cells, Molecules, and Diseases2021 Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is characterized by frequent, unpredictable pain episodes and other vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs) leading to significant healthcare utilization. VOC frequency is often an endpoint in clinical trials investigating novel therapies for this devastating disease. Procedure: The Consortium for the Advancement of Sickle Cell Research (CASiRe) is an international collaboration investigating clinical severity in SCD using a validated questionnaire and medical chart review standardized across four countries (United States, United Kingdom, Italy and Ghana).
Kneeling Was the First Step for Sickle Cell Disease
Annals of Internal Medicine2021 This commentary argues that efforts to combat racism as a public health crisis must include calling out health care discrimination in the care of people living with sickle cell disease.
Age of first pain crisis and associated complications in the CASiRe international sickle cell disease cohort
Blood Cells, Molecules, and Diseases2021 Pain is a hallmark of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) affecting patients throughout their life; the first pain crisis may occur at any age and is often the first presentation of the disease. Universal newborn screening identifies children with SCD at birth, significantly improving morbidity and mortality. Without early screening, diagnosis is generally made after disease manifestations appear. The Consortium for the Advancement of Sickle Cell Research (CASiRe) is an international collaborative group evaluating the clinical severity of subjects with SCD using a validated questionnaire and medical chart review, standardized across 4 countries (United States, United Kingdom, Italy and Ghana). We investigated the age of first pain crisis in 555 sickle cell subjects, 344 adults and 211 children. Median age of the first crisis in the whole group was 4 years old, 5 years old among adults and 2 years old among children. Patients from the United States generally reported the first crisis earlier than Ghanaians. Experiencing the first pain crisis early in life correlated with the genotype and disease severity. Early recognition of the first pain crisis could be useful to guide counseling and management of the disease.
