Office of Public Relations — Newsroom
News Release
For Immediate Release
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Contact: Tonya Ewers, (303) 724-1520, tonya.ewers@uchsc.edu
UCDHSC Physician to Be Honored with Governor’s Proclamation Day on Friday, Sept. 28
AURORA, Colo. (Sept. 24, 2007) – John “Jack” Githens, MD, professor emeritus of pediatrics at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center (UCDHSC), and former director of UCDHSC’s Colorado Sickle Cell Disease Treatment and Research Center, will be awarded with one of the state’s greatest accolades: a Governor’s Proclamation Day. State Senator Peter Groff will present the award this Friday, proclaiming Sept. 28, 2007, as “Dr. Jack Githens Day” in the State of Colorado. The presentation will be made at noon in front of the Biomedical Research Building on UCDHSC’s campus at 9th Ave. and Colorado Blvd. in Denver.
For more than 50 years, Dr. Githens has provided distinguished service to UCDHSC and to the state of Colorado. He played a pivotal role in the creation of the Sickle Cell Treatment Act of 1973 and ultimately helped establish the Colorado Sickle Cell Disease Treatment and Research Center at UCDHSC’s School of Medicine – the region’s only source of comprehensive medical care for sickle cell disease. The goal of the center is to prolong and improve the quality of life for patients in this region.
For the last 24 years, the Colorado Sickle Cell Disease Treatment and Research Center has conducted research and implemented treatments and systems of care that have prevented or minimized complications associated with sickle cell disease. The Sickle Cell Treatment Act provides financial support to the center and also supports the center’s outreach to families in Colorado whose babies are born with sickle cell disease.
"Dr. Jack Githens was instrumental not only in the establishment of the only dedicated sickle cell center in this region, but he is also the reason sickle cell disease was added to the screenings that newborns receive in hospitals across Colorado," said Richard Krugman, MD, vice chancellor for Health Affairs and dean of the School of Medicine at UCDHSC. "His work to create the center, the screenings, and the development of specialized crossmatching transfusions has ensured that patients with sickle cell disease will continue to receive the most advanced care available."
As director of the center from 1973 to 1986, Dr. Githens fostered ongoing research, and was the first to describe features of sickle cell disease affected by the Rocky Mountain region’s higher altitude.
Githens also recognized that the antibodies some sickle cell patients developed after receiving blood transfusions could be avoided if special blood crossmatching was performed, thus contributing to the establishment of the only donor and crossmatching program in the nation. The crossmatching program is still unique throughout the country and is nationally recognized for nearly eliminating one of the most serious complications of sickle cell disease treatment.
“The impact of Dr. Githens’ work continues to be felt today, with a significant reduction in the mortality rates and morbidity associated with this disease,” said Dr. Kathryn Hassell, current director of the UCDHSC Sickle Cell Treatment and Research Center. “His work to develop and apply treatment advances to children with sickle cell disease has markedly reduced the mortality rate from sickle cell disease, especially in early childhood, from 20 percent to virtually zero.”
Dr. Githens was instrumental in the establishment of Colorado’s Newborn Screening Program for sickle cell disease in 1979, allowing for early detection of the disease, institution of appropriate medications at an early age and parental education regarding severe yet treatable early complications of sickle cell disease. Because of Githens’ initiative, Colorado was one of the earliest states to adopt universal screening and led the way for other states in this arena.
Now, 17 years into his retirement and at 85 years of age, Dr. Githens continues to volunteer his time and attends pediatric sickle cell clinics in both Denver and Colorado Springs, sharing his experience with providers and patients alike. He has also served on the Colorado Governor’s Advisory Board for Sickle Cell Disease since 1989, and is an active advisor to the Sickle Cell Center at UCDHSC.
Hassell added: “Dr. Githens has improved the lives of so many children and their families, not just by his excellence as a physician, but by his undying dedication to all people of this state and region. He has led the way for so many and is very deserving of this award.”
The School of Medicine faculty work to advance science and improve care as the physicians, educators and scientists at University of Colorado Hospital, The Children’s Hospital, Denver Health, National Jewish Medical and Research Center and the Veterans Administration Medical Center. The School is part of the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, one of three universities in the University of Colorado system. For more information, visit the Web site at www.uchsc.edu or the UCDHSC Newsroom at http://www.uchsc.edu/news.
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