Angella Dorothea Ferguson
Personal Information
Born: 1925
Country of Birth: USA
Nationality: USA
Ethnicity: Black
Education
Howard University BS Chemistry 1945; Howard University College of Medicine MD 1949; Bethesda Naval Hospital Postgraduate training in effects & uses of radioisotopes
Professional Life
Field of Study: Pediatrician
Institution/Corporation: Howard University; Freedman s Hospital
Degrees & Memberships: Member: National Medical Association, Society for Pediatric Research, Society of Nuclear Medicine, NY Academy of Sciences
Awards & Achievements
Awards: 2 Certificates of Merit, American Medical Association
Achievements: Groundbreaking researcher of sickle cell disease; developed blood test to detect the disease at birth
Developed a blood test to detect sickle cell at birth & by 2010 the test was standard in 40 US States
Discovered infants of African-American descent learned to sit & stand earlier than their European counterparts; theorized this was because they didn't have as many playpens & highchairs
Determined that if infants drank a glass of water a day before the age 5 the increase in blood volume reduced their chances of a sickle cell crisis
Recommended increased oxygen during surgery on sickle cell patients because it decreased their symptoms