Roland Boyd Scott (April 18, 1909 – December 10, 2002) was an American researcher, pediatrician and authority on sickle cell disease.
[1] Scott authored a key paper in 1948 describing the incidence of sickle cell in infants that eventually led to the establishment of routine screening for newborns.
Scott was one of the first two black physicians in the United States to be admitted to membership in the American Academy of Pediatrics, after he was initially rejected because of race and had to reapply.
[7] During this part-time work at Freedmen's Hospital, he saw that most parents of children admitted with sickle cell anemia lacked awareness of the disease.
Scott published articles describing the clinical findings of sickle cell disease in infants and children.
Working with a team from his clinic, he prepared exhibits on the disease that were presented at medical meetings throughout the USA and overseas.
[1] Following the act, increasing funding was made available from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for studying and treating sickle cell disease.
[8] He was interviewed by Carl Pochedly of the American Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, and mentioned coping with racism in the United States as a significant and lifelong problem.