Julie Makani, MD, PhD, FRCP, is an associate professor in the Department of Hematology and Blood Transfusion at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Tanzania. She is also a consultant physician and principal investigator for the Sickle Cell Program. With global partnerships, Muhimbili has developed a systematic framework for research, integrated into health, advocacy and education. With prospective surveillance (2004 – 2016) of more than 5,000 patients with sickle cell disease, this is one of the largest single-center, SCD research programs in the world. Scientific themes include clinical research; biomedical research, including genomics; and public health, including ethics, social and behavioral science, population health, and health policy. The aim is to use SCD as a model to establish scientific and healthcare solutions in Africa that are locally relevant and globally significant. Dr. Makani is also a consultant physician in hematology and blood transfusion and principal investigator for the Sickle Pan African Consortium (SPARCO)/ SickleInAfrica; site PI for MUHAS for H3ABioNet; co-principal investigator of SickleGenAfrica; and a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of United Kingdom and Tanzania Academy of Sciences.