Keynote Address by U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brett P. Giroir, M.D.Discussion to Focus on SCD Treatment Progress and Management During COVID-19 PandemicSOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. and BALTIMORE, Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Blood Therapeutics, Inc. (GBT) (NASDAQ: GBT) and the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Inc. (SCDAA) will host the 9th Annual Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) Therapeutics Conference on Tuesday, September 15. The virtual conference, which takes place during National Sickle Cell Awareness Month, is open to the public and will be livestreamed on the SCD Therapeutics Conference website and the Facebook page of Sickle Cell Warriors, an SCD community organization.Admiral Brett P. Giroir, M.D., Assistant Secretary for Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will deliver the keynote address. The event will feature discussions about the latest advances and future trends in the treatment of SCD, and the impact of COVID-19 on this vulnerable patient population.“As a community, we have made tremendous progress in advancing the treatment of SCD in recent years. However, people with SCD continue to be misunderstood, mistreated, and fail to receive the care they deserve. We have a responsibility to improve health outcomes for the SCD community,” said Ted W. Love, M.D., president and CEO of GBT. “The SCD Therapeutics Conference, which we are honored to co-host with SCDAA, will bring together members of the SCD community to discuss the future of SCD care and ways we can make a lasting impact on how individuals with SCD are seen and treated.”The program will include panel discussions featuring leading physicians from around the world, patients, advocates, and policy makers, as well as updates from GBT’s 2020 Access to Excellent Care for Sickle Cell Patients (ACCEL) Grant recipients, who are focused on delivering high-quality healthcare to people living with SCD.“We are privileged to unite industry leaders from around the world to highlight important and timely topics such as the impact of COVID-19 and how patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers can best manage care in light of the ongoing challenges posed by the pandemic,” said Beverley Francis-Gibson, president and CEO of the SCDAA. “The conference will provide a critical platform for the SCD community to learn, share, and discuss SCD-related topics, issues, and solutions.”The 9th Annual SCD Therapeutics Conference will feature the following speakers and panelists:

• Biree Andemariam, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, SCDAA
• Nnenna Badamosi, M.D., M.P.H., Director, Augusta University Sickle Cell Program
• Kevin Baxter, Sickle Cell Patient Advocate
• Mary Bentley LaMar, Founder and Executive Director, The Sickle Cell Association of New Jersey
• Raffaella Colombatti, M.D., Ph.D., Physician Azienda, Ospedaliera-Università di Padova
• Lori Crosby, Psy.D., Professor, University of Cincinnati Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
• Beverley Francis-Gibson, M.A., President and CEO, SCDAA
• Admiral Brett P. Giroir, M.D., Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Kristina Harrell, M.D., M.S., Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Levine Children’s Blood Disorders Clinic, Atrium Health
• Dima Hendricks, Sickle Cell Patient Advocate
• Dennis McCullum, Sickle Cell Patient
• Shirley Miller, M.A., Sickle Cell National Patient Advocate
• Kay Saving, M.D., Professor and Division Head, OSF HealthCare, Children’s Hospital of Illinois
• Aimee Smith, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, East Carolina University Comprehensive Sickle Cell Program