Episode Two: Why Oakland?
Listen to episode two
Episode length: 22:13
Oakland was home to the Black Panther Party, a group that was key to driving awareness and action on treating Sickle Cell. The city's tradition of activism has supported successive generations of advocates in public health. Meet the doctors, patients and community members who call Oakland home.
Episode Two: Why Oakland?
The MLK building, part of UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland. 
A mural showcasing Oakland’s diverse community. 
A bakery sits on the site of the Black Panther Party’s first office. 
The interior of the MLK building, where research is done. 
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital location in Oakland. Featured people
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Akintunde (Tunde) Ahmad
Tunde is a multimedia journalist focused on the intersection of education, economic inequality, and the justice system. An East Oakland native, he holds a BA in sociology from Yale University and an MS in journalism and documentary film from Columbia University.
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Tolbert Small, MD
Dr. Small is a physician, poet, social activist and humanist. He worked as the leading physician for the Oakland based Black Panther Party, setting up their national sickle cell anemia foundation and the George Jackson free clinic. He and his wife, Anola Small, co-founded the Harriet Tubman Medical Office, where he began a practice in 1980.
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Norma Stoker-Mtume
Norma holds Masters’ degrees in Health Sciences and Marital and Family Therapy. She co-founded and was an executive for nonprofits, community clinics, and social service organizations in California and Rwanda. She has received local and national recognition for her social justice work spanning 50 year around physical, mental, and women’s health.
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Marsha J. Treadwell, PhD
Dr. Treadwell is a psychologist who cares for children and families living with medical conditions and undergoing treatments, with a special focus on those affected by sickle cell disease. She helps patients and families develop and maintain resilience to better cope with stress. She is Co-Director of the UCSF Sickle Cell Center of Excellence, and Professor in the UCSF Department of Pediatrics Division of Hematology.
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Elliott Vichinsky, MD
Dr. Vichinsky is a board-certified pediatric hematologist/oncologist with a major interest in understanding and improving the care of patients with hemoglobinopathies. He is the Director of the UCSF Sickle Cell Center of Excellence, Professor in Residence at UCSF, as well as the Director of the Northern California Thalassemia Center.
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Mark Walters, MD
Dr. Walters is a Professor in Residence in the UCSF Department of Pediatrics, who specializes in blood and bone marrow transplants. He is also director of the Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland. Walters' research focuses on transplant and gene therapy for sickle cell disease and thalassemia – which are both red blood cell disorders that involve abnormalities of hemoglobin (the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen).
Other episodes
Episode One: The Challenge of Sickle Cell
Episode Three: Living with Sickle Cell
Episode Four: The CRISPR Breakthrough
Episode Five: What Comes Next?
Episode Six: Love Finds a Way