University of Chicago Medical Center Apr 13 2026 In season 1, episode 2 of the popular show The Pitt, a Black woman with sickle cell disease arrives at the emergency department in acute pain, only to be initially dismissed as drug-seeking. Unfortunately, this contemporary media portrayal is all too relevant. Nationwide, patients with sickle cell disease are not receiving the same quality of care that other patients experience." Austin Wesevich, MD, MPH, MS, hematologist and health services