Seminar on Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) and Vitamin D Deficiency (VDD)

World Refugee Week: Rasing Awareness on Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) and Vitamin D Deficiency (VDD).

The event is organised by the HSE Migrant Health Hub, Psychosocial Support Team in Collaboration with the Inclusion Health Research Group (UCC) and Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Ireland.

Where: The HSE Migrant Health Hub, T12CX32

When: Wednesday, June 17th 2026

Time: 10.30 – 3.30

Dr. Eddie Horgan (Senior Medical Officer, Public Health, HSE) will give the opening address at this seminar aimed at raising awareness of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) and Vitamin D Deficiency (VDD)—conditions affecting many people from African and Asian backgrounds with limited awareness of its presentation, assessment and management protocols.

Join us in conversation with Dr. Sabrina Vassia (HSE, Migrant Health ), Dr. Aphie Rukundo, Clinical Psychologist, (HSE Social Inclusion), Noel Ngwenya, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia, St. James Hospital, Dublin, Victoria Lane Hennessy, CUH Maternity Hospital, Dr Colette O’Neill, Cork Centre for Vitamin D and Nutrition Research and Lora Ruth Wogu, CEO, Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia. We will also learn from shared lived experiences of people living with SCD and VDD, highlighting both the physical health impacts and psychosocial challenges.

The event will use Play Back Theatre approach, co-facilitated by MTUs Creativity & Change featuring migrant women, to present the ‘voices’ of participants’ with a short performance piece portraying insights and challenges that the participants will have identified as important to them. The ‘audience’ will be encouraged to interactively engage as dialogue partners and ‘spectators’ towards adapting the learnings towards co-creating solutions to the issues depicted. By attending the SCD and VDD Seminar event, you become an ‘actor’ with agency and expertise by experience irrespective of your position in acknowledgement that we have a shared responsibility to:

· Highlight physical health impacts alongside psychosocial challenges associated with these two conditions.

· Emphasise the importance of screening, assessment, prevention, ongoing management, and supports

· Amplify lived experiences and community perspectives

· Strengthen cross-sector collaboration