I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Dr.

Abdullah Kutlar. For decades, Dr. Kutlar was a pillar of sickle cell care, research, and education in Georgia. He served as Director of the Sickle Cell Center at the Medical College of Georgia/Augusta University beginning in 1994, helping build and sustain a program that reached far beyond Augusta. Under his leadership, the Center supported Georgia’s newborn screening program, maintained outreach clinics across South Georgia, and provided care to patients in rural communities who often had few other options. His impact also extended nationally and internationally through clinical research, NIH-supported studies, hemoglobinopathy testing, and the training and mentorship of generations of clinicians and scientists. Augusta University credits him with major contributions to clinical care, basic science, research, and education throughout his long career. For me, this loss is especially difficult because I know what his presence meant to adult warriors throughout Georgia — particularly those in rural communities who traveled hours to receive care. His passing leaves a tremendous void. I was honored to serve alongside Dr. Kutlar on the SolveSickle Stakeholder Advisory Committee, which he chaired, and I am especially grateful that I had the opportunity to see him at FSCDR in June where he was still doing what he had done for so many years: teaching, leading, asking important questions, and helping move the field forward. When I think of Dr. Kutlar, I think not only of his scholarship and leadership, but of the countless patients and families whose lives were touched because he chose to dedicate his career to sickle cell disease. My heartfelt condolences go out to his family, his colleagues at Augusta University, his patients, and the many people across the sickle cell community who had the privilege of knowing and working with him. Georgia has lost a giant in sickle cell care. May his legacy continue through the patients he cared for, the professionals he mentored, the research he advanced, and the systems he helped build. Rest well, Dr. Kutlar. You will be deeply missed. ❤️