First, I have always wanted to attend ASCAT before the pandemic, but I was unable to participate in the ASCAT 2019 due to visa issues. After then, it ran virtually till the year 2022, when I submitted an abstract accepted for poster presentation, ‘Dietary Pattern, Socio-demographic Characteristics and Nutritional Status of Pregnant Women Attending Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital and the Need to Develop Recommended Dietary Allowance and Dietary Reference Intake for Sickle Cell Disease Patients’. During the meeting, I was also a volunteer at the conference helping out with the organization. I enjoyed the breakout sessions and this was the occasion to meet professionals from all over the world and make valuable networks. I attended a breakout session about centers of excellence in the treatment of Blood disorders such as Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) led by professor Biree from the US, and this was in line with my task within the ARISE secondment activities on the analysis of healthcare centers managing SCD in Nigeria (work package 2, task 2.2). Meeting professionals from around the world allowed me to network and learn from them, particularly during their presentations and when I had the chance to talk with them.
This has been a lifetime experience and I would be grateful to attend the event again. I want to thank Professor Baba Inusa for organizing this relevant conference and allowing me to join it.
