Biography
Dr. Vivien Sheehan is a physician scientist dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) using omics, blood rheology devices, and mouse models. Dr. Sheehan has had an independent laboratory for the past 12 years, now with 18 members. Vivien earned a PhD in Biochemistry from Texas A&M before entering medical school at Emory University School of Medicine. At Emory, Dr. Sheehan was inspired by the courage of her patients with SCD and fascinated by the complex pathophysiology of the disease. As a third-year medical student, she decided to devote her career to research and patient care for individuals with SCD of all ages. To train for this goal, Vivien completed a med-peds residency at the University of Cincinnati, and two fellowships, Pediatric Heme Onc at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Internal Medicine Hematology at the University of Tennessee, to become a lifespan hematologist. In 2012, Dr. Sheehan became faculty at Baylor College of Medicine, where her lab investigated fetal hemoglobin regulation. She conducted a clinical trial of metformin as a fetal hemoglobin inducer based on her omics research and developed red cell rheology as a tool to assess gene therapy outcomes, supported by a Cure SCD Initiative award. Vivien returned to Emory in 2020 as an Associate Professor, where she directs their translational sickle cell disease research program, and leverages the largest US population of individuals with SCD for omics research. The Sheehan lab uses omics to develop prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers for SCD complications, identify druggable pathways, and make precision medicine a reality for people living with SCD. Her lab uses mouse models to trial novel therapies for SCD, including drug and gene therapies, and assesses the impact of treatments on red cell quality and health. Vivien is the Chief Medical Officer for the MTS Foundation, and the Chief Scientific Officer for Blood Rheology Solutions.