Internationally Recognized Expert Leads University of Maryland School of Medicine Program in Sickle Cell Disease

Dr. Enrico Novelli Also Heads Newly Launched University of Maryland Medical System Sickle Cell Disease and Classical Hematology Network

Enrico M. Novelli, MD, MS, has been named Director of the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Program in Sickle Cell Disease and a Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology. An internationally recognized expert in sickle cell disease, he will treat patients at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC) and serve as Chief of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) Sickle Cell Disease and Classical Hematology Network, a new initiative to expand access to care for patients with sickle cell disease across Maryland. 

Dr. Novelli comes to UMSOM from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine where he served as a Professor and Chief of the Division of Classical Hematology and Director of the Adult Sickle Cell Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

“We are excited to have Dr. Novelli in this new role,” said Taofeek K. Owonikoko, MD, PhD, Executive Director of UMGCCC and the Kevin J. Cullen Distinguished Professor in Oncology. “UMGCCC physicians have established themselves as regional leaders in sickle cell disease treatment, offering cutting-edge gene therapy treatment to patients with curative potential. Dr. Novelli will collaborate with these experts to continue this momentum and lead our system-wide strategy take the program to new heights.”

Dr. Novelli is a classical hematologist and physician-scientist, with expertise in SCD and blood vessel biology who has been active in global efforts to strengthen hematology care and education. His research focuses on the effects of sickle cell disease on the body, and he leads NIH-funded research aimed at improving the diagnosis, treatment, and care of people with sickle cell disease through advances in biomarker identification, imaging, therapies, and healthcare delivery.

He is also a collaborator of UMSOM Dean Mark Gladwin, MD, the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor. Dr. Novelli served as the site Principal Investigator at the University of Pittsburgh for Dean Gladwin’s Sickle Cell Disease and Cardiovascular Risk - Red Cell Exchange Trial (SCD-CARRE). The randomized multicenter clinical trial, funded by the National Institutes of Health, began in February of 2020 and will be completed in July of 2026. It has been conducted across 22 sites in Brazil, France and the U.S., and is the largest clinical trial of its kind to test the effectiveness of a technique called red cell exchange transfusion in prolonging life and slowing or reversing end organ damage.

"Enrico and I have worked together for years, and our research collaboration gave me a front-row seat to his rigor as a scientist and his commitment to patients. It's the foundation of a friendship I value greatly,” said Dean Gladwin. “I couldn't be more pleased to have him joining us at Maryland, where his work on biomarkers, advanced imaging, and therapeutic development will directly benefit patients living with sickle cell disease."

Beyond his clinical and research work, Dr. Novelli is a leader in global hematology education and workforce development. Through leadership roles with the American Society of Hematology, he has helped expand newborn screening programs in Africa and contributed to international training, mentoring, and research initiatives across Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, North Africa, and other resource-limited regions.

“Bringing Dr. Novelli to our team reflects our commitment to treating and caring for people with sickle cell disease. UMMS is currently the first and only medical system in Maryland offering FDA-approved gene therapy to adult patients, and under his leadership, we are going to build on that foundation," said Mohan Suntha, MD, MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer of the University of Maryland Medical System. We want to create one of the nation's leading programs so that patients across Maryland have access to the absolute best therapies and research available."

Dr. Novelli completed his medical degree at the University of Milan followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric oncology at Johns Hopkins University. He then completed a second postdoctoral fellowship in human genetics at the University of Pittsburgh. He received a Master of Science in Clinical Research from UPMC in 2013. In 2019, Dr. Novelli was selected to join the Advanced Faculty Leadership Academy, a year-long professional development program designed to cultivate a generation of transformative academic leaders through shared leadership training. Most recently, he received the Classical Hematology Leadership Chair at the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Novelli has received numerous awards and funding and has served as an expert reviewer for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and as a panelist for the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. His research has been cited more than 5,000 times and been published in many high-impact, peer-reviewed journals such as Lancet Haematology, Blood, JAMA Network Open, Haematologica, Blood Advances, and the American Journal of Hematology.