Ward Hagar, MD

Dr. Hagar directs the Adult Sickle Cell Center at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland. He helps create, design, and implement clinical studies and transitional research to improve quality of life and care of persons with Sickle Cell Disease. The Adult Sickle Cell Center uses a comprehensive, lifelong care approach. The Center has had over 500 patients and provide liaison services for Northern California, as well as nationally and internationally for many patients and providers. An important mission for the Center is their HELP-SC boot camps for education physicians, nurses, fellows, and social workers in the nuts-and-bolts care for persons with Sickle Cell Disease.
Education
1983 - Residency, University of California Davis
1983 - Medicine, University of Virginia School of Medicine

  1. Rush G, Mohamed RE, Moffatt-Bazile K, Jamalapur SL, Valenti GG, Sathi BK, Jacob S, Van Doren LN, Velez MC, Ogu U, Smink GM, Schultz CL, DiVirgilio N, Gomez E, Quarmyne MO, Light J, Gupta K, Zhang L, Vichinsky EP, Hagar W, Rivers A, Treadwell M, Strouse JJ, Bhasin N. Role of Menstrual Bleeding Assessments in Sickle Cell Clinics. JAMA network open 2025. PMID: 41364436


  2. Cooper-Sood JB, Hagar W, Marsh A, Hoppe C, Agrawal AK. Adjuvant low-dose ketamine for paediatric and young adult sickle cell vaso-occlusive episodes in the emergency department. 2022. PMID: 35396855


  3. Abrams DI, Couey P, Dixit N, Sagi V, Hagar W, Vichinsky E, Kelly ME, Connett JE, Gupta K. Effect of Inhaled Cannabis for Pain in Adults With Sickle Cell Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial. 2020. PMID: 32678452


  4. Jenkins ZA, Hagar W, Bowlus CL, Johansson HE, Harmatz P, Vichinsky EP, Theil EC. Iron homeostasis during transfusional iron overload in beta-thalassemia and sickle cell disease: changes in iron regulatory protein, hepcidin, and ferritin expression. Pediatric hematology and oncology 2007. PMID: 17613866