Angella D. Ferguson
Angella Dorothea Ferguson (February 15, 1925 – January 6, 2026) was an American pediatrician known for her important research on sickle cell disease. She was born in Washington, D.C., the daughter of George and Mary Ferguson, and grew up in a large family. She studied chemistry at Howard University, earned her MD there in 1949, and trained at Washington Freedman’s Hospital.
Ferguson joined Howard University’s faculty in 1953 and spent many years at Freedman’s Hospital, rising from instructor to full professor. She also worked at the District of Columbia General Hospital and ran a private pediatric practice in Washington, D.C.
Her studies revealed that African-American infants often developed normally but there was little baseline data for Black children. She also observed that Black infants tended to sit and stand earlier than white infants, possibly because many didn’t have playpens or high chairs.
A major focus of Ferguson’s career was sickle cell disease. She tracked how the disease affected Black children and developed practical guidelines for diagnosing sickle cell anemia in children under age 12 using a simple blood test. She found that giving infants a daily glass of water before age five could reduce painful crises by increasing blood volume, and she recommended more oxygen during surgery for patients with sickle cell.
Her newborn blood test for detecting sickle cell at birth became standard in forty states by 2010 and remains widely used. In 1965, she led the design and construction of Freedman’s new pediatrics wing, with renovations completed in 1975. She returned to Howard University in 1970 as head of the University Office of Health Affairs and later served as associate vice president for health affairs until her retirement in 1990.
Ferguson married Charles M. Cabaniss, and they had two daughters. She was a member of several professional organizations and received two Certificates of Merit from the American Medical Association.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 08:29 (CET).