Ashley is a Co-Founder and the President of Sick Cells, and the youngest sibling of her family. Her older brother and Co-Founder of Sick Cells, Marqus Valentine, had sickle cell anemia, Hgb ss. Growing up, Ashley spent much of her childhood charming hospital playroom attendants while Marqus was frequently hospitalized for pain crises, fever, and multiple complications from SCD. As an adult, Ashley completed her Master’s in Research Methods from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. She focused on disparities in healthcare for people with SCD in London.
Ashley became the President of Sick Cells in 2017. She was able to transition into a full-time role in 2018. Since then, Ashley and her brother have achieved great milestones with the SCD community including successfully leading the SCD community in its first-ever ICER review, building coalitions to advocate for federal legislation to be signed into law, testify at the FDA about the importance of drug development, and more.
