Meet Kyesha Pringle: Sickle Cell Program Manager at Seattle Children's and Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic
Kyesha Pringle is the Sickle Cell Program Manager at Seattle Children’s Hospital and Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic. Originally from Tacoma and an alumna of the University of Washington (2018) and Eastern Washington University (2025), she developed an interest in improving systems, programs, and organizations to make institutions stronger, “not just from a care standpoint, but so young people are learning how to navigate these systems and are equipped with the language and tools to do so early on.” Pringle began her career in healthcare administration and operations, primarily in pediatric settings. When she learned about an opportunity to work in sickle cell care, she saw it as a chance to learn from those with lived sickle cell experiences while helping build programs that truly center patients and their needs.
If you’ve ever wondered who is responsible for scheduling, ensuring educational materials are available during check-ins, making sure there is enough appointment availability, or receiving feedback about program experiences, that work lives within Pringle’s role. As she puts it, “My role is all about if people bring that feedback to me directly, thinking about the ways I can incorporate it into our program.”
Pringle is constantly thinking about ways to center patient stories in her work. Much of the feedback she incorporates into programming comes through the clinical team. When patients share their experiences with providers, that feedback is often passed along to Pringle, allowing her to adjust systems and programming in ways that better support patients. “What’s so cool about this job is the flexibility I have to hear what patients are wanting or needing and then explore how much we can do that.” This also includes addressing negative experiences with staff and identifying opportunities for education and training. “It’s really important for me to not only know about those interactions, but to follow up and continue to think about how we educate folks who are not in our world every day.”
Sickle cell is often viewed only as an illness, but Pringle emphasizes the cultural and societal impacts patients face every day. “There’s really no system to help patients manage those ripple effects, and that creates more stress, which exacerbates the pain crisis.” She points to gaps in systemic support such as job instability, transportation barriers, and limited access to community resources. With a father who has sickle cell trait, the disease has always been adjacent to her life, reinforcing her belief that you cannot assume what someone is experiencing based solely on what you see.
Pringle reflected on a moment when she ran into a former classmate who shared how Pringle had advocated for her during a pain crisis. Something Pringle hadn’t even realized was happening at the time. “I’ll never forget that moment. It taught me that you don’t need to know everything about what someone is going through, just not being quick to assume is so important. Especially with the kids we work with. They’re just kids, and they want to be kids. How do we recognize that something real is impacting their lives without assuming how it’s impacting them? It’s about making space for people and supporting them, even if you don’t know everything.”
Looking ahead, Pringle hopes that institutions like Seattle Children’s and Odessa Brown continue to be places where patients and caregivers feel calm, supported, and confident in the care they receive regardless of where they enter the system. Her goal is that families would choose Seattle Children’s and Odessa Brown not only for the quality of care, but for how these institutions makes them feel. “I hope I can continue to be a vessel between community and institution.”
Kyesha Pringle will celebrate her one-year anniversary as a program manager at Seattle Children’s and Odessa Brown this month.
