Dr. Rucknagel pioneered the use of incentive spirometry to prevent acute chest syndrome, a common complication of sickle cell disease. Dr. Rucknagel has been actively involved in sickle cell anemia research and treatment since he became a medical doctor. He operated a sickle cell clinic at The University of Michigan that is affiliated with a federally-funded sickle cell center in Detroit.

His research has been in two basic areas. One is a search for a remedy for sickle cell anemia by manipulating the production of fetal hemoglobin; red blood cells containing fetal hemoglobin resist sickling and, therefore, should help improve the condition of sickle cell sufferers. The other is the development of better and more practical prenatal diagnosis of the sickle cell condition, to make possible more effective counseling of prospective parents.

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