President's Research Report: What You Make Possible

A Message from the President

Healthy lungs are not only critical for good health, but essential for life itself. No one knows that more than lung disease patients and their caregivers. And no one is working harder to find new ways to prevent, treat and cure lung disease than the American Lung Association. The ongoing threat of COVID-19 has made the need for groundbreaking research even more urgent. With your support, we have stepped up to meet this challenge!

As America’s trusted champion for lung health, we have been a trailblazer in lung disease research for almost 120 years. In this report, you’ll learn more about how our bold research program is tackling today’s most important lung health issues, not just COVID-19, but also asthma, COPD, lung cancer and risks like tobacco use and air pollution.

Our research program is made of two unique parts ‒ our Awards and Grants Program and our Airways Clinical Research Centers (ACRC) network. Awards and Grants funds researchers at all levels, who are studying a wide range of lung health areas.

Our ACRC is the largest not-for-profit network of clinical research centers dedicated to asthma, COPD and all airway diseases, uniquely focusing on research that promises to have an immediate and positive impact on the lives of patients.

In 2021-2022, we are funding 101 promising research projects, including COVID-19 research, for a total of $12.6 million – one of our greatest ever annual investments in research! Our research portfolio spans a vast range of approaches to improving lung health, from clinical studies to assessing the efficacy of anti-vaping laws. Each promising researcher we fund advances the field of lung disease one study at a time.

Through this report you’ll meet members of our Research Team, like Dr. Andrea Pappalardo, who is working on ensuring that children with asthma have access to lifesaving medication at school, and Dr. Lixing Yang, who is studying the genetic mutations that cause lung cancer in patients who have never smoked.

The issue of equity in healthcare has come into sharp focus this past year, and I’m proud we are partnering with ATS and CHEST in the creation of our Respiratory Health Equity Award which will address not only address improving health outcomes for communities of color disproportionately affected by lung disease but also encourage research by investigators who represent those communities.

Through it all, you are our most important team member. Your donations help sustain the research life cycle and you can take pride that your generosity continues to play an indispensable role in saving lives now and in the future.

—Harold P. Wimmer, National President & CEO, American Lung Association

The American Lung Association Is in for the Long Fight Against COVID-19

Nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is clear that we are in for a long fight. Last year, the American Lung Association launched the COVID-19 Action Initiative, a $25 million commitment to respond to the nationwide pandemic. Among the many American Lung Association funded investigations of COVID-19, a compelling new study lead by Dr. C. Terri Hough at the Oregon Health and Science University is examining the clinical course of patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

The funding from the American Lung Association will help Dr. Hough follow patients longer, collecting important clinical data on their course months after their hospitalization, shedding light on the condition now being called ‘long COVID’, a phenomenon in which individuals experience ongoing health problems long after being infected. These symptoms range from mild headaches and brain fog to very serious problems like extreme fatigue and shortness of breath, persisting a month or more. The issue is widespread, an estimated 11 million Americans currently suffer from long COVID, which presents challenges to their daily lives and activity.

In partnership with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute within the National Institutes of Health, The Recovery after COVID-19 Hospitalization (REACH) study will use data collected from 1300 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 across the United States. Dr. Hough’s team will use surveys, interviews, and in-person testing to track these patients and gather information about their family experience and how they receive healthcare over the first year they are discharged from the hospital.

By tracking the patterns of symptoms of these patients and paths to recovery, this study can lead to new treatments to improve long-term outcomes after COVID-19 hospitalization and help determine who is at the greatest risk of developing long COVID in the first place.

ACRC Puts Patients First

Research takes patience, as small discoveries build over years before yielding major breakthroughs. But our Airways Clinical Research Centers (ACRC) Network puts another kind of patients first—lung disease patients—focusing on clinical trials which can immediately impact patient lives!

Our ACRC is the largest not-for-profit network of clinical centers dedicated to asthma and COPD research. For over 20 years, the ACRC has continually advanced lung disease research, like determining that the flu vaccine is safe for people with asthma and discovering low-cost, effective asthma treatments for those who cannot use corticosteroids. One current trial is studying if a specific blood pressure medication could help patients with COPD.

First-hand experience matters, and our Patient Advisory Groups, made up of patients and caregivers, guide the ACRC’s current and future studies. One current study has COPD patient advisors helping to promote shared decision making about home oxygen use, prioritizing the patient experience and comfort.

The ACRC is the true jewel in the crown of our research program. With your continued support it will continue to sparkle! Learn more at Lung.org/acrc.

Your Donations Keep the Research Life Cycle Moving

Every dollar you give empowers our researchers to make lifesaving progress against lung disease.