Outcomes and Health Disparities

The Division of Pulmonary Medicine is focused on improving outcomes and health disparities using several approaches. The CF WELL program, created by Thomas Boat, MD, promotes wellness and behavioral health for youth with this disabling and life-threatening chronic disease. Learning networks are also a promising approach to transforming the healthcare system, as Michael Seid, PhD, has demonstrated, having improved outcomes for pediatric patients with a range of different medical conditions, including CF. Quality-improvement and health-optimization research have made significant strides under the leadership of Christopher Siracusa, MD, and Michelle Hjelm, MD.

Asthma is a medically and socially complex airway disease. By utilizing input of all stakeholders (patients, families, schools, medical providers) Theresa Guilbert, MD, MS, has implemented technology-based interventions for children with asthma in community settings and has focused on how risk factors, exposures and environment triggers can lead to early childhood wheezing and severe asthma.

Patients with systemic issues may also have significant pulmonary components to the disease. Christopher Towe, MD, has projects that improve early identification and treatment of pulmonary injury caused by systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) and bronchiolitis obliterans. Identification of lung allograft rejection is a focus of Don Hayes, Jr., MD, MS, who is using novel biomarkers to help diagnose related airway and pulmonary vascular disorders earlier to begin therapies sooner. Some patients on long-term ventilator support, whose trajectories and care are being studied and improved by Nathan Pajor, MD.

Cardiopulmonary interactions at different stages of disease in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an active area of research for Hemant Sawnani, MD.