American Lung Association

Research: for more than a century, the american lung association has driven lung health advancements and innovation by supporting medical research. This year, the american lung association research institute continued to fund high-impact, lifesaving research, bringing together the best scientific minds to address critical lung health challenges.in september, the american lung association research institute awarded grants to 129 promising scientists committed to improving the prevention, detection and treatment of lung disease. And our grants are having an enormous impact, as researchers tell us that every dollar we spend on research generates 11 times that amount in additional funding from government agencies, like nih. We also reached a critical milestone in our lung health cohort research study, where we expect to follow 4,000 young, healthy adults for approximately five years with the goal of identifying risk factors for lung disease. At the end of the fiscal year 2024, we had reached the halfway point, recruiting nearly 2,000 participants. To ensure that the study includes broad representation, we collaborated with influencers to promote the value of the study. Our research institute also supports our airways clinical research centers network, the largest nonprofit clinical research network providing asthma and copd clinical trials at prominent academic medical centers, as well as innovative industry and nonprofit partnerships to accelerate discovery and innovation. This past year we awarded $500,000 to texas biomedical research institute to support research to develop a universal flu vaccine, which would immunize people against all influenza strains and provide long-lasting protection, potentially eliminating yearly shots.in fiscal year 2024, we joined the lungevity foundation in announcing a $3 million research partnership to "intercept lung cancer" - creating innovative strategies to catch precancerous cells and block them from turning into cancer cells. We also launched a $1 million research endowment honoring courtney cox cole, an indiana mom and business owner who lost her battle with egfr mutant lung cancer at the age of 48. The inaugural courtney cox cole lung cancer research award was presented to wei tao, phd of harvard university-affiliated brigham and women's hospital in boston, who is conducting trailblazing work on combination lung cancer therapies using nanoparticles to deliver experimental drugs through inhalation. In partnership with the pulmonary hypertension association we hosted our first scientific roundtable, bringing together pulmonary and cardiac experts to share insights on the latest diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension. The goal of the roundtable was to gain a better understanding of the guidelines to provide resources and guidance to healthcare providers in optimally caring for patients with pulmonary hypertension, a serious condition that causes abnormally high pressure in the blood vessels between the lungs and heart.

Advocacy and environmental:each year, the american lung association supports policies and legislation that help everyone breathe easier. This includes advocating for laws that protect our children from deadly air pollution and tobacco products and provide funding for critical lung disease research and health programs.in fiscal year 2024, we showed continued leadership in advocating for federal and state policy changes that protect and improve access to care for individuals living with serious, acute and chronic health conditions. Our efforts included hosting our first respiratory advocacy day in september; bringing members of our asthma and copd patient advisory groups to washington, d.c. In march to advocate for access to lifesaving and life-enhancing supplemental oxygen; and supporting the family asthma act throughout the year to expand asthma support and resources to all 50 states. We also asked states and the federal government to protect medicaid access and eligibility as millions of people were disenrolled following the end of the public health emergency.as we know that without clean air we can't breathe, we continued to address ongoing threats to air quality and lung health and to strongly advocate for crucial clean air laws and policy changes, including tighter limits on mercury, air toxics and carbon pollution approved by the u.s. Environmental protection agency (epa). The epa also updated the national standards for particle pollution.in april, we released the 25th annual "state of the air" report highlighting state and national air quality statistics and revealing historic spikes in deadly air particle pollution, with people living in the u.s. Experiencing the most days with "very unhealthy and "hazardous" air quality in 25 years. This steady increase in deadly particle pollution, especially in the western u.s., is due to extreme heat, drought and wildfires, according to the report, which graded exposure to unhealthy levels of ground-level ozone air pollution (also known as smog) and short-term spikes and annual average of particle pollution (soot) over a three-year period. Air pollution is not good for anyone to breathe; however, some individuals are more at risk of its effects, including children, older adults, individuals who are pregnant, people living with asthma, copd and other chronic diseases. As the prevalence of wildfires in north america and their impact on air quality and lung health continued to grow (2023 was the worst year ever for wildfires in canada and parts of the u.s.), we partnered with the canadian lung association to raise awareness about the health impacts of wildfire smoke and to educate people on how to protect themselves from poor air quality. Together, our organizations are also advocating for ways to mitigate catastrophic wildfires. And unhealthy air isn't only outdoors. This past year, we continued to raise awareness of indoor air risks; promote important clean air policy and initiatives; and offer essential resources on how to maintain clean air in schools, workplaces and homes, empowering individuals to safeguard their health. Our new resources include a video and fact sheets on volatile organic compounds, or vocs. These chemicals, found in thousands of everyday products, including household cleaning supplies, can vaporize at room temperature, potentially causing cancer. We also launched a new campaign on work-related, or occupational copd, including an overview of early warning signs and symptoms, and an assessment to determine workplace exposure to dust, chemicals, vapors or fumes. Radon, a colorless, tasteless and odorless gas that causes cancer, can be found in homes and buildings throughout the u.s. This past year, we continued to educate individuals about the importance of home radon testing, and if warranted, remediation. This included helping thousands of homes in pennsylvania receive free radon test kits during fiscal year 2024.