What's Up at the Asthma and COPD Center

The Asthma and COPD Center itself is not a place; it is a network of physicians, scientists, nurses, social workers and others throughout the University of Chicago Medical Center involved in asthma care, research, and education. Daily contact, patient consultations, and collaborative investigations keep Asthma and COPD Center partners in touch with each other, facilitating cooperation, collaboration, and the sharing of ideas.

The scope of many Asthma and COPD Center endeavors reflects the diversity of our members. Care, research, community outreach, and medical education are all important focuses of Asthma and COPD Center activity.

Asthma Care

Outpatient care for people with asthma and COPD is provided in a variety of settings at the University of Chicago Medical Center, including:

No matter where in the network patients are seen, they receive the highest standard of asthma and COPD care available. The University of Chicago fully adheres to the latest national guidelines for asthma and COPD diagnosis and treatment. The most advanced diagnostic testing in asthma and COPD is performed as needed on-site, and includes comprehensive pulmonary function testing, challenge testing, radiography, and allergen skin testing.

Special mention should be made of the infant pulmonary function testing now available at the University of Chicago. We are the first institution in Chicago to have this technology, which allows doctors to obtain objective measurements of lung function in babies. This is a significant advancement, since babies cannot follow instructions such as "take in a big breath and blow out as hard as you can".

In addition to providing excellent office-based care, the University of Chicago offers state-of-the-art emergency and hospital care to patients experiencing serious asthma and COPD episodes.

Education is an essential part of good asthma and COPD care. A team of doctors, nurses, and education specialists at the University of Chicago works to coordinate asthma and COPD patient education efforts across the whole institution. This ensures that no gaps are left, and that all patients have the information and support they need to stay well.

Asthma Research

Research ranges from bench science to clinical studies, to epidemiological and health care utilization analysis. Collaboration among scientists with different areas of expertise is encouraged, to foster innovative approaches to the important questions in asthma and COPD at all levels: molecule, cell, tissue, patient, population. For more information on individual investigators' projects and research interests, please see our Personnel and Partners page. If you are interested in participating in a study of new asthma medication, please see the Asthma Patient Studies page, or call (773) 702-1016.

Asthma Community Outreach Education Program

Asthma and COPD Center staff are pleased to be working with the Chicago Public Schools on asthma education. We are using the American Lung Association's Asthma 101 to educate Chicago Public Schools teachers and staff about various issues, including:

  • how to respond in asthma emergencies
  • how to use asthma medications, inhalers, spacers, and peak flow meters

We are also teaching about asthma in a number of community settings. Our staff covers much of the information in Asthma 101, but we place emphasis on behavior for people with asthma and their caregivers to control and manage asthma, as well as the proper techniques for delivery of medications and the importance of consistency. We also cover topics such as environmental trigger recognition and healthy alternatives for asthma management.

These programs are offered free of charge. Please contact Ethan Israelsohn, LCSW, AE-C at (773)702-9952 for further information or to arrange for us to visit your organization.

Medical Education

The Asthma and COPD Center supports education for physicians and other providers in the latest principles of asthma and COPD care through programs for our own University of Chicago medical students and residents, as well as through continuing education offerings for physicians throughout the Chicagoland area and beyond.

A program we are particularly excited about is a hands-on educational experience for family practice doctors, pediatricians, internists, and other health professionals. Participants observe outpatient and inpatient settings, learn details of advanced pulmonary testing, and have the opportunity to discuss questions and issues from their own practice with University of Chicago asthma and COPD experts.

We are currently updating the Medical Education program, therefore we are not curerntly offering this program. However, we will continue to update the website and provide information regrading anticipated re-initiation of the Medical Education program.

Social Work Internship Program

The Asthma and COPD Center Social Work Internship Program works with patients who need additional support in dealing with their asthma and COPD. The program assists patients in finding community resources to help with their asthma and COPD symptom management.

The Internship Program offers short-term follow-up services to referred clients, including asthma and COPD education, case management, counseling, referrals and linkages to community resources.

For more information on the Social Work Internship Program, please contact Ethan Israelsohn, LCSW, AE-C at (773) 702- 9952.

Tobacco Cessation Program

See our flyer or our pamphlet. The Tobacco Cessation Program uses a positive behavioral change approach that teaches patients how to become a nonsmoker for good. Patients will get special attention in developing their own quitting plan, dealing with recovery symptoms, controlling weight, managing stress through relaxation techniques that work, and being ready to fight those urges to go back to smoking.

For many smokers, especially those who have tried to quit before, support can make the difference in helping to stay smoke-free. For more information, please call (773) 702-9952.