The Asthma and Respiratory Disorders Research Program was established to address the growing problem of asthma morbidity among children. In addition to strong clinical services in asthma and allergic disease, this program provides novel research approaches to addressing pathogenesis of the disease, exploring new treatment modalities through clinical trials and translational research, and improving education and healthcare delivery through community-based health outcomes research. The Lung Cell Biology Laboratory, through its collaborative NIH funding and multi-disciplinary investigative team, employs novel human model systems to investigate disease pathogenesis and to explore potential targets for novel therapies. The rural health asthma program, RADAR (Reducing Asthma Disparities in Arkansas), uses state-of-the-art technology including telehealth and mobile application systems to target high-risk, underserved populations through its innovative rural healthcare delivery research. The program is currently testing the effectiveness of an mHealth Asthma Action Plan smart-phone based application for adolescents that provides real-time, personalized feedback, asthma education, and data logging/tracking capabilities with and without primary care physician data sharing (R01NR015988; PI: Perry).
Contact: Tamara Perry, M.D., at PerryTamaraT@uams.edu.