ALA Chief Mission Officer Explains LUNG FORCE Expos

Deborah Brown is the Chief Mission Officer of the American Lung Association (ALA). While at the ALA’S most recent LUNG FORCE Expo in Cherry Hill, New Jersey last month, she sat down with Rare Disease Report to discuss the various resources being offered at these events, specifically those for patients with pulmonary fibrosis.

Brown: Patients with pulmonary fibrosis—I think we’re seeing and hearing a lot more from them since we’ve started focusing on this. It’s a great opportunity for them to learn more about the disease and find other patients. We have something called the Inspire Community where patients can go and they can talk with one another about different topics—what they’re finding if they’re taking a certain medication.

We’re also offering additional education, so we’re trying to increase the number of resources that people have. This LUNG FORCE Expo also provides a very much updated medical opportunity for healthcare professionals who maybe don’t currently treat pulmonary fibrosis patients or who do treat pulmonary fibrosis patients—it gives them a lot more opportunity to ask questions and learn more. We have a lung health question and answer panel that we’re going to be providing this afternoon, and so patients are going to be able to ask experts from Temple University, the Cancer Treatment Centers of America, New Jersey Sharing Network, a variety of other areas to be able to really learn more about pulmonary fibrosis.

The American Lung Association has always had pulmonary fibrosis as part of our educational tools. We have been in a great partnership with Three Lakes Partners, and that has afforded us the opportunity to expand the work that we’re doing on pulmonary fibrosis as resources become available and to be able to really focus on that here at the LUNG FORCE Expos today.

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