About Our Research Program
The BIDMC Institute for Lung Health is a multidisciplinary research program dedicated to the prevention of respiratory disease. The core mission of the Institute is to identify preventable causes of chronic lung disease, and to translate research findings into patient care and health policies that improve lung health.
Our work leverages innovative assessments of personal exposures, geospatial analysis, and quantitative analysis of medical imaging. Our studies include randomized clinical trials, clinical data repositories, and prospective cohort studies of children, young adults, older adults, and adults living with lung disease.
Specific areas of investigation at the BIDMC Institute for Lung Health include:
- Evaluating the impact of climate change on the respiratory health of children and adults
- Examining air filtration as a method of improving lung health by reducing personal air pollution exposure
- Identification of risk factors for chronic lung diseases (including asthma, COPD, interstitial lung disease and pulmonary vascular disease)
- Novel applications of chest CT imaging to evaluate abnormal lung health before the development of symptoms
A unique aspect of our Institute is our focus on translating research findings to policy and prevention.
Related Stories
Has Your Doctor Talked To You About Climate Change?
An interview with Dr. Mary Rice on NPR’s Weekend Edition discussing the link between climate change and human health. (Photo taken pre-COVID.)
Read the story on NPR
Dr. Rice Recognized by American Thoracic Society & Medscape
Dr. Mary Rice was awarded the 2020 Jo Rae Wright Award for Outstanding Science by the American Thoracic Society (ATS), honoring the rising generation of individuals who will be tomorrow's leaders in science. In addition, Dr. Rice, ILH Director, has been recognized by Medscape as one of the 25 young physicians who are rising stars in medicine.
Learn more about this ATS award
Ziskind Clinical Research Scholar Award
Dr. Andrew Synn was awarded the 2019 Morton M. Ziskind Clinical Research Scholar Award by the American Thoracic Society for early-career investigators with exceptional leadership skills and academic success. (Photo taken pre-COVID.)
Learn about the Ziskind Clinical Research Scholar Award
COVID-19 Pandemic Highlights the Urgent Global Need to Control Air Pollution
In an editorial published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society, ILH investigator Dr. Stephen Mein and ILH Director Dr. Mary Rice discuss the relationship between higher exposure to air pollution and increased risk of infection and death from COVID-19, and highlight the urgent need to address the public health crisis of pollution.
Learn more about the COVID-19 pandemic and pollution
Pulmonary Vascular Pruning on CT Imaging Predicts Higher Risk of Death in the Framingham Heart Study
In a study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, ILH investigators including Dr. Andrew Synn and Dr. Mary Rice found that more severe pruning of the pulmonary blood vessels on CT scans predicted a higher risk of death among participants of the Framingham Heart Study. These results suggest that non-invasive CT scans may have a role in screening for pulmonary vascular disease.
Learn more about this study