Our division is actively conducting clinical and translational research and is enrolling patients in research trials for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, asthma, acute lung injury, Valley fever, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), microbiome, pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension and sleep disorders. We are testing new therapies for these conditions and are leaders in the field aimed at curing these diseases. In addition, we are testing methods to better care for patients with sleep disorders, working with a highly inter-disciplinary team from outside the division to ensure that outcomes and treatments are the best they can be for each individual patient.

Sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea and insomnia affect millions of Americans and are linked to cardiovascular diseases, cancer and obesity. Our sleep research programs, coordinated through the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center for Sleep, Circadian & Neuroscience Research, are aimed to improve treatment adherence and to delineate mechanisms of poor sleep. These studies include the immunology of sleep, sleep in the critically ill and the psychological aspects of sleep.

In collaboration with the University of Arizona Health Sciences Asthma & Airway Disease Research Center, an internationally recognized group of scientists from diverse disciplines perform basic, clinical and translational research to find the cause and cure for asthma. The focus is on interdisciplinary approaches to asthma and related airway disease (e.g., emphysema and cystic fibrosis), applying advances in molecular biology, genetics and microbiome research.

Our division and the University of Arizona Health Sciences Asthma & Airway Disease Research Center have a long tradition of fostering the careers of young physician-scientists. The variety of scientific opportunities available makes for a rich and individually tailored research experience for our trainees. Undergraduate students, graduate students, medical students, residents, and clinical and postdoctoral fellows all work in laboratories and on research projects with their internationally known mentors. Training includes advanced technological methods, data analysis, writing grant proposals, collaborating with other investigators and understanding regulatory issues. Several training grants are available at the University of Arizona, allowing trainees and junior faculty dedicated research time.