About Us

The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA)

We work with health care professionals, patient representatives, and public health officials around the world to reduce asthma prevalence, morbidity, and mortality.

Through resources such as evidence-based strategy documents for asthma management, and events such as the annual celebration of World Asthma Day, GINA is working to improve the lives of people with asthma in every corner of the globe.

Who Are We?

GINA was launched in 1993 in collaboration with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, USA, and the World Health Organization.

GINA’s program is determined and its strategies for asthma care are shaped by committees made up of leading asthma experts and patient representatives from around the world.
Read more about who is involved with GINA Committees.

GINA Objectives

  • Increase awareness of asthma and its public health consequences.
  • Promote identification of reasons for the increased prevalence of asthma.
  • Promote study of the association between asthma and the environment.
  • Reduce asthma morbidity and mortality.
  • Improve management of asthma.
  • Improve availability and accessibility of effective asthma therapy.

GINA Operations

GINA is an independent organization. Since July 1, 2014, GINA’s activities have been funded entirely by the sale of its documents and resources. These materials may be downloaded from the GINA Website; printed copies may be purchased for a fee. For information on how to purchase printed copies, please contact us.

Members of the GINA Board of Directors are drawn globally from leaders with an outstanding demonstrated commitment to asthma research, asthma clinical management, public health, and patient advocacy. GINA Science Committee members are highly experienced asthma experts from around the world, who continually review and synthesize scientific evidence to provide guidance on asthma prevention, diagnosis, and management. The GINA Dissemination Working Group is responsible for promoting GINA resources throughout the world. Members work with an international network of patient representatives and leaders in asthma care (GINA Advocates), to assist in implementing asthma education programs and support evidence-based care. GINA support staff comprise the Executive Director and Project Manager.

Guidelines and Reports

The GINA global strategy for asthma management and prevention is presented in its strategy documents, which are freely available on the GINA Website.

The GINA Scientific Committee prepares updates to these documents each year, which are made available on the GINA Website as they are completed. The Scientific Committee has developed a sophisticated set of procedures to review the world’s literature with regards to asthma management and to update the GINA documents to reflect this state-of-the-art information.

World Asthma Day

GINA organizes World Asthma Day, which is held in May, in collaboration with health care groups and asthma educators throughout the world.

Each year GINA chooses a theme and coordinates preparation and distribution of World Asthma Day materials and resources. GINA also maintains the World Asthma Day Internet Headquarters, where materials and resources are posted for downloading and a complete listing of activities around the world is constantly updated.

The first World Asthma Day, in 1998, was celebrated in more than 35 countries in conjunction with the first World Asthma Meeting held in Barcelona, Spain. Participation has increased with each World Asthma Day held since then, and the day has become one of the world’s most important asthma awareness and education events.