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Press Releases

Nov 24
5

Announcing the retirement of Drs. Lenfant and Hurd

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It is with immense gratitude and admiration for a lifetime’s work that we announce the retirements of Drs. Claude Lenfant and Suzanne Hurd from GOLD and GINA as of December 31, 2015. It is impossible to quantify the magnitude of their dedication and countless hours of service to both organizations over the past years. Initially with GINA and subsequently GOLD they have overseen the development and successful continuation of two programs which have provided practical evidence-based management strategies for both asthma and chronic obstructive lung disease.  Both these programs represent the work of many people but their current status as the “go to” practical, clinically relevant documents for the care of patients with asthma and COPD would not have been attained without the organizational and scientific leadership of both Claude and Sue.  The recognition and honoring of these commitments is important, but the greatest legacy to the global respiratory community from Claude and Sue’s work will be GINA and GOLD’s commitment to continuing their great work. In doing so, GOLD and GINA will continue to share the common goal of maximizing COPD and asthma patient’s outcomes through the provision of evidence based global healthcare provider education. We thank you most sincerely, Sue and Claude, and we wish you both health and happiness in the years to come.

As we show our appreciation for Claude and Sue we would like to welcome Rebecca Decker. Rebecca has been working with Sue and Claude as well as the GINA and GOLD leadership in a transition phase since November, 2015.  Beginning January 1, 2016, Rebecca will assume the role of Global Program Director for both GOLD and GINA. She brings many years of healthcare experience to this important role, both from the academic research setting as well as from the pharmaceutical and medical device space.  She holds a Master of Health Law and Policy from Loyola University School of Law, and joins us from ResMed, where she was a Director for Market Access and Health Economics. She was most recently responsible for creating Care Management Pathways for patients with chronic conditions such as COPD, as well as developing Hospital Readmission Reduction Protocols and Payer Policies. Rebecca is based in Wisconsin, USA. Rebecca will serve as the first person of contact for both organizations and can be reached via email at: goldandgina@gmail.com.

May 06
17

New global asthma strategy launched

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New global asthma strategy launched International report, local World Asthma Day activities support improved asthma control

May 6, 2014
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The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) today is launching a new edition of its Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention, a comprehensive and practical resource about one of the most common chronic lung diseases worldwide.
The first major revision of this document in eight years builds on a strong existing evidence base, and provides an integrated approach to diagnosing, assessing and managing asthma that spans all ages and can be adapted to national and local needs. The report is presented as an easy-to-use resource for managing problems that health professionals encounter every day across a wide range of health systems.
“The new report reflects the latest science concerning the nature of asthma, an expanding interest in individualized health care, and greater awareness of the need for clinical recommendations to be feasible for implementation in clinical practice,” says Dr. Helen Reddel, Clinical Associate Professor at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, Australia. “This is a real time of transition in our understanding of chronic airways disease and how to manage it to improve outcomes for the patient.” As Chair of the GINA Science Committee, Dr. Reddel led the international group of asthma experts that produced the new report.
The report is being released on World Asthma Day, an annual awareness-raising event held the first Tuesday in May and organized by GINA. Dozens of events around the world will take place today around the theme “You Can Control Your Asthma.”
“As the prevalence of asthma increases in many countries around the globe, we need a practical strategy for translating scientific knowledge into improvements in patient care,” says Dr. Mark FitzGerald, Professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada and Chair of the GINA Board of Directors. “That strategy is what GINA aims to provide.”
Asthma affects more than 300 million people worldwide 1. It is characterized byrecurrent difficulties with breathing, including symptoms such as shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightness, and coughing. Asthma symptoms vary over time, and also from individual to individual.
Although asthma cannot be cured, it can be treated and controlled. Good asthma control means no, or very minimal, symptoms, and a low risk of asthma attacks or other poor outcomes. A person whose asthma is under good control can go to work or school, exercise, and participate fully in life.
“It has become clear in recent years that asthma control really has two components,” says Dr. Reddel. “Symptom control is crucial to reduce the burden of asthma in patients’ daily lives. But health care workers also must evaluate and minimize any risks that individual patients may have for poor outcomes like severe asthma flare-ups, side effects from treatment, or permanent airway damage.”
GINA was launched in 1993 to work with healthcare professionals and public health officials around the world to reduce the burden of asthma. The Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention is available at www.ginasthma.org.
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1 Global Burden of Asthma Report, 2004. Available from: https://ginasthma.org.
May 05
5

Announcing Ambassadors for Asthma Control

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Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) launches program to recognize leaders in asthma awareness on World Asthma Day

May 5, 2015
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The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) today is launching a new program to recognize individuals who are helping to improve asthma awareness,  diagnosis, and care in countries around the world.

The GINA Ambassador program will highlight individuals who are involved in taking care of asthma patients in the clinic, improving public policy around asthma care, implementing GINA management strategies in their local community, developing asthma education materials, building multidisciplinary asthma care teams, and organizing World Asthma Day activities.

World Asthma Day is an annual awareness – raising event held today, the first Tuesday in May, and organized by GINA. The GINA Ambassador program is being  launched on World Asthma Day because it reflects the event’s positive theme, “You Can Control Your Asthma.”

“GINA’s development of an evidence – based asthma management strategy is only one step in improving asthma care around the world,” says Dr. Mark FitzGerald, Professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada and Chair of the GINA Board of Directors. “Clinicians and health care workers involved in asthma management form a crucial network to ensure the GINA strategy is widely disseminated and implemented. We wanted to recognize their efforts with the GINA Ambassador program.”

The first GINA Ambassador is Dr. Chen Yu Zhi, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of the Capital Institute of Pediatrics in Beijing, China. “Dr. Chen has been a leader in promoting good asthma care in China since 1987, when she helped to introduce inhaled asthma therapy to the country. She and her team have organized World Asthma Day activities since 1998,” says Dr. Claude Lenfant, Executive Director of GINA. “I have visited Dr. Chen on many occasions and have witnessed her longstanding efforts to improve asthma care and her close work with young patients to set them up for a lifetime of asthma control. It is for this work that we have named Dr. Chen as the first GINA Ambassador.”

Going forward, the GINA Board of Directors will name a new GINA Ambassador each month from countries around the world. Information about Dr. Chen’s work, and that of other GINA Ambassadors named in the future, will be posted on the GINA Website at https://ginasthma.org/GINA-Ambassador-Program.

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world, affecting more than 300 million people worldwide 1. It is characterized by recurrent difficulties with breathing, with symptoms such as shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightness, and coughing. Asthma symptoms vary over time, and also from individual to individual.

Although asthma cannot be cured, it can be treated and controlled. Good asthma control means no, or very minimal, symptoms, and a low risk of asthma attacks or other negative outcomes. A person whose asthma is under good control can go to work or school, exercise, and participate fully in life.

GINA was launched in 1993 to work with healthcare professionals and public health officials around the world to reduce the burden of asthma. Asthma control is the focus of the GINA Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention, a comprehensive and practical resource about how to diagnose, assess, and manage asthma. This and other GINA documents are available at www.ginasthma.org.
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1
Global Burden of Asthma Report, 2004. Available from: https://ginasthma.org