Dr. Amanda Wilson has been awarded an American Lung Association Catalyst Award to study how to improve health outcomes in children with asthma by reducing respiratory viral infections in schools.

A Catalyst Award from the American Lung Association (ALA) will enable principal investigator Amanda Wilson, PhD, assistant professor in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona, to research health outcomes in children with asthma and strategies to reduce respiratory viral infections in schools. The Catalyst Award, a mentored award that supports outstanding investigators who research the mechanisms of lung disease and general lung biology to improve the quality of life for lung disease patients, provides $50,000 per year for up to two years pending annual review.

Amanda Wilson, PhD

“This project will involve the development of a risk calculator tool that school nurses can use to compare interventions for reducing the risk of respiratory viral infection for students, especially protecting those with asthma,” said Dr. Wilson. “I am immensely grateful for this opportunity to gain training in school health and to use my skill sets to provide decision-making support.”

Lung research is critical because 866,000 in Arizona are living with lung disease, and each year, and millions of people are impacted by respiratory viruses like COVID-19 and influenza. Through the Awards and Grants Program, the American Lung Association supports trailblazing research, novel ideas and innovative approaches. The funded researchers investigate a wide range of lung health topics, including asthma, COPD, lung cancer, infectious lung diseases and more.

Dr. Wilson worked in collaboration with co-investigator Ashley Lowe, PhD, and mentor Lynn Gerald, PhD, MSPH, on their proposal titled “Protecting asthmatic children’s health by reducing respiratory viral infections in schools: A novel risk analysis tool.”  The goal of their project is to reduce the spread of viral diseases using a risk calculator tool implemented by school health personnel. This risk calculator will support real-time decision-making to provide cost-effective interventions.

Also in the University of Arizona Health Sciences, Dr. Stefano Guerra received an additional ALA award for his work on the function of specific proteins in the lungs. Dr. Guerra will analyze the CC16 protein in depth, utilizing existing samples in hopes of providing insights into how the protein affects different demographics in relation to age.

See the news release about the ALA Catalyst Awards to UArizona researchers here.