The Asthma Research Center at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in conjunction with Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Lung Center for Research is dedicated to conducting research that advances the treatment and understanding of asthma.
Our research investigations in asthma are varied. Our goals at the Asthma Research Center include determining how to best use currently available drugs, examining the potential effectiveness of new drugs and therapies, and trying to increase the understanding of the mechanisms of asthma in the hope of developing new therapies.
The Asthma Research Center conducts many studies. These research studies vary in duration and compensation for your time and effort.
Call us at 617-732-8201 or 1-888-99 ASTHMA for more information or to see if you qualify, or fill out this short pre-qualification survey.
Our Providers
Elliot Israel, MD
DirectorDr. Elliot Israel is Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. He is also Director of Clinical Research in the Pulmonary Division and Director of the Respiratory Therapy Department at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Honored with the Daniel D. Federman Outstanding Clinical Educator Award by Harvard Medical School in 2002, Dr. Israel’s major research interests include mediators of airway reactivity, the role of arachidonic acid metabolites in airway narrowing, and therapeutic interventions to alter asthmatic airway hyperactivity. He has several grants from the National Institutes of Health to study asthma and leads one of 8 sites throughout the country supported by the NIH to conduct research into better asthma treatments. He was named one of Boston’s best in Pulmonary Medicine by Boston Magazine. He has authored or coauthored more than 125 articles, reviews, and abstracts in such journals as the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, and The Lancet. Dr. Israel received his medical degree and completed his internship at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. After completing his residency at New York Hospital/Cornell Medical College in New York City, he obtained clinical and research fellowships from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.
Click Here to See Elliot’s Recent Publications
Kathleen J. Haley, MD
Kathleen J. Haley, MD is a physician in the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She graduated from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine and then completed an Internal Medicine Residency at the New England Deaconess Hospital followed by fellowships in Pulmonary Medicine at the New England Deaconess Hospital and Critical Care Medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Haley is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and an Associate Physician at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where she attends in the Medical and Thoracic Intensive Care Units. Additionally, she serves as the Medical Director for the BWH Ventilator Service at Spaulding Hospital Cambridge. She has a long-standing interest in asthma, and her work has included both basic science and clinical research into this disease.
Justin D. Salciccioli, MBBS
Originally from Toronto, Canada, Justin completed his undergraduate and graduate studies in the United States before pursuing his medical studies at Imperial College London. His research pursuits started as an undergraduate student while completing a biochemistry degree. Subsequently, he worked on clinical trials in intensive care medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and completed a Master’s degree in clinical research methods at Boston University. He completed his internal medicine residency in Boston and joined the pulmonary critical care fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in 2020 and was heavily involved in the Covid19 response. Since that time, he has developed an increasing focus on asthma in his clinical responsibilities and continues to develop his research interests in asthma. He has co-authored more than 80 peer-reviewed research papers manuscripts and, in addition to his ongoing clinical training, continues with his research with multiple projects at the Asthma Research Center.
Carrie Pistenmaa, MD
Dr. Carrie Pistenmaa an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Pistenmaa received her medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School in New Hampshire, and then completed her training in Internal Medicine and Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, where she was also on faculty for several years. At Brigham and Women’s Hospital Dr. Pistenmaa attends on the Pulmonary Consult Service and sees patients in the Center for Chest Disease. Dr. Pistenmaa’s clinical research is in the area of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema where she focuses on identifying factors relating to disease progression with a particular interest in imaging and the pulmonary vasculature.
Kimberly McCarty, PA-C
Kimberly McCarty, PA-C is a pulmonary Physician Assistant at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She graduated from the physician assistant program at Salus University with her Master’s in Medical Science and graduated with her BS in Neuroscience from Muhlenberg College. She previously worked as a Physician Assistant in the Urgent Care setting in Cambridge before joining the Asthma Research Center. Kim also sees patients in the severe asthma clinic at the Center for Chest Diseases. She has an ongoing interest in clinical research and in her free time, she likes to try different coffee shops, run, and go to the beach.
Our Research Staff
Angeles
Lab ManagerOriginally from Argentina, Angeles graduated from Dartmouth College with an A.B. in Pre-Medical Studies, Spanish, and Government. She was also involved in the Women in Sciences Program while at Dartmouth. Angeles has worked at the Brigham for 15 years, 9 of which were spent working as a Senior Coordinator in the Renal Department. In her free time, she enjoys camping, hiking, and spending time with her husband on their boat.
Zineb
Research CoordinatorZineb graduated from Tufts University in 2023 with a BS in Chemistry. At Tufts, she worked at the Kaplan Lab developing silk biomaterials for tissue engineering, served as the undergraduate chair for the Chemistry Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee, and volunteered at a free healthcare clinic. In her free time, Zineb enjoys traveling, discovering new cuisines, and spending time with family.
Jean
Project ManagerJean has worked at the Brigham for 7 years in the Asthma Research Center. She worked on the PREPARE study, a multiyear pragmatic clinical trial focused on improving health outcomes for African Americans/Blacks and Hispanic/Latinos with asthma. Originally from NY, she has made Massachusetts her home since graduating from Stonehill College. She loves spending time with her family, time outdoors and cheering on the Boston teams.
Hanyi
Research CoordinatorHanyi graduated from Tufts University in May of 2023 with a BS in Biology and Clinical Psychology. During her time there, she was involved in psychosis research at MGH and lipid nanoparticle research at Tufts. She was a teaching assistant in the chemistry department and was a part of the Tufts Asian American Center. Outside of her role at ARC, she enjoys crocheting and knitting, cooking, and watching movies with friends.
Alexis
Research CoordinatorAlexis graduated from Northeastern University in May 2022 with a degree in behavioral neuroscience. While on campus, she empowered young women to pursue entrepreneurship through her work at The Women’s Interdisciplinary Society of Entrepreneurship, led marketing for the Entrepreneur’s Club, and developed chemotherapy implants for the treatment of ovarian cancer. Outside of her role at ARC, she loves to bullet journal, write creative fiction, and continues her efforts to diversify those who engage in entrepreneurship and STEM.
Matthew
Research CoordinatorOriginally from Connecticut, Matt graduated from Cornell University in 2023 with a degree in Biological Sciences. While an undergraduate, he worked as a Research Assistant in the Ellwood Lab studying dopamine as a neuromodulator. On campus, he was a teaching assistant for Microbiology and played on the Cornell Sprint Football team. In his free time, he enjoys fitness, art, and reading.
Olivia
Research CoordinatorOlivia graduated from Northeastern University in 2021 with her BS in Biochemistry. During this time, she worked at the Institute of Health Equity and Social Justice studying comorbidities in the HIV/AIDS population, wrote grants for the Engineers Without Borders Panama Program, and was the captain of her frisbee team. In her free time, she enjoys rock climbing, baking, and playing frisbee.
Victoria– MA, MMS
PA-C Sub-InvestigatorVictoria has lived in Boston for over five years and joined the ARC after working in the MGH Emergency Department. She has graduate degrees from the University of Chicago and Wake Forest University and has over 12 years of research experience with numerous presentations and publications. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her two small children and husband.
Jon
Research CoordinatorJonathan graduated from Boston College in 2020 with a BS in Biochemistry. While in undergrad, he was a Research Intern at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and was part of the 4Boston Volunteers program, volunteering at Franciscan Children’s Hospital in Brighton. Originally from New Jersey, Jonathan returned to Boston in 2021 to join the Asthma Research Center. In his free time, Jonathan enjoys spending time with friends and family, running, and watching sports, especially NY Yankees baseball.
Amira
Research CoordinatorAmira graduated from Amherst College in May of 2022 with a BA in Biochemistry. She previously worked for Brigham as a remote intern researching barriers to HIV treatment in South Africa. At Amherst she did research in E. coli antibiotic resistance profiles and enjoyed working as a Chemistry and English teacher’s assistant. She was also part of the Amherst College Choral Society. Amira is from Denver, Colorado where she volunteers at her church making crafts with little kids. In her free time, Amira likes to play piano and the qanun, and she likes to cook and crochet.