WHAT: The National Institutes of Health is partnering with other Federal agencies to host a national meeting to develop a National Action Plan for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD. The COPD Town Hall Meeting will take place February 29 and March 1 on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Md.
COPD is a lung disease in which a person’s airways are partially blocked, making it difficult to breathe. The condition is the number 3 cause of death in the United States and is responsible for more than 135,000 deaths per year.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the NIH is inviting representatives from throughout the COPD community to gather for this Town Hall Meeting to determine specific goals and objectives for the National Action Plan. Participants will help identify top potential initiatives and efforts to reduce the burden of COPD in the United States. Topics to be discussed could span from finding ways to empower patients, families and communities to recognize and reduce the burden of COPD as well as seeking ways to increase and sustain research to better understand prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and management of the condition.
WHEN: Monday, February 29 (8:30 A.M. – 4:30 P.M.) and Tuesday, March 1 (8:30 A.M. to 4 P.M.)
WHERE: NIH main campus, Natcher Building, 45 Center Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20894
WHO: James Kiley, Ph.D., director, Division of Lung Diseases, NHLBI, NIH, is available to comment on the COPD Town Hall Meeting.
CONTACT: For more information, to attend or cover the event, or to schedule an interview, please contact the NHLBI Office of Science Policy, Engagement, Education, and Communications at 301-496-4236 or nhlbi_news@nhlbi.nih.gov.