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The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) is working with the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) on important asthma research. The goal of this partnership is to provide helpful data to help reduce asthma disparities among minority groups.

NMQF is a health care research and education nonprofit. Their mission is to reduce patient risk by assuring the best possible care for all. They combine data and knowledge to help end health disparities. This data helps health care providers, professionals, administrators, researchers, policy makers, and community groups give proper health care to minority groups.

NMQF maintains a National Health Index. This index provides demographic information about chronic disease numbers, costs, outcomes, and trends. Asthma is one of the diseases they gather information about. The index offers data for:

  • Academic research
  • Patient outcomes
  • Advocacy
  • Clinical and commercial operational uses

AAFA is working with NMQF on their Asthma Index. We recruited a panel of experts, including patients and caregivers, to guide the development and use of the Asthma Index. Our input also adds the patient voice to this project. This data will help give insight that can help reduce asthma disparities.

This is not the first time AAFA has worked with NMQF in the past. They helped review our “Asthma Disparities in America” report.

LaJoy Johnson-Law is the parent of a young daughter with asthma. She has worked closely with AAFA to share her story about being a caregiver to a child with asthma. She is very involved in education and advocacy efforts in the Washington, D.C., area. She is the parent support specialist at Advocates for Justice and Education (AJE). There she continues her advocacy efforts for families who have children with disabilities.

LaJoy is also a member of AAFA’s Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC). She will represent AAFA’s community on NMQF’s Asthma Index Advisory Board.


Asthma Index advisors include:

  • Alan Baptist, MD, MPH, Director of the University of Michigan Asthma Program at Dominos Farms, and Associate Professor of Allergy and Immunology at the University of Michigan
  • Melanie Carver, Chief Mission Officer for AAFA, caregiver and patient advisor
  • Sanaz Eftekhari, Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Research, AAFA
  • Maureen George, PhD, RN, AEC, FAAN, Associate Professor of Nursing at the Columbia School of Nursing
  • Lynn Gerald, PhD, MSPH, Associate Dean of Research of the College of Public Health at the University of Arizona
  • Katie Horton, JD, RN, MPH, Research Professor of Health Policy at the Milken Institute of Public Health
  • Hannah Jaffee, Research Analyst, AAFA
  • LaJoy Johnson-Law, caregiver and patient advisor
  • Sydney Leibel, MD, MPH, Allergist/Immunologist at Rady Children’s Specialists of San Diego, and Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine
  • Kenneth Mendez, Chief Executive Officer and President for AAFA, caregiver and patient advisor
  • Shilpa Patel, MD, MPH, Medical Director of IMPACT DC Asthma Clinic, and Emergency Medicine Physician at Children’s National Hospital
  • Janet Phoenix, MD, MPH, Assistant Research Professor at the George Washington University School of Public Health

NMQF’s efforts are critical. AAFA is honored to be a part of these research efforts. Watch our blog for more information on the Asthma Index in the coming months.

Get Involved

You can also join our mission to promote pathways for equity in asthma and allergy care resulting in healthier outcomes.

Have you faced or seen racial or ethnic bias in asthma and/or allergy care? Share your story so health care providers and communities can learn from you. Are you a community leader or health care provider working on solutions? We want to hear what motivates you to help marginalized groups living with asthma and allergies. Send your story to stories@aafa.org.

Looking for an idea on how to make a difference? Join our community and become a patient spokesperson.

Follow us on social media, tag us, and use the hashtag #HealthEquityNOW to help raise awareness, get involved, and share your reasons why this is a key concern for you.

You can also donate to support our community outreach, research, programming, and policy work to help put an end to disparities in asthma and allergies.

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