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
Director
Dr. 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
Craig Hersh, MD
Dr. Craig Hersh is a pulmonary physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He completed medical school and internal medicine residency at the University of Pennsylvania and fellowships in pulmonary and critical care medicine and genetic epidemiology at Harvard and BWH. He directs the COPD clinic and the Alpha-1 Foundation Clinical Resource Center at BWH. His research combines clinical information and genetics to understand outcomes and subtypes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. He has been the Principal Investigator or co-investigator on multiple COPD genetic epidemiology, genetic, and biomarker studies supported by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, foundations, and industry partners. He is a past chair of the American Thoracic Society Section on Genetics and Genomics.
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.
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.
Victoria Forth, PA-C
Victoria Forth is a Physician Assistant at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where she has practiced in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine for the last decade.
In addition to her clinical work, Victoria is an accomplished clinical researcher and published author with more than 25 peer-reviewed publications and over 15 national presentations. Her research has focused on asthma, pulmonary medicine, patient-centered outcomes, and healthcare communication, with contributions to major studies published in leading journals including the New England Journal of Medicine and CHEST.
Our Research Staff
Angeles
Lab Manager
Originally 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.
Jean
Senior Project Manager
Jean has spent the past 10 years at the Brigham and Women’s Asthma Research Center, supporting asthma research and clinical trials operations. She previously worked on the PCORI-funded PREPARE study, which focused on improving health outcomes among African Americans/Blacks and Hispanic/Latinos communities. Originally from New York and a graduate of Stonehill College, Jean now calls Massachusetts home. She enjoys spending time with her family, being outdoors and cheering on the Boston teams.
Carolyn
Research Coordinator
Carolyn graduated from Middlebury College in February of 2025 with a BA in Neuroscience. During her time there, she worked as a Research Assistant in the Dash Lab studying infraslow oscillations and their effects on attention and neuronal excitability through EEGs. Additionally, Carolyn was a member of the Middlebury Women’s Soccer team and a teaching assistant in the Neuroscience department. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, watching sports, and trying new coffee shops.
Inés
Research Coordinator
Inés graduated from Amherst College in May of 2025 with a BA in Biochemistry and Spanish. During her time at Amherst, Inés worked in the Purdy Lab studying the molecular mechanisms that underlie host-microbe interactions in the bacterial pathogen Vibrio cholerae. On campus, she also served as an EMT, the College’s Head Tour Guide, a Community Advisor, and a Spanish peer tutor. Originally from New York City, Inés enjoys experimenting with new recipes, staying active through long walks and workouts, and spending time with family and friends.
Amy
Research Coordinator
After graduating from Northeastern University (NEU) with a B.S. in Health Science and minors in Cell and Molecular Biology and Nutrition, Amy joined ARC as a Research Coordinator. During undergrad, she worked in the Li Lab, evaluating and developing an app with culturally sensitive mental health resources for Chinese-American adolescents. Alongside being a teaching assistant in the public health department, she expressed herself creatively as president of Pages for Pediatrics at NEU, an organization dedicated to writing and illustrating fun and educational children’s books on pediatric disabilities and illnesses, and as the Design and PR Chairs of NEU’s Phi Delta Epsilon chapter. Since moving from California to Boston for school and work, Amy has been enjoying spending her free time knitting, trying new restaurants and cafes, and bouldering.
Jonathan
Research Coordinator
Jonathan graduated from Hamilton College in May 2026 with a BA in Neuroscience with a minor in Art. During his time at Hamilton, Jonathan worked in the Robinson lab modeling addiction behavior in rats using chemogenetic techniques and completed his thesis on visualizing CGRP in methylisothiazolinone-challenged skin using immunofluorescence in the Tonc lab. On campus, Jonathan was a member of the Scottish dancing club and an installation assistant for the Kennedy Center for the Studio Arts. In his free time, Jonathan enjoys oil painting, watching new shows and movies, and going on walks.
Victoria
Research Coordinator
Victoria graduated from Middlebury College in May 2026 with a BA in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and Spanish. During her time at Middlebury, Victoria worked in the Gupta Lab conducting a small molecule screening to find a treatment for nemaline myopathy. On campus, she served as Captain of the Varsity Women’s Cross-country team, a member of the Varsity Women’s Track and Field team, a head public speaking coach, a teaching assistant in the biology department, and a volunteer Spanish medical interpreter at the local health clinic. Growing up in Massachusetts, Victoria enjoys running and triathlon races, experimenting with new recipes, skiing, and spending time with family and friends.
Evan
Research Coordinator
Evan graduated from Bates College in Maine with a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience. He then joined the Family Center for Neurofibromatosis and Schwannomatosis at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he served as the lead study coordinator for a nationwide intervention aimed at improving the quality of care for underserved patients and parents living with Neurofibromatosis Type 1. Evan joined the ARC as a research coordinator in the fall of 2026. In his free time, Evan enjoys cooking new dishes, exploring Boston by bike, and spending time with his family in Vermont.
Reanna
Research Coordinator
Reanna graduated from Northeastern University with a B.S. in Behavioral Neuroscience and a minor in Data Science. During her time there, she worked in the Im and Castro Labs at Massachusetts General Hospital. Her research examined extracellular vesicle proteins, across breast, pancreatic, and head and neck cancer models, as potential liquid biopsy biomarkers for earlier detection of cancers. Beyond the lab, Reanna worked as a patient care technician on Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s hematology/oncology and bone marrow transplant unit. Additionally, she served as the Director of Student Wellness in Northeastern’s Student Government Association and as Outreach Chair for the university’s NMDP chapter, helping expand and diversify the blood stem cell donor registry. In her free time, Reanna enjoys working out, trying new restaurants, and spending time with friends and family.
Vinh
Laboratory Technician
Vinh is a Laboratory Technician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He earned his Master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Science from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and his Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Prior to joining Brigham and Women’s Hospital, he worked as a Laboratory Research Assistant at MCPHS, where he developed HPLC assay methods for detecting retinols in commercial products and mentored PharmD students in mammalian cell culture techniques. He also has experience in pharmacy operations, having worked as a Pharmacy Technician at Maxim Pharmacy. His research interests include analytical method optimization, stability testing, and bioassays. In his free time, he enjoys exploring new data analysis techniques, carving up black diamonds, and trying different coffee shops.