Children's Hospital Brings Renowned Asthma Researcher

Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh named Dr. Fernando Holguin as clinical director of the new Pediatric Environmental Medicine Program. Dr. Holguin and his team are to initiate a long-term research study later this year. The research will begin by pinpointing regional communities that have asthma problems and studying environmental risk factors that might impact asthma in those regions. Dr. Holguin says asthma is very complex, and a variety of environmental factors could cause it, including air pollution, pest infestations, and possibly, childhood obesity. Once risks are identified, he says research will then focus on developing education and treatment strategies for those communities.

Dr. Holguin comes to Pittsburgh from Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, where he was the director of Emory's Asthma Translational Research Program.