What are the molecular phenotypic differences in blood and tissue of IPF ILD and how do they relate to disease course and potential response to therapy. There is a need to gain understanding in humans of the differences and similarities in iPF and iLD in general to eliminate the idiopathic nature and establish human targets. The challenge is coupling such research to longer term studies/outcomes and potentially clinical ...more »

What trainee outcomes will best fulfill the mission of NHLBI, and what programs best promote these outcomes?

What is the comparative effectiveness of short-term vs. chronic (indefinite) pulmonary rehabilitation on patient-reported outcomes (symptom frequency, activities of daily living, quality of life, sleep quality, exacerbations)?

The lack of large-scale data sources that provide a) detailed clinical phenotyping; b) longitudinal assessment of independent variables (incident events, medications, testing); c) collection of a broad range of outcomes, including patient-reported outcomes including health status.

What are the biologic mechanisms and risk factors that lead to prolonged morbidity in survivors of ARDS and sepsis? What factors during the acute disease phase distinguish patients that recover from those that develop long-term physical, psychological, or cognitive deficits?

Does a protocol-based screening for commonly occurring comorbid conditions in patients with COPD (eg. CAD, CHF, depression, sleep apnea) improve management and outcomes for patients with COPD?

What ICU organizational factors, such as staffing, protocols, or telemedicine, best facilitate adherence to evidence-based practices and improve patient outcomes?

From Cochrane Review NOV 20 2014 RB Haynes “It is uncertain how medicine adherence can consistently be improved so that the full health benefits of medicines can be realized. We need more advanced methods for researching ways to improve medicine adherence, including better interventions, better ways of measuring adherence, and studies that include sufficient patients to draw conclusions on clinically important effects.” ...more »

What is the comparative effectiveness of brief interventions to teach patients respiratory inhaler use (e.g., verbal and written instructions) vs. teach-to-goal interventions (brief interventions plus demonstration of correct technique, patient teach-back, feedback, and repeat instruction if needed) on respiratory inhaler technique and patient-reported outcomes (symptom frequency, activities of daily living, quality of ...more »

What is the comparative effectiveness and cost effectiveness of counseling plus nicotine replacement vs. counseling plus bupropion vs. counseling plus varenicline on smoking cessation rates, patient-reported outcomes (symptom frequency, activities of daily living, quality of life, sleep quality, exacerbations), and COPD and non-COPD morbidity/mortality?

Does palliative care and/or hospice care as practiced across communities improve end-of-life care for COPD – specifically, does it reduce the burden of symptoms, improve HRQoL and satisfaction, reduce utilization in last 6 months of life (i.e. hospital visits, cost, invasive ventilation use, etc), improve the end-of-life experience, and increase the concordance of place of death to expressed patient preferences?

Can cardiorespiratory fitness prior to hematopoietic cell transplantation be improved and will this limit morbidity and mortality following transplantation?