Dr. Jamie Sturgill Leads Discovery Dialogue on New Pathways to Controlling Asthma
Jamie Sturgill, Ph.D., assistant professor and director of Biobehavioral Laboratory Services for the VCU School of Nursing, led a Discovery Dialogues presentation in the Main Hospital’s Learning Center on Monday, April 11 to a mixed audience of VCU researchers, health care professionals and staff.
In her presentation titled, “A Breath of Fresh Air – Discovering New Pathways to Control Asthma,” Sturgill reviewed the immune response in allergic asthma, such as airway hyperreactivity, eosinophil infiltration, and mucus hypersecretion, in addition to the current treatment options.
“At this time there is no way to prevent asthma, only control or treat it,” Sturgill said. “This is largely due to the fact that asthma is a large umbrella term and it’s difficult to characterize every type of allergy people have.”
The residents of Richmond, Virginia experience, first hand, the adverse side effects of spring allergies. Last year, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s yearly Asthma Capitals report listed Richmond as the second most challenging city to live in with asthma.
Sturgill explains this as Richmond being a ‘perfect storm’ for asthma triggers and cited diesel exhaust from Interstate 64 and Interstate 95, mold in the James River, a large population of dust mites due to the city’s hot and humid temperature, and an urban environment as just a few of the contributing factors.
First image up top: Jamie Sturgill, Ph.D., assistant professor and director of Biobehavioral Laboratory Services for the VCU School of Nursing
Categories Health Equity, Research