Kathryn Blake, PharmD

Asthma affects about six million children in the U.S. and remains a major cause of emergency visits, hospitalizations and missed school days. Clinical trials are essential for finding better ways to prevent asthma attacks and improve daily asthma control. Traditional clinical trials, however, often require frequent in-person visits, which can be difficult for families because of travel, time commitments and scheduling challenges. New approaches, sometimes called decentralized trials, use telehealth visits and remote monitoring to make participation easier. This project will compare data collected from a traditional asthma clinical trial with data from a largely virtual trial conducted through the American Lung Association Airways Clinical Research Centers (ACRC) Network. By examining detailed records of staff time and study activities, the research will determine whether virtual approaches can make asthma trials more efficient and accessible, helping future studies reach more families and improve asthma care.