Age, Race and Gender Working Group
The Age, Race and Gender Working Group is led by Dr. Dawn DeMeo. It meets via videoconference the second Monday of each month at 12:00 PM Mountain / 2:00 PM Eastern. For additional information, contact Dr. DeMeo (redld@channing.harvard.edu).
The Age, Race and Gender working group is focused broadly on research associated with drivers of lung disease disparities. The working group has included epidemiology and genetic and genomic research and has motivated an additional focus on the intersectionality of age, race/ethnicity/ancestry and sex/gender. Lately, a more broad focus on the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) has been a critical emphasis of the working group.
Clinical Epidemiology Working Group
The Clinical Epidemiology Working Group is led by co-chairs Drs. Nirupama Putcha and MeiLan Han. It meets via videoconference the first Tuesday of each month at 11:00 AM Mountain / 1:00 PM Eastern. For additional information you can contact Dr. Putcha (nputcha1@jhmi.edu) or Dr. Han (mrking@umich.edu).
The Clinical Epidemiology working group is composed of investigators interested in studying clinical parameters and phenotypes that broaden our understanding of development and progression of COPD along the spectrum of disease. Recent work from the clinical epidemiology group includes analysis of aging and frailty in COPD, comorbid chronic diseases such as anemia and mental health disorders, clinical risk factors for exacerbations, understanding clinical predictors or mortality, and performing in-depth study of respiratory and other medication use as they relate to outcomes in COPD. Our group includes individuals from varying backgrounds from senior investigators to junior investigators and trainees, with very engaged scientific discussion. Meetings include presentations of ideas for manuscript and ancillary proposals needing feedback, presentation of data analysis in progress, and also review of completed works.
Clinical Translation Working Group
The Clinical Translation Working Group is led by Dr. James Crapo. It meets via videoconference every other Friday at 12:00 pm Mountain / 2:00 pm Eastern. For additional information, you can contact Dr. Crapo (crapoj@njhealth.org).
The Clinical Translation Working Group is composed of investigators focused on how to translate COPDGene findings into clinical practice and how to expand these recommendations broadly across pulmonary medicine and primary care providers. This includes identification of subjects that have enhanced progression of COPD symptoms and the potential design of clinical trials that can validate therapeutic recommendations for these individuals.
Imaging Working Group
The Imaging Working Group meets via videoconference on the first Monday of each month at 8:00 AM Mountain / 10:00 AM Eastern. In case of holiday, the meeting moves to the second Monday. For additional information, you can contact the committee co-chairs:
Stephen M Humphries, PhD (humphriess@njhealth.org)
David A Lynch, MB BCh (lynchd@njhealth.org)
Raul San Jose Estépar, PhD (rjosest@bwh.harvard.edu)
The Imaging Working Group of the COPDGene study project plays a pivotal role in advancing our understanding of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) through quantitative imaging techniques. Our primary goals include the detailed characterization of pulmonary structure and function using state-of-the-art imaging technologies and deep learning, enabling the identification of specific imaging biomarkers that correlate with various phenotypes of COPD. Through collaborative research, we aim to enhance diagnostic precision, improve patient stratification, and facilitate the potential use of imaging as an intermediate endpoint of COPD. By harnessing the power of advanced imaging modalities, we aim to uncover novel insights into the pathophysiology of COPD, ultimately contributing to better clinical outcomes and quality of life for patients afflicted with this condition.
Musculoskeletal Working Group
The Musculoskeletal Working Group meets via videoconference four times per year on the fourth Wednesday of January, April, July and October at 12:00 PM Mountain / 2:00 PM Eastern. For information you can contact the working group chair, Elizabeth A. Regan, MD, PhD (ReganE@njhealth.org).
COPD has manifestations beyond the lung and further represents a disease of accelerated aging. As a result of these characteristics, it is critical to include the aging musculoskeletal system in our understanding of the disease. Multimorbidity is common and associations between osteoporosis and emphysema have been established as well as important associations of COPD to changes in body composition, including obesity and cachexia. The musculoskeletal working group invites researchers with interests in these areas and other aspects of musculoskeletal disorders to join and attend our quarterly calls. We encourage researchers working in these areas within COPDGene to share their work with the group in order to avoid conflicts and overlaps in various projects.
Racial and Spatial Analysis Working Group
The Racial and Spatial Working Group is led by Dr. Elizabeth Regan. This group is currently available on a consulting basis with Drs. Regan and Crooks, but it is not holding regular calls. Individual location data for COPDGene participants is not available for data release but analyses involving spatial analyses can be addressed. For additional information, contact Dr. Regan via email (ReganE@njhealth.org).
Social and Behavioral Sciences Working Group
The Social and Behavioral Sciences Working Group is led by Karin Hoth, PhD. It meets via videoconference quarterly. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at 9:00 AM Mountain / 11:00 AM Eastern. For information, contact Dr. Hoth (Karin-Hoth@uiowa.edu).
The mission of this working group is to bring together COPDGene investigators interested in behavioral factors that impact patient outcomes. The working group provides a forum to coordinate analysis of the COPDGene HADS and Mini-Cog data.
Subtyping Working Group
The Subtyping Working Group is led by Drs. Pete Castaldi and Michael Cho. It meets via videoconference on Wednesdays at 8:30 AM Mountain / 10:30 AM Eastern.
The mission of the COPDGene Subytping working group is to coordinate efforts in COPDGene that use clinical, supervised, and unsupervised machine learning methods to identify subtypes and explore COPD heterogeneity. We coordinate efforts with the Systems Biology working group in using omics data.
Systems Biology Working Group
The Systems Biology Working Group meets via videoconference the first Monday of each month from 11:00 AM Mountain / 1:00 PM Eastern. Dr. Russell Bowler and Dr. Abby Saferali co-chair this group. You can contact them for additional information (BowlerR@njhealth.org; aabida.saferali@channing.harvard.edu).
The purpose of the System Biology working group is to 1) generate and curate COPDGene ‘Omics datasets, 2) discuss multi- ‘Omics proposals and facilitate data sharing and investigator access to data, 3) share and discuss ongoing multi- ‘Omics analyses including the development and implementation of integrative ‘Omics methods, and 4) help prepare topics for COPDGene workshops.