History of the Division
Training in Pulmonary Medicine began at UNC in 1952 with the opening of a 4 year medical school in Chapel Hill. Dr. Tom Barnett founded the division with a research focus on the mechanics and control of ventilation in lung diseases. In 1975, Dr. Philip Bromberg was recruited from the Ohio State University to succeed Dr. Barnett as chief of the division, establishing fiberoptic bronchoscopy and inhalational toxicology capabilities at UNC. In 1975, the division obtained its first NIH training grant to train physician/scientists, and has maintained this training grant for the past 31 years. During his tenure as chief, Dr. Bromberg founded the Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma, and Lung Biology (CEMALB). In 1980, together with EPA colleagues, a Cooperative Agreement was established and funded by NIH bringing considerable resources to Chapel Hill to study air pollution, inhalational toxicology, and lung biology. Today the CEMALB conducts a diverse array of investigation into the mechanisms by which inhalational pollutants influence lung biology, physiology, and pathophysiology related to asthma and COPD. In 1977, Dr. Richard Boucher was recruited to UNC to initiate a research program centered on ion and water transport across airway epithelia, leading to the development of a research program focused on the pathogenesis of cystic fibrosis. In 1990, Dr. Boucher succeeded Dr. Bromberg as chief, and the CF center evolved into one of the largest CF research centers in the world. Research expanded into all aspects of airway epithelial cell biology, expanding the focus of work to other diseases afflicting the airways including COPD and other causes of bronchiectasis. |
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