Our History

The UNC Adult Asthma Program (UNC AAP) was founded in the spring of 2020 by the joint efforts of respiratory therapist Kristie McNeill and UNC undergraduates Charlotte Burch and Maggie Epes. These individuals recognized that many patients have uncontrolled asthma due to an incomplete understanding of their disease and unfamiliarity with resources available to them. They envisioned that important information could be easily disseminated to patients through a simple app on a smart-phone, tablet, or computer. It is our hope that this educational and informational resource, coupled with emerging digital inhaler technology, will improve asthma control for many people suffering from this very common yet very manageable disease.

We hope to accomplish these aims through educational resources (videos, self-assessment quizzes) in conjunction with in-person or tele-visit consultations with asthma specialists in the Department of Medicine. For patients with severe asthma, we provide access to FDA-approved targeted biological therapies and clinical trials of new therapies under investigation. Our asthma program maintains close ties with the Marsico Lung Institute, where state-of-the art research is conducted daily to better understand the underlying biological pathways responsible for the development of asthma and other lung diseases so that new treatments can be developed.

Our People

Stephen Tilley, MD

Pulmonologist, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine

Stephen Schworer, MD, PhD

Allergist, Fourth Year Post Doc Fellow, Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology

Roy Pleasants, PharmD

Pharmacist, Executive Director of the NC Thoracic Society, Clinical Research Coordinator

Charlotte Burch, BS

Co-Founder of UNC Adult Asthma Program, Former Clinical Research Coordinator

Our Publications