The laboratory (Pediatric Asthma Epidemiology Research Unit) of Young J. Juhn, M.D., researches the impact of asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema on the risk of emerging or reemerging infectious and/or chronic diseases.

As the development and discovery of important findings in this area of research continues, effort is focused on determining that asthma is a systemic disease going beyond a mere airway inflammatory disease. Dr. Juhn's research unit elucidates the mechanistic underpinnings for the influence of asthma or other atopic conditions on infection and other diseases (i.e., systemic effect).

At the same time, under the framework of a broader understanding of health in the social context, Dr. Juhn's team examines the role of socioeconomic status upon health. The goal is to understand how biomedical (e.g., immune system) and macro-environmental factors (e.g., socioeconomics) interact in a way that either promotes or compromises health.

Dr. Juhn has developed and validated a housing-based socioeconomic measure (HOUSES index) to apply to epidemiologic research concerning health disparities and differences in a variety of health outcomes. This newly developed index has shown to be a useful tool, allowing investigators to work more effectively. It enables researchers to overcome the absence of socioeconomic measures in commonly used data sources (e.g., administrative data), conduct geospatial analysis in health disparities research and apply a life course approach.

Focus areas

• • Determine the influence of asthma and other atopic conditions (allergic rhinitis or eczema) on the risks of emerging and reemerging microbial infections or chronic diseases (e.g., heart disease) at a population level
  • Detect mechanisms explaining why asthmatics have increased risks of microbial infections and chronic diseases (e.g., heart disease)
  • Identify therapeutic options and public health interventions to protect people with asthma or other atopic conditions from serious microbial infections or chronic diseases
  • Determine the role of socioeconomic environment (past or current) on health outcomes (i.e., research on health disparities and health differences by socioeconomic status)
  • Elucidate the mechanistic pathways through which socioeconomic status operates its impact on health outcomes
  • Apply Dr. Juhn's newly developed housing-based socioeconomic index (HOUSES) to research, public health and patient care

Significance to patient care

Discoveries by Dr. Juhn and his research team include:

• Determine the influence of asthma and other atopic conditions (allergic rhinitis or eczema) on the risks of emerging and reemerging microbial infections or chronic diseases (e.g., heart disease) at a population level
• Detect mechanisms explaining why asthmatics have increased risks of microbial infections and chronic diseases (e.g., heart disease)
• Identify therapeutic options and public health interventions to protect people with asthma or other atopic conditions from serious microbial infections or chronic diseases
• Determine the role of socioeconomic environment (past or current) on health outcomes (i.e., research on health disparities and health differences by socioeconomic status)
• Elucidate the mechanistic pathways through which socioeconomic status operates its impact on health outcomes
• Apply Dr. Juhn's newly developed housing-based socioeconomic index (HOUSES) to research, public health and patient care