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ASTHMA &
ALLERGIES

that makes it easy to learn, adopt and utilize,” she said. “I realized
“We as health care
one day that a visiting physician used a maneuver that to my knowl-
professionals don’t tend edge I had crafted and taught to a few students and colleagues. After
to blame patients who watching him use the maneuver and in essence, teach it to other
health care professionals in the room, I began wondering if it was
have had a myocardial mine. Maybe I was wrong and had seen it somewhere else and
infarction or a stroke buried it in my subconscious until I needed it.
for leading a sedentary “After the crisis was over, I talked to him, and he told me he had
lifestyle, etc.,” she said. learned it from someone who happened to have been a person I
originally taught. I began to realize that the ripple effect of good
“In my experience, this education travels far beyond those who are directly taught. I love
type of blaming is not treating my individual patients and supporting their caregivers and
DR. SANDRA ADAMS family members. However, I’ve discovered I am able to impact ex-
productive and may ponentially more lives by educating others, which provides me with
result in a toxic/adversarial atmosphere.” personal satisfaction and motivates me to continue to improve.”
Using this same approach, Adams said she founded the WipeDis-
eases Foundation (https://wipediseases.org), a not-for-profit, re-
Adams said that while she consistently maintained empathy and source used by many health care professionals to better serve their
support for these patients, she was frustrated for many years when patients with COPD and asthma.
trying to manage patients with COPD because she didn’t feel that
she could really do anything to help them.
“Fast forward to my second year of residency when I just hap- For Dr. Jay Peters, an early
pened to “fall into” a research study in COPD,” Adams recalls. “I interest in pulmonary/critical
was amazed to learn about so much misinformation regarding care in medical school led to
COPD and that there were strategies, truly proven, to help patients a career-long focus on re-
with obstructive lung diseases such as COPD and asthma. I was ex- search and investigation.
cited to discover that with proper management, these patients could
live long and productive lives.” “I have always been
Adams said she wanted to let everyone know what she was dis-
covering and she was sure that research was going to be the area very interested in
where she was going to make the biggest difference. pulmonary infections
“That was until I realized I could reach even more lives by be- and how they affect the
coming the “Johnny Appleseed” of COPD and asthma education body,” Peters said.
by translating complex topics into practical and simple strategies
through teaching,” she said.
DR. JAY PETERS
Adams said her approach to education is the same whether she “When I first came to San
is teaching medical or nursing students, practicing primary care cli- Antonio, we ran a NIH (Na-
nicians or academic pulmonary/critical care specialists. tional Institute of Health) study in the University Hospital ICUs
“My bottom line messages may be different, but in all situations, and developed a primate ICU to evaluate the role of pulmonary in-
I provide information in a clear, concise and understandable manner fections in ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome) and its role

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