Episode # 49 Advocating for COPD: Awareness, Resources and Research

We believe in the power of the patient voice to provide inspiration and hope to others in similar situations. That’s why we were thrilled to sit down with John Linnell, an individual who lives with COPD and who, since his diagnosis, has been advocating for COPD awareness, resources, and research.   John Linnell, COPD Patient John was diagnosed in 2005 and his journey led him to key roles in advocacy, in which he is active. John is a member of the Board of Directors for the US COPD Coalition and is an Advocacy Captain for the COPD Foundation. He serves on the Executive Board of Directors for EFFORTS (an international support group for the COPD community), a member of the Governing Board for the COPD PPRN (Patient Powered Research Network), and the Board of Directors of Right2Breathe, a nonprofit emphasizing early diagnosis and patient education. John also sat as a Consumer Reviewer for CDMRP (Congressional Directed Medical Research Programs) for the Department of Defense and now mentors new Consumer Reviewers.   John was a Co-investigator for a 3-year PCORI-funded study at Johns Hopkins: “Impact of a Peer Support Program Amongst COPD Patients and Their Caregivers”.   CMS/Medicare recently appointed John to a term as a patient representative on a Technical Expert Panel for the 2024 Impact Assessment of CMS Quality and Efficiency Measures. He also was asked to join the Patient Engagement Collaborative for the FDA. He also is a Patient Scholar for DIA (Drug Information Association) and spoke at their annual international conference this past year.   In addition, John is a frequent speaker and/or panel member at numerous national conferences dealing with both respiratory issues as well as advising digital health start-up enterprises as a Patient Advisor.