Fernando Martinez

Fernando Martinez

Professor, Pediatrics
Director, Asthma / Airway Disease Research Center
Endowed Chair, Swift - McNear
Regents Professor
Professor, Genetics - GIDP
Professor, BIO5 Institute
Contact
(520) 626-5954

Research Interest

Dr. Fernando D. Martinez is a Regents’ Professor and Director of the Asthma & Airway Disease Research Center at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Dr. Martinez is a world-renowned expert, and one of the most highly regarded researchers, in the field of childhood asthma. His primary research interests are the natural history, genetics, and treatment of childhood asthma. His groundbreaking research has had an impact on his field in numerous ways, most prominent among them the development of the concept of the early origins of asthma and COPD. This concept is now widely accepted as the potential basis for the design of new strategies for the prevention of these devastating illnesses affecting millions of children and adults worldwide. In addition, Dr. Martinez has made important contributions to our understanding of the role of gene-environment interactions in the development of asthma and allergies. He has also been the principal investigator of one of the Clinical Centers that are part of the NHLBI Asthma Treatment Networks, which have contributed fundamental new evidence on which to base national guidelines for the treatment of the disease. Dr. Martinez currently serves on national scientific boards including the NHLBI National Advisory Council and the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. He was a member of the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program that was responsible for the development of the Expert Panel Report: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma in 1997 and its first revision in 2001. He also has been a member of the FDA Pulmonary-Allergy Drugs Advisory Committee and the Board of Extramural Advisors of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Dr. Martinez’s research and vision are well detailed in more than 250 original research papers and editorials, many in collaboration with investigators from all over the world. He is frequently invited to give keynote presentations at national and international meetings.

Publications

Croteau-Chonka, D. C., Qiu, W., Martinez, F. D., Strunk, R. C., Lemanske, R. F., Liu, A. H., Gilliland, F. D., Millstein, J., Gauderman, W. J., Ober, C., Krishnan, J. A., White, S. R., Naureckas, E. T., Nicolae, D. L., Barnes, K. C., London, S. J., Barraza-Villarreal, A., Carey, V. J., Weiss, S. T., , Raby, B. A., et al. (2017). Gene Expression Profiling in Blood Provides Reproducible Molecular Insights into Asthma Control. American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine, 195(2), 179-188.

Maintaining optimal symptom control remains the primary objective of asthma treatment. Better understanding of the biologic underpinnings of asthma control may lead to the development of improved clinical and pharmaceutical approaches.

von Mutius, E., & Martinez, F. D. (2016). Inconclusive Results of Randomized Trials of Prenatal Vitamin D for Asthma Prevention in Offspring: Curbing the Enthusiasm. JAMA, 315(4), 347-8.
Martinez, F. D. (2016). Safety of Fluticasone plus Salmeterol in Asthma--Reassuring Data, but No Final Answer. The New England journal of medicine, 374(19), 1887-8.
Bacharier, L. B., Guilbert, T. W., Mauger, D. T., Boehmer, S., Beigelman, A., Fitzpatrick, A. M., Jackson, D. J., Baxi, S. N., Benson, M., Burnham, C. A., Cabana, M., Castro, M., Chmiel, J. F., Covar, R., Daines, M., Gaffin, J. M., Gentile, D. A., Holguin, F., Israel, E., , Kelly, H. W., et al. (2015). Early Administration of Azithromycin and Prevention of Severe Lower Respiratory Tract Illnesses in Preschool Children With a History of Such Illnesses: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA, 314(19), 2034-44.

Many preschool children develop recurrent, severe episodes of lower respiratory tract illness (LRTI). Although viral infections are often present, bacteria may also contribute to illness pathogenesis. Strategies that effectively attenuate such episodes are needed.

Fitzpatrick, A. M., Jackson, D. J., Mauger, D. T., Boehmer, S. J., Phipatanakul, W., Sheehan, W. J., Moy, J. N., Paul, I. M., Bacharier, L. B., Cabana, M. D., Covar, R., Holguin, F., Lemanske, R. F., Martinez, F. D., Pongracic, J. A., Beigelman, A., Baxi, S. N., Benson, M., Blake, K., , Chmiel, J. F., et al. (2016). Individualized therapy for persistent asthma in young children. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology, 138(6), 1608-1618.e12.

Phenotypic presentations in young children with asthma are varied and might contribute to differential responses to asthma controller medications.