Research Summary
Dr. McCormack is a pulmonologist with a research focus on the effect of air pollution, diet, and obesity on populations with underlying obstructive lung disease. She is the Director of the Bridging Research, Lung Health, and the Environment (BREATHE) Center. HOME (breathecenter.org) She has been funded by the NIEHS and the EPA to conduct home and school-based environmental cohort studies to understand the effects of indoor air pollution on children and adults with asthma and adults with COPD. Her work is largely focused in Baltimore City but has extended to rural areas of Washington State and Appalachia, as well as the Caribbean. Dr. McCormack has conducted trials of dietary and environmental interventions to understand the effect of diet and obesity as modifiers of susceptibility to air pollution. Her long-term goal is to reduce environmental health disparities to improve the health of susceptible patient populations with underlying obstructive lung disease.
Clinical Trials
Currently, Dr. McCormack has multiple active research studies.
D.R.E.A.M. Determining the Relationship between Environment, sleep, and AsthMa - Pediatric Research (IRB00290724)
D.R.E.A.M. is a study of children between the ages of 8-17 years old. The goal of this study is to examine the link between environmental exposures and sleep patterns in children with asthma. Asthma Research (breathecenter.org)
Study of HIV Infection in the Etiology of Lung Disease (SHIELD) AIR: Air Pollution Impact on Respiratory Health in HIV (IRB00176082)
The goal is to extend SHIELD to address our overarching hypothesis that PLWH represent a population that is uniquely susceptible to the health effects of air pollution and that pollutant exposure contributes to the excess lung function impairment and respiratory morbidity among PLWH.
Deep Functional Phenotyping of the ALA Lung Health Cohort (IRB00273188)
The goal of this project is to study modifiable exposures and risk factors that influence lung health by their effects on the structural and functional changes in airways, pulmonary vasculature, and lung parenchyma among young adults in the United States. Participate in the Lung Health Cohort Study | American Lung Association
Implementation of Asthma Community Home and School Management Program (Asthma CHAMPS; IRB00286330)
The goal of this project is to evaluate the implementation of a tailored multi-level asthma intervention program (Asthma CHAMPS: Community and Home Asthma Management Program in Schools) among elementary schools in Baltimore City to improve asthma outcomes among children in Baltimore city. Current Programs
Motivational interviewing and air cleaners for smokers with COPD (MOVE COPD; IRB00185955)
The goal is to better understand active smokers with COPD, which represent the largest subset of COPD patients. We propose a randomized controlled trial to test a home-based intervention (air cleaner placement and motivational interviewing for smoking cessation and secondhand smoke reduction) to improve health in smokers with COPD. COPD Research
Implementation of a multilevel program to reduce asthma symptoms in urban preschoolers (IRB00244099)
The purpose of this project is to evaluate the implementation of a community-based multi-level asthma program in YMCA Head Start programs to improve asthma symptoms in urban preschool children to reduce known health disparities.
Selected Publications
View all on PubMed
Raju S, Woo H, Koehler K, Fawzy A, Liu C, Putcha N, Balasubramanian A, Peng RD, Lin CT, Lemoine C, Wineke J, Berger RD, Hansel NN, McCormack MC. Indoor Air Pollution and Impaired Cardiac Autonomic Function in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2022 Oct 26. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202203-0523OC. Online ahead of print. PMID: 36288428
McCormack MC, Balasubramanian A, Matsui EC, Peng R, Wise RA, Keet CA. Race, Lung Function and Long-term Mortality in the National Health and Examination Survey III. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2021 Oct 1. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202104-0822LE
Raju S, Astemborski J, Drummond MB, Ramamurthi HC, Sun J, Brown RH, Kirk GD, McCormack MC. Brief Report: HIV Is Associated With Impaired Pulmonary Diffusing Capacity Independent of Emphysema. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2022 Jan 1;89(1):64-68. doi: 10.1097/QAI.0000000000002818. PMID: 34560768; PMCID: PMC8647697
Afshar-Mohajer N, Wu TD, Shade R, Brigham E, Woo H, Wood M, Koehl R, Koehler K, Kirkness J, Hansel NN, Ramchandran G, McCormack MC. Obesity, tidal volume, and pulmonary deposition of fine particulate matter in children with asthma. Eur Respir J. 2022 Mar 3;59(3):2100209. doi: 10.1183/13993003.00209-2021. PMID: 34385268; PMCID: PMC8837716
Wu TD, Fawzy A, Akenroye A, Keet C, Hansel NN, McCormack MC. Metformin Use and Risk of Asthma Exacerbation Among Asthma Patients with Glycemic Dysfunction. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2021 Nov;9(11):4014-4020.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2021.07.007. Epub 2021 Jul 19. PMID: 34293503; PMCID: PMC8675235
Patient Ratings & Comments
The Patient Rating score is an average of all responses to physician related questions on the national CG-CAHPS Medical Practice patient experience survey through Press Ganey. Responses are measured on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best score. Comments are also gathered from our CG-CAHPS Medical Practice Survey through Press Ganey and displayed in their entirety. Patients are de-identified for confidentiality and patient privacy.