Two $75,000 Research Grants Introduced to Support Ground-Breaking Asthma Innovation 

Toronto, June 25, 2025 – Asthma Canada is proud to unveil its 2025–2030 Strategic Plan: A Pathway to a Symptom-Free Future. This ambitious five-year roadmap reinforces the organization’s commitment to helping the more than 4.6 million people in Canada living with asthma to live life, symptom free. 

“At a time when asthma continues to affect more people in Canada than ever before, with nearly 300 lives lost each year and nearly half of patients living with uncontrolled asthma, this strategy sets clear goals to change that reality,” said Jeffrey Beach, President & CEO of Asthma Canada. “Through this plan, we are focused on supporting people with asthma through evidence-based programs, driving policy change, investing in critical research, and growing a connected, empowered patient community nationwide. Together, we are working toward a future where no one has to struggle to breathe—and we are just getting started.” 

The new strategic plan identifies four core priorities: 

• • Raising public understanding of how serious asthma can be  
  • Pushing for equitable access to care, medication, and support  
  • Advancing life-changing research centered on the priorities of asthma patients, their caregivers and healthcare providers  
  • Building a connected asthma community that supports both physical and mental wellness 

To underscore its commitment to driving innovation and improving outcomes, Asthma Canada is also launching two new $75,000 research grants in partnership with the Canadian Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Foundation (CAAIF). These Asthma Canada-CAAIF Research Grants for Asthma Innovation and Impact will fund research projects with the potential to transform asthma care in Canada and potentially lead the way to our vision of a future without asthma. 

“Asthma doesn’t just affect lungs—it steals breath, disrupts childhoods, limits careers, and can turn everyday moments into emergencies,” said Dr. Susan Waserman, Chair of Asthma Canada’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee and Professor; Director, Division of Clinical Immunology & Allergy at McMaster University. “Yet asthma remains one of the most overlooked and underfunded chronic diseases in the country. While other chronic conditions receive widespread attention, asthma is too often dismissed, misunderstood, and dangerously underestimated. These new research grants from Asthma Canada and CAAIF are a critical step toward reversing that neglect and delivering the breakthroughs patients urgently need. I urge researchers in the field to apply.“