The Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health is a world class respiratory program providing comprehensive patient care, research and education. The program is comprised of an outpatient service, an inpatient unit managing severe or chronic respiratory diseases and the regional thoracic (chest) surgery program. The intent of this institute is to provide optimal patient care through clinical practice, translational research and the training of health care professionals.

The Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health (FIRH) is based out of St. Joseph’s Healthcare in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and is affiliated with McMaster University. Clinical, research and educational activities are integrated and largely collaborative within the FIRH. The intent of this institute is to provide optimal patient care through clinical practice, translational research and the training of health care professionals.

Research is wide-ranging, from basic studies of animal models of lung disease (asthma, COPD, fibrosis) to clinical trials and epidemiological studies such as the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development Study (CHILD) birth cohort study, for which the FIRH is hosting the coordinating center. Specialized facilities have been established at the FIRH, such as the Sputum Research Laboratory and the Aerosol Research Laboratory. Scientists at the FIRH are performing studies of bone marrow progenitor cells, airway peptide challenges, electrophysiological studies of airway smooth muscle cells, chronic allergen challenges, preclinical models of lung injury and repair, and more. The Institute is largely responsible for the ranking by the International Scientific Citation Institute of McMaster University’s respiratory research as the second most cited in the world, surpassed only by the National Institutes of Health in the United States.