- About
About
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), a not-for-profit organization founded in 1953, is the leading patient organization for people with asthma and allergies, and the oldest asthma and allergy patient group in the world.
- Asthma
Asthma
Nearly 28 million people in the United States have asthma. The best way to manage asthma is to avoid triggers, take medications to prevent symptoms, and prepare to treat asthma episodes if they occur.
- Allergies
Allergies
Allergies are one of the most common chronic diseases. An allergy occurs when the body’s immune system sees a substance as harmful and overreacts to it. The substances that cause allergic reactions are allergens.
- Programs
Programs
AAFA offers a variety of educational programs, resources and tools for patients, caregivers, and health professionals. AAFA launches educational awareness campaigns throughout the year. We teach the general public about asthma and allergic diseases.
- Research and Reports
Research and Reports
Research is an important part of our pursuit of better health. Through research, we gain better understanding of illnesses and diseases, new medicines, ways to improve quality of life and cures. AAFA conducts and promotes research for asthma and allergic diseases.
- Advocacy
Advocacy
AAFA works to support public policies that will benefit people with asthma and allergies. Advocacy and public policy work are important for protecting the health and safety of those with asthma and allergies. We advocate for federal and state legislation as well as regulatory actions that will help you.
- Get Involved
Get Involved
There are several ways you can support AAFA in its mission to provide education and support to patients and families living with asthma and allergies. You can make a donation, fundraise for AAFA, take action in May for Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month, and join a community to get the help and support you need.
- News
News
AAFA can connect you to all of the information and resources you need to help you learn more about asthma and allergic diseases.
- Donate
- Get Support
- Join the Community
- Login
- Blog
- Media
Editorial Policy
AAFA’s Editorial Policy
As a part of ourmission, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) and ourKids with Food Allergies (KFA) division create a variety of content to support, educate, and advocate for people with asthma and allergic conditions and their caregivers. Because content is one of the primary ways we support our audiences, we are committed to creating quality and trustworthy content.
Our Audiences
We write content for a variety of audiences, but our primary audiences are people with asthma and allergic conditions and their caregivers.
To support our primary audiences, we often create content for groups who work with people with asthma and allergies. These audiences include:
- Health care providers for patients with asthma and allergic conditions
- Teachers, school staff, and child care workers
- Community health workers
- Researchers and experts in allergy and immunology
- Policymakers and stakeholders
AAFA’s Content Guidelines
We value accurate and helpful educational content that empowers people to successfully manage their conditions. We create content that is evidence-based and follows current clinical guidelines.
Our staff produces content on a variety of topics related to asthma and allergies. These areas include clinical education, lifestyle and condition management, policy and advocacy, and research. We aim for content that has a 4th– to 8th– grade reading level and is written using principles of health literacy. We aim to update our medical and educational content every 2 years as possible.
We work very hard to make sure our content is grammatically, stylistically, and clinically correct. We follow our in-house style guide with influence from the National Institutes of Health Style Guide and the Associated Press Stylebook. But we are human, and humans can make mistakes. If you notice errors on our websites or in our content, pleasecontact us. We will do our best to fix it in a timely manner.
AAFA’s Editors, Writers, and Reviewers
Many of our staff members write our content based on their areas of expertise. It is then reviewed by our content manager and/or a member of senior leadership. If it involves health information, it is reviewed by a member of ourMedical Scientific Council – a group of experts in allergy and immunology who advise us on our content.
We also translate many of our educational pieces into Spanish using a medical translation company, which is reviewed by a fluent Spanish-speaking member of our Medical Scientific Council.
Our Editorial Team:
- Melanie Carver, Chief Mission Officer, editor-in-chief
- Tanya Bumgardner, Community Director, content editor, writer, and manager
- Andy Spears, Public Affairs Manager, editor and writer
- Kimberly Rafferty, Marketing and Communications Production Director, contributing editor
- Sanaz Eftekhari, Chief Business Development Officer and Vice President of Research, contributing editor and writer
- Hannah Jaffee, Research Manager, contributing writer
- Nicole Gaghan, Creative Director, contributing editor
- Moe Moyer, Community Outreach Specialist, contributing editor and creative
- Zulema Chavez, Support Center Manager, contributing editor
- Symone Peri, Programs Administrator, contributing creative
- Jenna Riemenschneider, Vice President of Advocacy and Policy, contributing editor and writer
- John M. James, MD, Medical Specialist, contributing editor, writer, and reviewer
We do not accept submissions from guest writers at this time.
Our Commitment to Transparency
We put the needs and best interests of our audiences first. This, along with our mission and values, drives our content.
We maintain full editorial control over all of our content, even sponsored content. We receive donations from private and corporate donors to cover content on certain topics, but we still control what we write about. Donors do not have the right to review or change our content.
Content Licensing
AAFA’s content is copyrighted.
Some of our content is available to use and share under the Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND which means the content can be distributed in unadapted form only, for noncommercial use, and attribution is required.
For commercial use of our content, or if you want to adapt our content, or are unsure if you can use our content, pleasesubmit a license request for our review. We do offer limited licensing of our content. Examples include:
- Embedding our action plans into electronic medical records
- Co-branding educational programs
- Sharing our recipes or articles in a magazine
Our Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
We do not use AI to write our content. All of our content is written and edited by humans. We may use AI tools on occasion for administrative purposes.
Published December 2024
Support Our Work
Over the past 15 years, there have been moderate advances in U.S. public policy, health care and research, but racial gaps in asthma outcomes have not changed. Minority groups continue to bear disproportionate hardship in managing asthma.
