Who We Are

About the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation

The mission of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation is to find a cure for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) by funding research, advocating for pulmonary fibrosis issues, promoting disease awareness, and providing a compassionate environment for supporting patients and their loved ones. We aim to accomplish this by working with the medical community to drive new research, increase research funding, by representing the needs of our constituents in Washington DC through national advocacy, and by developing caring relationships with patients and their families throughout the course of their disease.

The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation has an ambitious, forward looking agenda to achieve this mission:

• Substantially increasing funding for IPF research and assist in creating partnerships between the academic research community and the biotech industry to drive new treatments
• Fostering collaboration in the clinical community to share information and ideas, starting with the creation of an annual “IPF Summit” beginning in 2011, to improve channels of communication between researchers
• Sponsoring a series of web based educational seminars (“webinars”) to bring the latest information and research to more patients and families more efficiently.
• Establishing a “Regional Chapter Program” to allow the Foundation to reach new communities, grow our patient outreach capabilities, and expand our fundraising, advocacy, and disease awareness efforts
• Continuing our commitment to strongly advocate for the IPF community both locally, and nationally in Washington D.C.
• Aggressively pursuing an increase in public awareness through a series of public service announcements (PSA), social networking, and traditional media exposure.

We hope with this ambitious agenda that we will ultimately achieve our main goal of finding a cure for this disease.

Our History

The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was founded in Denver, Colorado in 2000. Albert Rose and Michael Rosenzweig Ph. D., two brothers who were both diagnosed with IPF, were determined to start an organization that would help find a successful treatment for this terrible disease. Their older sister, Claire Rosenzweig, had also died from IPF in 1994. The two brothers recruited Dr. Marvin Schwarz from the National Jewish Hospital in Denver to assist them in the formation of the Foundation. Dr Schwarz was one of leading IPF physicians and provided invaluable insight and expertise.

Dr. Rosenzweig was the Foundation’s first President and CEO and his first office was located in a backroom of a sewing machine warehouse at his brother’s place of business in Denver. In the early days of the Foundation, Mike was basically a one man show, raising money, publishing a newsletter, traveling to Washington D.C., and interfacing with the medical community. His brother Albert sadly succumbed to the disease in February 2002. After his brother’s death, Mike moved the Foundation to Chicago and into their present location in 2005.

Under Mike’s tireless leadership an outstanding Medical Advisory Board was recruited. The Advisory Board contains many of the world’s leading experts and researchers in pulmonary fibrosis. The Board has provided great help in directing the Foundation’s research initiatives. To date the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation has supported or is committed to support $3,000,000 and helped create a pulmonary fibrosis center of excellence at the University of Chicago. The Foundation continues to actively support research and is partnering with the ATS (American Thoracic Society) to fund young investigators.

Unfortunately due to progression of his disease, Mike had to step down as President and CEO in March 2009. Dr. Daniel Rose, Mike’s nephew and Albert Rose’s son has assumed this position. Prior to coming to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, Dr. Rose had been Chairman of the Board of Directors, and had been a practicing cardiothoracic surgeon for 28 years. He was Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, CT. for 19 years.

The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation has an outstanding, active, and dedicated Board of Directors that presently has 16 members. Most of the Board’s members have been directly affected by IPF and two members have had lung transplants for IPF. The Board members are actively involved in the Foundation’s activities assisting in fund raising, promoting awareness, and directly advocating in Washington, D.C.