Foreword

When Australia’s first Asthma Foundation was started in 1962, the body of knowledge about asthma was minimal. At best, asthma was thought to be related to allergies, and at worst it was considered to be the consequence of overprotective mothers. It became clear to the founding mothers of the Asthma Foundation that medical and scientific research was essential in order to establish a body of knowledge to separate fact from fiction. Thanks to their efforts, money was raised to lure promising young scientists away from other areas of research to study asthma. Over the years, the continuing success of asthma research has been facilitated by a range of partnerships and corporate sponsorships, as well as alliances between researchers, clinicians, professional groups, industries, governments, businesses and people with asthma and their caregivers.