Harvard Update on Severe Asthma 2025

Assessment and management of severe asthma are issues currently at the forefront of modern asthma investigation and care. This two-day, live, hybrid (in person and online) course will provide insights from a multidisciplinary team representing the Severe Asthma Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Mass General Brigham Asthma Center. Our focus will include both pediatric and adult patients with asthma. We will devote one day to assessment of severe asthma and complicating illnesses and one day to its treatment, including novel approaches to management. Lectures will cover topics in the immunology and genetics of severe asthma, aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease, eosinophilic lung diseases including allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, occupational asthma, obesity and asthma, and special considerations in school-age children. Presentations on the contribution of gastroesophageal reflux disease, upper airway obstruction, and sinusitis/nasal polyposis will be given by a gastroenterologist, voice specialist, and otolaryngologist, respectively. We will focus on the treatment of asthma, including recent GINA and NAEPP Guidelines, modern biologics, and novel therapies in development. We will review in depth our protocol for the evaluation of severe asthma and have opportunity to discuss interesting cases of severe asthma. This course is appropriate for allergists, pulmonologists, and other specialists with an interest in the management of severe asthma.
Who Should Attend

Specialty Physicians
Primary Care Physicians
Nurse Practitioners
Physician Assistants

Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

Systematically evaluate difficult-to-control asthma.
Identify specific severe asthma phenotypes/endotypes.
Utilize novel asthma therapeutics with confidence.

The Harvard Update on Severe Asthma 2025 course is designed for healthcare professionals specializing in asthma management and respiratory medicine. The target audience includes:

Pulmonologists and allergists treating severe asthma.
Primary care physicians managing asthma patients.
Nurse practitioners and physician assistants working in respiratory care.
Medical trainees seeking advanced education in asthma treatment.
Researchers focused on asthma pathophysiology and novel therapies.

This course provides state-of-the-art updates on diagnostic assessment, treatment strategies, and emerging research in severe asthma.
 
+ Topics:
Program & Updates

Welcome & Introduction to the Online Audience

Update on Severe Asthma 2025 — Key Changes & Takeaways (PDF)

Disease Biology & Phenotypes

Asthma Genetics and the Environment in Severe Asthma

Molecular Sub-Phenotypes in Asthma — Guest Lecture

Eosinophilic Lung Disease and Its Overlap with Asthma

Insights from the Severe Asthma Research Program (SARP)

Pathophysiologic Insights from Novel Imaging Techniques

Diagnosis & Assessment

Diagnostic Assessment of Severe Asthma — Practical Framework

Diagnostic Considerations in Children with Severe Asthma

Drivers of Asthma in School-Aged Children

Airway Oscillometry in Adults and Very Young Children (Study Hall)

New Recommendations for Interpreting Pulmonary Function Tests (PFTs) (Study Hall)

Environment, Triggers & Exposures

Indoor Environments and Asthma Exacerbations

Occupational Exposures and Severe Asthma (Study Hall)

What Distinguishes Asthmatic vs Non-Asthmatic Allergic Airway Responses (Study Hall)

The Microbiome and Asthma — Emerging Evidence (Study Hall)

Comorbidities & Mimics

Gastroesophageal Reflux and Severe Asthma (Study Hall)

Laryngeal Disordered Breathing Mimicking Severe Asthma (Study Hall)

Treating Rhinosinusitis and Nasal Polyposis (Study Hall)

Obesity, Diabetes, and Asthma — Metabolic Links (Study Hall)

Asthma Mimics to Consider: Tracheobronchomalacia (Study Hall)

Special Populations & Overlap Syndromes

Managing Severe Asthma in Children — Guest Lecture

Cigarette Smoking, COPD, and Chronic Obstructive Asthma (ACO)

Treatment Strategies

Choosing Among the Biologics for Severe Asthma

Managing Asthma with Aspirin-Exacerbated Respiratory Disease (AERD)

Anti-Inflammatory Rescue — Options & Challenges

Clinical Remission in Asthma as a Goal of Guideline-Directed Therapy

Novel Therapies — A Look into the Future

Interactive Learning

Interactive Case Discussions — Real-World Severe Asthma

Case Discussions — Complex Diagnostic & Therapeutic Dilemmas