Dr. Fernando Martinez is a world-renowned leader in pediatric respiratory medicine whose pioneering work has reshaped understanding of asthma origins and progression. He currently serves as a Regents' Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and directs the Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, holding the distinguished Swift-McNear Professorship in Pediatrics. After earning dual medical degrees from the University of Chile and the University of Rome, he established his research career at the University of Arizona in 1987, building one of the most comprehensive asthma research programs globally. His enduring commitment to understanding respiratory diseases has positioned him at the forefront of pulmonary medicine for over three decades through leadership roles including Director of the Arizona Respiratory Center and the BIO5 Institute.
Dr. Martinez's groundbreaking research on the natural history of childhood asthma has fundamentally transformed clinical approaches to respiratory diseases across the lifespan. His seminal 1995 paper on asthma and wheezing in early life revolutionized the field by demonstrating how childhood respiratory patterns predict adult disease trajectories, accumulating nearly 5,000 citations and establishing him as a global authority. Through the landmark Tucson Children's Respiratory Study, which began in 1980 and has followed infants into adulthood, he established critical links between genetic predisposition, environmental triggers, and immune development in asthma pathogenesis. His research on the hygiene hypothesis has led to innovative clinical trials investigating whether early microbial exposure can prevent asthma development in high-risk children, challenging conventional wisdom about environmental influences on respiratory health.
Beyond his research contributions, Dr. Martinez has profoundly shaped respiratory medicine through leadership roles on the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Advisory Council and as a key contributor to national asthma treatment guidelines. With over 250 publications and an h-index of 130, he remains a sought-after speaker who has lectured in more than 50 countries, influencing global approaches to asthma prevention and management. His current research focuses on clinical trials testing whether early exposure to protective bacteria can prevent asthma development in children, representing a potential paradigm shift in disease prevention strategies. Motivated by witnessing his mother's severe asthma as a child, Dr. Martinez continues to pursue his lifelong promise to find ways to prevent and cure respiratory diseases, mentoring the next generation of scientists while advancing translational research that could transform millions of lives worldwide.
