Despite great advances in science, our lungs are ever more threatened. Asthma is more prevalent than ever; rising stress levels make our lungs vulnerable to disease; and COVID-19 has revealed that vulnerability in historic ways. Dr. Michael J. Stephen, MD, offers inspiration and perspective about protecting, strengthening, and optimizing our lungs.

Michael J. Stephen, MD, is the author of Breath Taking: The Power, Fragility, and Future of Our Extraordinary Lungs. Dr. Stephen is an associate professor at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, and director of the Adult Cystic Fibrosis Center. He is a leader of numerous clinical trials and has been on the front line caring for COVID-19 patients—and also recovered from the virus himself. Over the past two decades he has studied advanced end-stage lung diseases and worked with patients at diverse locales, including a Massachusetts prison hospital and a pediatric HIV clinic in Cape Town, South Africa. A graduate of Brown University and Boston University Medical School, he lives in New Jersey. Find out more at mjswriter.com.