Health coaching for people waiting for a lung transplant
Official title: Pre-transplant health coaching to improve patient-reported outcomes in lung transplant candidates
Funded at Mayo Clinic Rochester · NIH-11326744 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Short, 30-minute phone coaching sessions aim to help adults with COPD who are on the lung transplant waiting list manage emotions and daily health tasks.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Mayo Clinic Rochester NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Rochester, United States) |
| Project start | May 15, 2022 |
| Project end | April 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $492,749 |
| NIH project number | 5R33HL158811-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11326744 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults (21+) with advanced COPD who are currently listed for a lung transplant and able to take phone calls are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not on a lung transplant waiting list, are under 21, or cannot participate in phone-based coaching are unlikely to benefit from this program.
What this research studies
If you join, you would be randomly assigned to receive regular 30-minute telephone health coaching sessions or to continue usual care. The coaches focus on improving emotional health, self-management skills, coping while waiting, and medication adherence. The coaching program was designed using interviews with transplant patients and providers and showed promise in a small single-center pilot. Most contacts are by phone so you would not need frequent travel to the clinic.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, coaching could improve emotional well-being, self-management before transplant, and quality of life after transplant.
How similar studies have gone: A prior small pilot at the same center and studies of health coaching in non-transplant COPD patients showed positive effects, but this larger randomized trial will test the approach specifically for transplant candidates.
Where this research is happening
-
Mayo Clinic Rochester
Rochester, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kennedy, Cassie Colleen — Mayo Clinic Rochester
- Study coordinator: Kennedy, Cassie Colleen
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Exercise-based frailty program for people awaiting lung transplants
A tailored exercise and lifestyle program is being tested to reduce frailty and improve outcomes for people waiting for a lung transplant.
-
Understanding why a lung transplant sometimes fails early and how to tailor treatment
A study of people receiving lung transplants to find molecular differences that cause early graft failure and point to better, personalized therapies.
-
Targeting inflammation and alloimmunity in lung transplant recipients with clazakizumab
A study to see if blocking IL-6 with clazakizumab can improve survival and reduce rejection in people who have received a lung transplant.
-
Vaccination responses in lung transplant patients
This grant studies how people who have received lung transplants respond to COVID-19 vaccines and why their antibody responses may be limited.
-
The Post-Lung Transplant Aging in Immune Cells in Donor Lungs
This grant explores how aging donor lungs affect lung transplant outcomes by studying immune cells called alveolar macrophages.
-
Predictors of Lung Transplant Success and Costs
This study looks at what pre-transplant patient factors and biology predict a smooth recovery and lower costs after lung transplant.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.