Ep. 142: Inside Allergy & Asthma Network - Education, Advocacy, and Patient Voice
Part of the series: The Itch Review
LISTEN TO EPISODE 142: Apple Podcast • Spotify • Amazon Music
This podcast was made in partnership with Allergy & Asthma Network.
We thank AstraZeneca for sponsoring this episode. While they support the show, all opinions are our own, and sponsorship doesn’t influence our content or editorial decisions. Any mention of brands is for informational purposes and not an endorsement.
Allergy & Asthma Network has spent more than four decades helping people living with asthma, allergies, and related immune conditions navigate care, access trustworthy education, and make their voices heard.
In this episode, we talk with Lynda Mitchell, CEO of Allergy & Asthma Network. Lynda shares how becoming a food allergy and asthma mom in the early 1990s shaped her career and led her into patient advocacy work. We get into how Allergy & Asthma Network supports patients and families through four mission pillars: education, outreach, advocacy, and research.
What we cover in our episode about Allergy & Asthma Network
Trusted Messengers and culturally responsive education, and why information is more effective when it comes from people who reflect and understand the community.
Free virtual asthma coaching, and how one-on-one self-management education helps people improve daily asthma control and reduce emergency care.
Patient voice research, what it is, how it differs from clinical trials, and why diversity in clinical trial participation matters.
Advocacy efforts like Capitol Hill Day and PALI, and how patient stories influence laws and policies that affect asthma and allergy care.
Ways to get involved, including resources for patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers who want to support or participate in Allergy & Asthma Network’s work.
About Lynda Mitchell
Lynda Mitchell is the CEO of Allergy & Asthma Network. Her work in patient advocacy is deeply personal, shaped by raising a child with multiple food allergies, anaphylaxis, and asthma at a time when reliable resources were limited. With more than 25 years of nonprofit leadership experience, Lynda focuses on elevating patient voice, advancing health equity, and improving outcomes through community-centered programs and policy engagement.
More resources about Allergy & Asthma Network
Sign up for the Allergy & Asthma Network’s Newsletter
Get involved with clinical trials and research
More about the PALI information session (February 18, 2026)
Virtual asthma coaching program (free asthma self-management education)
Timestamps
Our episode discusses how nonprofits work to improve patient care.
01:35 Lynda Mitchell’s story
03:35 Allergy & Asthma Network’s mission
04:50 How Allergy & Asthma Network’s work has evolved
08:00 Education programs
10:35 Outreach and community work
13:10 Patient voice research
15:30 Why diversity in clinical trials matters
18:30 Advocacy and policy work
20:35 PALI: Patient Advocacy Leadership Initiative
21:25 What a nonprofit organization is
23:08 How to get involved with Allergy & Asthma Network
