Jennifer Trevor, M.D.

Jennifer Trevor, M.D., associate professor in the UAB Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, directs the Severe Asthma Clinic at UAB. In order to provide her patients with access to the latest treatments for asthma, she serves as the Principal Investigator on several Phase III clinical trials. 

Trevor recently contributed to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine aimed to reduce severe asthma exacerbations, based on studies in Black and Latinx patient populations.

Efforts to reduce the disproportionate morbidity of Black and Latinx patients with COPD have been mostly unsuccessful, and guideline recommendations have not been based on studies in these populations. In a pragmatic, open-label trial, the research team randomly assigned Black and Latinx adults with moderate-to-severe asthma to use a patient-activated, reliever-triggered inhaled glucocorticoid strategy plus usual care or to continue usual care. Participants had one instructional visit followed by 15 monthly questionnaires. 

The trial’s primary endpoint was the annualized rate of severe asthma exacerbations. Secondary end points included monthly asthma control as measured with the Asthma Control Test, quality of life as measured with the Asthma Symptom Utility Index, and participant-reported missed days of work, school, or usual activities. Safety was also assessed.

Among Black and Latinx adults with moderate-to-severe asthma, provision of an inhaled glucocorticoid and one-time instruction on its use, added to usual care, led to a lower rate of severe asthma exacerbations. This presents an alternative approach to single maintenance and reliever therapy for U.S. prescribers.  

N Engl J Med 2022; 386:1505-1518 Reliever-Triggered Inhaled Glucocorticoid in Black and Latinx Adults with Asthma