Elevating Lung Health in South Africa

Chronic Respiratory Diseases (CRDs) affect half a billion people worldwide. Asthma impacts over 260 million individuals, while COPD is responsible for over 3.5 million deaths annually. Yet, they remain dangerously under-reported in major media outlets.

A quick glance at global newspapers reveals a startling scarcity of articles dedicated to these diseases. To address this critical gap in health journalism, the Pace University Center for Global Health, in partnership with the World Health Organization, has launched a comprehensive training program sponsored by Sanofi Regeneron. Over the course of two years, we are empowering over 75 journalists from 40 countries. Our latest workshop in Cape Town (March 2 – 6, 2026) brought together leading scientific minds, policymakers, and a cohort of international reporters to foster informed dialogue and bring these conditions out of the shadows.

Chronic respiratory diseases limit productivity, they strain health systems, they deepen inequality.

Empowering Global Storytellers

We are dedicated to enhancing the way stories about chronic respiratory diseases are told. This is not a standard conference; it is a deep-dive, interactive experience aimed at moving beyond basic statistics to capture the human, social, and economic realities of the epidemic.

• Multimedia Storytelling: Equipping fellows to use podcasts, photojournalism, and cross-border narratives to provide rich, comprehensive reporting.
• Immersive Field Visits: Taking reporters out of the newsroom and into clinics like the Pediatric Asthma Centre and the Masiphumelele TB/HIV Research Centre.
• Diving into Data: Translating complex epidemiological data and understanding how CRDs intersect with co-morbidities and infectious diseases.

Distinguished Speakers & Experts

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• José Luis Castro, WHO Special Envoy for CRDs / Pace Center for Global Health Director
• Dr. Sandile Buthelezi, Director-General, National Dept. of Health, South Africa
• Dr. Sarah Rylance, Medical Officer, NCD Management Unit, WHO
• Jacqui Thornton, Moderator & Health Writer (Lancet, Nature, BBC)
• Prof. Richard van Zyl-Smit, Head of Lung Clinical Research Unit, UCT
• Linda-Gail Bekker, Director, Desmond Tutu Health Foundation
• Prof. Bob Mash, Family Medicine and Primary Care, Stellenbosch University

The intensive five-day agenda bridges the gap between academic insight and public awareness. By exploring the intersection of CRDs with infectious diseases like TB and HIV, examining the impact of air quality, and connecting journalists directly with patients and local health workers, we are catalyzing a new wave of in-depth investigations that treat CRDs not just as statistics, but as urgent global priorities.