Meet Your COPD Foundation Captains!

COPD Foundation Captains are volunteers with COPD, caregivers, friends and family members or healthcare providers who use their contacts and talents and partner with the COPD Foundation to serve as state and community leaders.

Captains promote the importance of becoming a part of the COPD community. They work to spread COPD awareness in their state and local areas, mentor fellow COPD community members, and participate in online and in-person grassroots advocacy and community building activities focused on health policy issues that are important to those who have COPD. If you are interested in joining our group of volunteers, click here.

If you'd like to speak with a COPD Foundation Captain directly, please email statecaptains@copdfoundation.org and we will connect you with the Captain in your area of interest.


Lauren Berger

Lauren Berger Profile Photo Mount Morris, NY


I am an advocate for COPD patients and providers because I am the daughter of a mother who passed away from COPD. I have experienced the stress and frustration of COPD caregivers, watched first-hand the struggle of COPD patients in rural areas, and felt the anguish and heartache of surviving a major loss.

Because COPD is a major issue for so many – yet so comparatively ignored, I want to use my role as a COPD Foundation Captain to bring more awareness to communities, specifically in the rural areas where I live (and where my mother lived). I want to use community outreach and social media networks to share information about COPD symptoms, management options, and resources for more support. Part of this awareness is specific outreach to health care providers, giving them materials to support their patients diagnosed with COPD. Another goal is to continue lobbying at the state and federal levels for more funding and public dialogue about COPD.

I want to broaden the conversation about COPD. Yes, advocacy for COPD patients in the medical realm is important and necessary. But I also want to give voice to the range of emotions patients endure – which can include shame, guilt, isolation, and despair. Caregivers also may experience a range of emotions and, because they don’t want to add to their loved ones’ stress, feel they have nowhere to turn. I hope to use my COPD Foundation Captain role to create space for these conversations and amplify support wherever possible.

 



COPD Foundation State Captain Program Informational Video

The COPD Foundation is looking for new State Captains to join our community to be champions for promoting COPD awareness, improving quality of life for those with COPD, to participate in research opportunities, policy, and much more. Email statecaptains@copdfoundation.org for questions and to start the onboarding process today!