It can sometimes be challenging for patients to get access to oxygen which is an important part of therapy for interstitial lung disease (ILD). In this session, Dr. Johannson talks about why people with ILD experience low oxygen levels. She helps patients and caregivers understand what is happening with clinical tests that doctors order to measure oxygen, the impacts of hypoxemia (low oxygen) on your body, the benefits of supplemental oxygen (studies that guide decision-making in oxygen recommendations), the downsides of oxygen, available funding, and clinical tips for using oxygen.
Dr. Kerri Johannson MD MPH is the Clinical Associate Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary and Director of Clinical Research for the ILD program at UofC, based out of South Health Campus.
Dr. Johannson completed medical training at the University of Calgary, then a clinical/research fellowship in ILD at the University of California-San Francisco, and Master of Public Health degree in Environmental Health Sciences at the University of California-Berkeley. She has been working at SHC since 2015, with research efforts focused on understanding the relationships between environmental and occupational exposure and ILD, the role of oxygen therapy, and improved diagnostics for ILD.