Accomplishments & Awards at National Jewish Health

Leading Respiratory Hospital in the Nation

National Jewish Health is the leading respiratory hospital in the nation. As the only health care organization to be fully focused on respiratory-related illnesses, National Jewish Health has been recognized for its expertise through a variety of outside measurements and tangible achievements, including those listed below.

Institutional Achievements

National Jewish Health is the only hospital whose principal focus is on respiratory-related illnesses and is home to one of the largest pulmonary divisions in the nation.
National Press Ganey surveys have found that 95% of all patients would recommend National Jewish Health providers to a friend or relative. Our providers received especially high ratings in communication, joint decision making and patients’ confidence in care providers.
National Jewish Health is in the top 6% of institutions in the country funded by the National Institutes of Health, in terms of absolute dollars. This is a tremendous achievement for a specialty hospital/research center.
Named a top hospital in Pulmonology by U.S. News & World Report for 28 consecutive years, National Jewish Health has been ranked in this category every year that pulmonology has been evaluated.
U.S. News & World Report recognizes National Jewish Health specialties of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer surgery and pneumonia as “High Performing”, the highest ranking for these specialties.
Currently, 39 National Jewish Health physicians have been named among the best in their specialty by Castle Connolly, a national health care research and information company, and by 5280 Magazine.
Recognized by Newsweek as one of the “World’s Best Specialized Hospitals” in pulmonology, National Jewish is ranked #7 in the category for 2024.
According to the most recent Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey of National Jewish Health, patients rank us in the top 5% of all U.S. hospitals and 94% of patients would recommend National Jewish Health to a friend.
In the past year, National Jewish Health researchers published over 500 articles in peer reviewed scientific journals, including many of the most influential publications such as Cell, New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, JAMA and Nature.
Ranked among the leaders worldwide in the impact of our scientific publications, our faculty also have helped write national guidelines for the diagnosis and care of patients with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, idiopathic lung disease, atopic dermatitis and other diseases.
Every year patients come to National Jewish Health from all 50 states and numerous foreign countries, seeking care they could not receive anywhere else.

Research Achievements

National Jewish Health is responsible for many important scientific advances, including:

IgE. The discovery of the molecule responsible for allergic reactions has become the basis for many new treatments for asthma and allergies.
The T-cell receptor gene. This gene plays a crucial role in recognizing foreign invaders in the body and orchestrating an immune response. This discovery opened the door to understanding how bodies fight viruses, bacteria and cancer.
The oral food challenge. Designed and introduced in the 1970s by Charles May, MD, and his colleagues, this approach became, and remains, the accepted “gold standard” for diagnosing food allergies.
Food allergy research. Thanks to our pioneering researchers, the study of food allergies became evidence-based, changing the way the medical community understood the relevance of food allergies.
Food allergy clinical research. In several groundbreaking trials conducted at National Jewish Health, patients have been desensitized to allergenic foods through repeated exposure to small amounts of the food or its proteins. We continue to lead a number of these ongoing trials.
Superantigens. The discovery of these extremely powerful bacterial toxins by a team of National Jewish Health researchers is associated with particularly virulent diseases, such as toxic shock syndrome and Legionnaire’s disease, served to advance how many illnesses could be treated.
Combined chemotherapy for tuberculosis. National Jewish Health physicians were among the leaders in developing this crucial tool for fighting tuberculosis.
Culture medium for tuberculosis. Researchers at National Jewish Health were the first to develop a low-cost medium to grow tuberculosis organisms, which could make evaluation of drug-resistance possible in many of the hardest hit nations, expanded care.
Proteins for use in cancer treatment. In 2006, National Jewish Health researchers identified a pair of promising proteins (fibulins 3 and 5) that slow the growth of cancer tumors by preventing the growth of blood vessels necessary for their growth and survival. The discovery could lead to new therapies for cancer.
Mechanisms of apoptosis. These pioneering efforts have helped doctors understand how the body effectively removes and recycles up to two billion cells a day and resolves inflammation in the lung.
Immune response trigger. Research at National Jewish Health revealed exactly what triggers the adaptive immune response: fragments of proteins from invading organisms bound to and presented by MHC molecules.
The immunological synapse. First discovered at National Jewish Health, this is a complex and long-lived connection between immune-system cells that greatly influences the immune response. The synapse consists of molecules involved in T cell activation, which compose typical patterns—activation clusters. Immunological synapses are the subject of much ongoing research.
New family of anti-viral agents. A National Jewish Health research team found that a naturally occurring lipid fights viral infections in the lungs and the inflammation associated with them.
Methamphetamine hazards. Groundbreaking research identified hazardous chemical exposures for first responders associated with clandestine methamphetamine laboratories.
Breast cancer inhibitor. A protein known as cdk6 is low in breast cancer cells, and is being investigated as a potential tool for diagnosing breast cancer and as a therapy to fight it.
Genetic roots of pulmonary fibrosis. A team led by researchers at National Jewish Health discovered genetic mutations that increase the risk of developing pulmonary fibrosis by 7 to 22 times, offering insight into the origins and possible treatments for this devastating disease.
Allergies to artificial joints. Occupational medicine and allergy researchers have developed blood tests that can detect allergies to nickel and cobalt, which are commonly used in artificial joints and can cause implant failure.