Ronina A. Covar, MD

Special Interests

Dr Covar’s major interests are management of severe asthma in children, drug trials in asthma, evaluating the natural history of asthma and progression of asthma in childhood, clinical and in vitro evaluation of steroid response in asthma, and application of biomarkers in asthma.

She has been the associate director of the Cohen Family Asthma Institute at National Jewish Health. She has been an investigator in numerous multicenter asthma networks funded by the NHLBI such as longest pediatric asthma trial to date, the Childhood Asthma Management Program (CAMP); the Childhood Asthma Research and Education Network (CARE U10-HL64288), AsthmaNet (U10 HL098075), and most recently Precision Interventions for Severe and/or Exacerbation Prone Asthma study (PRECISE; 1UG1HL139123-01).

She also oversees industry-sponsored pediatric asthma clinical trials and has served as co-investigator for the American Lung Association Airways Clinical Research Center network.

She is currently involved in The Neu-Lung Consortium: Neutrophilic Mechanisms of Inflammation, Injury, and Repair in Lung and Airways Diseases with the goal of developing and implementing strategies that support phenotypic and mechanistic characterization of patients by integrating information from electronic health record (EHR) data, multiomics, spatial-transcriptomics and neutrophil functional studies.

Education

Education

1989

University of the Philippines College of Medicine, MD

Residency

1997

Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Pediatrics

1992

University of the Philippines College of Medicine – Philippine General Hospital, Pediatrics

Fellowship

2000

National Jewish Health/University of Colorado Denver

Awards & Recognition

2019–2020: 5280 Top Doctors

2015–2016 and 2019–2020: Best Doctors in America

2014: Best Doctors in America, Best Doctors, Inc.

2007–2008: Outstanding Teacher of the Year

2005: Outstanding Scientific Achievement in Clinical Research

2004: Clinician of the Year

2002–2003: Outstanding Teacher of the Year

Board Certification

American Board of Pediatrics
American Board of Allergy and Immunology

Professional Memberships

American Thoracic Society
AAAAI
ACAAI
AAP
AMA

Publications

Covar R, Lazarus SC, Krishnan JA, Blake KV, Sorkness CA, Dyer AM, Lang JE, Lugogo NL, Mauger DT, Wechsler ME, Wenzel SE, Cardet JC, Castro M, Israel E, Phipatanakul W, King TS, National Heart. Association of Sputum Eosinophilia With Easily Measured Type-2 Inflammatory Biomarkers in Untreated Mild Persistent Asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2024 Apr;12(4):960-969.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2023.12.010. Epub 2023 Dec 12. PubMed PMID: 38097180.

Rabinovitch N, Nevid M, Lomas C, Covar R, Levy H, Leung DYM. Reversible peripheral airway obstruction and lung hyperinflation in children presenting with dyspnea and exercise intolerance after COVID-19 infection. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2022 Oct;10(10):2748-2749.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2022.07.038. Epub 2022 Sep 29. PubMed PMID: 36184531; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9520121.

Polverino F, Washko GR, Covar RA, Hysinger EB, Hackett TL, Bhatt SP, Brusselle G, Dharmage SC. The low flyers: persistent airflow limitation in young adults. Lancet Respir Med. 2022 Sep;10(9):819-822. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(22)00250-8. Epub 2022 Jul 15. PubMed PMID: 35850124.

Stewart L, Miyazawa N, Covar R, Mjaanes C, Shimamoto R, Gleason M, Peroni D, Spahn JD, Comberiati P. Wheeze is an unreliable endpoint for bronchial methacholine challenges in preschool children. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2022 Apr;33(4):e13767. doi: 10.1111/pai.13767. PubMed PMID: 35470941; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9325539.

Academic Affiliations

Teaching & Professional Positions

Staff Physician at National Jewish Health;
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Denver