The American Lung Association is giving $2.5 million today to the University of Hawai'i-Manoa for respiratory research and to endow two chairs at the John A. Burns School of Medicine to help fight respiratory disease in Hawai'i.

The state has the highest incidence of respiratory disease in the nation, and the situation is even worse among Native Hawaiians, said Mary Miller, chief executive of the American Lung Association of Hawai'i. The association will present the awards today at the university to generate interest in creating "a greater understanding of asthma, chronic pulmonary diseases, tobacco control and air quality" — priorities of the American Lung Association of Hawai'i.

Hawai'i has a high frequency of asthma partly because of the year-round presence of asthma triggers: a tropical climate and 12-month growing season make for abundant vegetation, pollen, dust mites, and dust.

Miller said one out of 10 residents in Hawai'i suffers from asthma — the leading cause of school absenteeism in the state, according to the association.

"By establishing these two important positions at the John A. Burns School of Medicine we are pleased to partner with the University of Hawai'i to grow the talent of specialized physicians and researchers in pulmonary medicine at the school and throughout the state of Hawai'i," said Sterling Yee, vice president of the American Lung Association's board of directors.

The association is giving $1 million to underwrite the research of the medical school's Dr. Elizabeth Tam and $1.5 million to endow the two chairs at the school. The American Lung Association of Hawai'i and Leahi Fund endowed the chair in respiratory health and the American Lung Association of Hawai'i endowed the chair in neonatal respiratory health, Miller said.

Education and advocacy programs of the Hawai'i chapter include areas such as tobacco control, asthma and air quality. The association supports Asthma Sports Day camps on O'ahu, Maui, Kaua'i and the Big Island. In partnership with local schools, the association provides asthma education for children and their families through programs such as Open Airways for Schools.

"We're trying to make a major commitment to lung health in Hawai'i," Miller said. "Our goal is for ongoing training and researching in lung health, and we can do that by endowing these two chairs."

Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com.