Anthem teams up with Apple for new asthma study

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indianapolis-based health care company, Anthem, is teaming up with the University of California Irvine and tech giant Apple on a new study geared toward understanding factors that may be associated with asthma.

The research will focus on how technologies, such as the Apple watch and iPhone, may help those who are suffering manage their condition. 

More than 25 million people in the United States have asthma and–if not controlled–it can lead to chronic lung inflammation and premature death.

News 8 spoke with Dr. Warris Bokhari, vice president of digital care delivery at Anthem about the study, which is slated to launch this fall. Bokhari laid out research plans and discussed potential risk factors linked to the condition. He also talked about the importance of medication adherence and the increasing role technology is playing in health care. 

News 8’s medical reporter, Dr. Mary Elizabeth Gillis, D.Ed., is a classically trained medical physiologist and biobehavioral research scientist. She has been a health, medical and science reporter for over 5 years. Her work has been featured in national media outlets. You can follow her on Instagram @reportergillis and Facebook @DrMaryGillis.