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Respiratory Pioneer Transformed Lung Care
30 Jan
Summary
- Transformed respiratory medicine's standing in national health strategy.
- Developed crucial exercise tests for lung rehabilitation.
- Co-founded institute attracting over £100m for research.

Mike Morgan, who passed away at 75, was a pivotal figure in respiratory medicine for over three decades in Leicester. As NHS England's National Clinical Director for Respiratory Disease from 2013 to 2019, he ensured respiratory health was a priority in national strategy, aiming to improve diagnoses and treatment access.
He joined Glenfield hospital in 1988, then a small department, and recognized the widespread impact of respiratory diseases like COPD. Morgan championed exercise therapy, developing the shuttle walking test and pulmonary rehabilitation programs, which were initially met with skepticism but are now standard care.
A proponent of collaboration, Morgan co-founded the Leicester Institute for Lung Health in 2000. This institute fostered links between researchers and clinicians, accelerating evidence-based medicine and becoming a leading global respiratory research unit.




