Albert A. Rizzo, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer for the American Lung Association, is the organization's senior medical authority. Dr. Rizzo has long been a key medical advisor to the American Lung Association, a member of the Lung Cancer Expert Medical Advisory Panel and a leading media spokesperson for the Association. In his role as Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Rizzo plays a key role in multiple areas of our mission, including the American Lung Association's Lung HelpLine, research, including the Airways Clinical Research Centers and the Awards and Grants program as well as advocacy, communications, development and health promotions. Dr. Rizzo is responsible for ensuring that the American Lung Association is always using the best science and medicine to formulate and deliver on our mission. Additionally, Dr. Rizzo will help drive lung health innovation, challenge the Association to reach those in greatest need and strengthen our relationships with professional medical and patient organizations.
Dr. Rizzo is a member of ChristianaCare Pulmonary Associates at the ChristianaCare in Newark, Delaware. He is board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine and is a clinical assistant professor of medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Medical School in Philadelphia where he obtained his medical degree and completed his residency in internal medicine. Dr. Rizzo received his specialty training at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C. He is a member of the American Thoracic Society, a Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and a Diplomat of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and a Fellow of the American Association of Sleep Medicine.
His out-patient practice covers general pulmonary and sleep medicine disorders and includes a strong interest in asthma, COPD, pulmonary rehabilitation, lung cancer and obstructive sleep apnea.
Dr. Rizzo had been a volunteer with the American Lung Association at the local, regional and national levels since 1984. In July 2011, he became chairman of the National Board of Directors of the American Lung Association and was honored in 2015 with the Will Ross Medal, the highest honor bestowed on a volunteer from the American Lung Association who has made a significant contribution to the prevention and control of lung disease.
As a result of his involvement with the Lung Association, Dr. Rizzo has had the opportunity to educate both patients and the public as well as fellow professionals about the importance of preventive care and healthy lifestyles (particularly the role of cigarette smoking cessation) with regard to preserving lung function over the years.
In his volunteer leadership roles with the Lung Association, he has testified before Congress on behalf of advancing lung disease research through funding of the National Institutes of Health and has lectured at American Lung Association meetings throughout the country. In addition to smoking cessation, tobacco control, and air quality, his topics of expertise include specific disease states such as COPD, asthma, sleep Apnea and lung cancer. The importance of recognizing and trying to eliminate some of the healthcare disparities that often involve these diseases is one of his concerns.
A recognized pulmonary health expert, Dr. Rizzo has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the journals Respiratory Care and CHEST, and others.
