Dear Union Members:
We are occupational pulmonologists – doctors specializing in work-related lung diseases – at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, and we would like to ask you to consider taking part in a research study about lung diseases that occur in miners, which include “black lung” disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The purpose of this research is to try to better understand why lung diseases, such as black lung, continue to be a problem for miners. If you choose to participate in this research study, we would do two interviews. These interviews are usually done over the phone. The first interview will review your medical history. The second interview will review your work history. We would also ask for your permission to review your medical records and lung tissue samples that may be available. We will be following up with you every 3 to 5 years to update your records with any new updates. We would ask about symptoms, medical records, tissue samples, and changes in your medical or work history.
There would be no extra testing, medical costs, travel, or changes to your medical care for the purposes of this study. We would take significant care to maintain your privacy.
We hope that you will consider participating in our study. It is our hope to gather as much information about these lung diseases as possible to improve everyone’s understanding of the disease. If you are interested in participating or hearing more about the study, please contact us at 312-996-4534 or at lthoma22@uic.edu. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Leonard H.T. Go, MD
Robert A. Cohen, MD
