Dr. Albert A. Rizzo is the Chief Medical Officer for the American Lung Association and practices pulmonary/sleep medicine at Christiana Care 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 the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia where he obtained his medical degree (1978) and completed his residency in Internal Medicine (1978-1981) He received his specialty training at Georgetown University Hospital in Wash DC. (1981-1983) He is a member of the American Thoracic Society, a Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians and the American College of Physicians and the American Association of Sleep Medicine and a Diplomat of the American Board of Sleep Medicine.
His out-patient practice of over 39 years covers general pulmonary and sleep medicine disorders and includes a strong interest in asthma, COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary rehabilitation, lung cancer and obstructive sleep apnea. Since the impact of COVID, he has transitioned to a totally virtual practice in the ChristianaCare Center for Virtual Health as the pulmonary specialist.
He has held administrative duties at Christiana Care Health System that included Pulmonary Section Chief, Medical Director of E-ICU, Medical Director of Pulmonary Rehabilitation and Medical Director of the School of Respiratory Therapy. He relinquished these roles as he took on the responsibilities of the Chief Medical Officer for the American Lung Association. During his thirty-plus years in practice, he also served as the Principal Investigator for over 30 clinical trials in the fields of asthma, COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, pneumonia, and sleep apnea.
Dr. Rizzo had been a volunteer with the American Lung Association (ALA) since 1984 at both the local, regional, and national level. He served as Chairman of the National Board of Directors of the American Lung Association, 2011-2012. As a result of his service and achievements, he was awarded the Will Ross Medal for significant contribution to the prevention and control of lung disease in June 2015. He continued to serve as the senior Medical Advisor to the national office of the American Lung Association until being appointed the Chief Medical Officer for the organization in November 2018. In this role he collaborates with external partners to connect shared priorities and facilitate opportunities related to the American Lung Association’s mission of promoting lung health and preventing lung disease through research, advocacy and education, especially working on a level with the medical leadership of those external partners. In this role, Dr. Rizzo is currently the American Lung Association’s leading medical authority. He is their key medical advisor and leading media spokesperson.
In addition to smoking cessation, tobacco control and air quality, his topics include specific disease states such as COPD, Asthma, Sleep Apnea, and Lung Cancer, Climate Change Health Effects, E-cigarettes/vaping. The importance of recognizing and trying to eliminate some of the health care disparities that often involve these diseases is one of his concerns.
As a result of his involvement with the ALA, 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 he has testified before Congress on behalf of advancing lung disease research through funding of NIH and has lectured at American Lung Association meetings throughout the country. Within his role as the leading medical spokesperson for the Lung Association, Dr. Rizzo is a trusted resource for the public and news media, and is frequently featured in national leading news outlets, including CNN, The New York Times, ABC News, the TODAY Show, CBS Los Angeles, WPMT-TV and hundreds more.
To further deliver quality information and in-depth discussions about lung health, Dr. Rizzo also serves as the host of the Lung Association’s LungCastTM podcast, which has featured high-profile guests such as Dr. Anthony Fauci and is prdoduced by HCPLive and also hosts a monthly podcasr, Critical Observations in Pulmonary Medicine produced by Consultant360.