Centers Recognized
by ICFTN

The Cystic Fibrosis Center at Hospital de Niños de la Santísima Trinidad, located within a public tertiary-level pediatric hospital in Córdoba, central Argentina, serves as a national reference center caring for approximately 82 children with CF. Its large multidisciplinary team — including pulmonologists, gastroenterologists, kinesiologists, nutritionists, nurses, social workers, psychologists, and teachers — provides whole-patient care that extends beyond the clinical to include education, psychosocial support, and family engagement. A defining strength of the center is its specialized in-house sweat testing and microbiology laboratory, which enables precise, expert use of the gold-standard CF diagnostic test and positions the center as a regional diagnostic resource across Córdoba and beyond. The team has also contributed to published research on CF mutation analysis in Argentine patients and works closely with the nearby adult CF center to ensure a seamless transition from pediatric to adult care.

Hospital Dr. Gustavo Fricke, a high-complexity public hospital in Viña del Mar in Chile’s Valparaíso Region, serves as a national CF Referral Center for both pediatric and adult patients and is the country’s second-largest CF center by patient volume, drawing from an extensive catchment area across northern and central Chile. The CF team — comprising two pulmonologists, a respiratory therapist, a nutritionist, a social worker, and a nurse — has cared for patients for over 20 years and currently treats approximately 70 patients across all age groups, providing integrated care from childhood through adulthood within a single center to support continuity and lasting patient relationships. Beyond clinical excellence, the Fricke team has distinguished itself through broader engagement with the CF community, becoming the first center to participate in the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s DIGEST program — a reflection of their commitment to quality improvement and their willingness to lead in adopting innovative approaches to CF care.

The Instituto Nacional del Tórax — widely known as Hospital del Tórax — is a Chilean public hospital in Santiago’s Providencia district, operated by the Ministry of Health and designated a high-complexity, self-managed institution that serves as Chile’s premier tertiary care center for complex respiratory and cardiopulmonary diseases. Since 2006, the Ministry of Health has designated it as the principal national center for adult CF care, and it is also one of Chile’s leading lung transplant programs, offering a critical pathway for patients with advanced CF lung disease. The interdisciplinary CF team currently cares for approximately 82 patients aged 18 to 61, combining a full complement of specialists with deep experience in complex and advanced disease and direct access to lung transplantation — making the Instituto Nacional del Tórax a uniquely vital resource for adults living with CF in Chile.

The Cystic Fibrosis Center at Hospital San Juan de Dios is a public hospital program built on collaboration and forward-thinking care, with a comprehensive multidisciplinary team — including a pulmonologist, nurse, kinesiologist, nutritionist, M.D. nutriologist, social worker, psychologist, gastroenterologist, and infectious disease specialist — that provides holistic care for approximately 15 patients aged 0 to 18 and stands as one of the most complete interdisciplinary teams in the region. What distinguishes the center is its proactive commitment to sustainability and long-term excellence, reflected in the team’s work to develop training modules that empower successor disciplines and ensure the knowledge, skills, and culture of quality they have built will endure. The team has also made its mark on the broader CF community, becoming the first to participate in the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s VIP training program and later sharing their work at the North American CF Conference — a testament to the quality of their care and their commitment to the global CF conversation.

The Cystic Fibrosis Center at Hospital San Borja Arriarán, located within a public hospital in Santiago, holds a special place in the history of the ICFTN as the network’s flagship program and the first team to participate in the ICFTN Train the Trainer program — helping shape a model that has since been carried to CF teams across Latin America and beyond. The multidisciplinary team — comprising a pulmonologist, gastroenterologist, kinesiologist, dietitian, nurse, and social worker — provides comprehensive care for approximately 36 patients aged 0 to 18. The center is distinguished by its innovative approach to airway clearance therapy, with a particular emphasis on empowering families by training parents to perform effective techniques at home and making them active partners in their child’s daily CF care.

The Cystic Fibrosis Care Program at Hospital de Pediatría Juan P. Garrahan is a national benchmark center for CF care in Argentina, reflecting decades of clinical excellence at one of the largest and most respected public pediatric hospitals in Latin America and serving as a model for comprehensive, multidisciplinary CF care at scale. The interdisciplinary team — including pulmonologists, kinesiologists, nutritionists, infectious disease specialists, a psychologist, and a social worker — is united by a culture of strong collaboration and continuous improvement, and currently cares for approximately 200 patients aged 0 to 18, making it one of the largest pediatric CF programs in the region. The center’s commitment to excellence extends to high-level professional development, with the team’s coordinator participating in the prestigious IEHSS Team Training program in 2022, further strengthening capacity for leadership, teamwork, and systems-level CF care. Beyond its clinical work, the Garrahan team serves as a pivotal regional training center, sharing expertise and best practices with CF teams across Latin America, and is an active participant in the ICFTN Registry, contributing data that supports outcomes tracking and quality improvement across the broader CF community.

The Cystic Fibrosis Center at Hospital Pediátrico Dr. Humberto Notti is housed within a tertiary care public pediatric hospital in Mendoza, in western Argentina. Since its formation in 2019, the center’s interdisciplinary team has grown into a comprehensive, collaborative care model that brings together nursing, nutrition, kinesiology, social work, infectious diseases, adolescent medicine, and pediatric respiratory medicine to provide whole-patient CF care for approximately 85 patients aged 0 to 18. Beyond their clinical work, the Notti team actively participates in the ICFTN International Mentor Training Initiative, contributing their expertise as trainers and helping elevate CF care standards across Latin America. The team has also distinguished itself through an exceptional commitment to data and outcomes, excelling in ICFTN Registry data entry and producing two registry superusers from within its own ranks who have gone on to train other CF teams in registry implementation — a remarkable achievement that reflects the center’s dedication to building a stronger, more data-driven CF community across the region.

Hospital Luis Carlos Lagomaggiore is a public hospital and home to the first adult cystic fibrosis center in Mendoza Province, working in close collaboration since 2016 with the neighboring Hospital Pediátrico Dr. Humberto Notti to ensure seamless transition of patients from pediatric to adult care — a partnership reflecting a shared commitment to continuity and quality across every stage of life with CF. The interdisciplinary team currently coordinates and provides comprehensive care for approximately 65 patients aged 19 to 64, bringing together the full range of expertise needed to support adults living with cystic fibrosis. The Lagomaggiore team has earned a well-deserved reputation as outstanding trainers and mentors within the ICFTN community, generously sharing their expertise with CF teams across the region, and their work has been recognized internationally with a presentation at the North American CF Conference. The team is also among the ICFTN Registry’s most active and committed users, reflecting a deep belief in the power of data to drive meaningful improvements in CF care — for their own patients and for the broader Latin American CF community.