Launceston General Hospital's director of respiratory medicine, Dr Markos is also the director of the Clifford Craig Foundation, which is currently supporting two ongoing studies contributing to asthma research.

With about 13 per cent of Tasmanians living with the condition, On World Asthma Day Dr Markos acknowledged there was still much to learn.

"Everyone knows someone who has asthma," he said.

"Loss of work, admissions to hospital and premature death are caused by asthma.

"Treatment is available, but this doesn't work for everybody."

Asthma is a long-term condition of the lungs where a person's airways constrict in response to a wide variety of trigger factors, making it difficult to breathe.

An initiative by the Global Initiative for Asthma, World Asthma Day is held on the first Tuesday of May each year and aims to improve asthma awareness and care around the world.

In Tasmania the prevalence of asthma is much higher for those living in regional areas.

It is also the most common chronic condition in childhood and the most common reason for children being hospitalised.

As a follow-up to a previously funded Clifford Craig Foundation project into childhood asthma, Dr Heinrich Webber is exploring the high occurrence of childhood asthma in the North West of Tasmania.

His research aims to confirm childhood asthma is more common in North West Tasmania, compared to the rest of Australia.

The second asthma-specific study supported by the Clifford Craig Foundation is being led by Dr Sukhwinder Sohal, who is exploring the prevalence of asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap syndrome.

While asthma and COPD are traditionally characterised as separate diseases, many patients often presented with symptoms of both - leading to incorrect diagnosis and treatment.

Through the project, Dr Sohal aims to identify individuals with a history of smoking and asthma, and work out how many fit into the ACOS sub-group.

Dr Markos said research projects like this were worthy of support.

"As a doctor who has worked at the Launceston General Hospital since 1990, I have watched the hospital expand its workforce and medical expertise," he said.

"The Clifford Craig Foundation provides the main source of funding for local medical specialists to conduct research into locally relevant clinical problems, this promotes a culture of collaboration and optimism.

"It facilitates more learning and striving for excellence. The availability of research funding helps to recruit and retain new medical specialists.

"This enhances the locally available medical services, which translates into improved medical services in our local region."