[3] The Union was founded in Paris on 20 October 1920, during the first post-war international conference on TB at the Sorbonne University, where the representatives of 31 countries pledged to work together to fight the disease.
At the time it was known as the International Union Against Tuberculosis (IUAT) and was renamed in 1995 to the current one to include other lung diseases.
[7] Past presidents include:[10] According to its website, The Union has twelve offices around the world serving Africa, the Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, North America and South-East Asia, with a focus on tuberculosis, HIV, lung health and non-communicable diseases, tobacco control and research.
[12] Public Health Action is The Union's open-access online journal which is published quarterly.
[13] PHA addresses the need for showcasing operational research that addresses issues in health systems and services and aims to provide new knowledge to improve access, equity, quality and efficiency of health systems and services.