The past decade of research in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has seen a new age of understanding both pathogenic mechanisms and clinical manifestations of the disease. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has helped guide this progress with a series of initiatives to stimulate COPD research in various ways. These initiatives were designed to promote a precision medicine approach to treating COPD, one that takes advantage of targeting particular molecular pathways and the individual pathobiologies of the diversity of COPD patients. This review describes the strategic objectives of these initiatives, as well as some of their observed and anticipated outcomes. In addition, we address parallel steps NHLBI has taken to promote COPD awareness among the public. As we look toward the immediate future of COPD research and education, we see a time of great progress in terms of understanding and treatment. Furthermore, while this remains a debilitating and disturbingly prevalent disease, as NHLBI looks even farther ahead, we envision emerging efforts toward COPD prevention.