News From CHEST Physician®

At CHEST 2019 in New Orleans, the CHEST Foundation was pleased to formally welcome to its Board of Trustees new CHEST President Stephanie Levine, MD, FCCP, and Executive Committee Chair of the Council of Global Governors, Sai Haranath, MBBS, MPH, FCCP – who were appointed to their positions – as well as Roozehra Khan, DO, FCCP; Burton Lesnick, MD, FCCP; and Jill Popovich – who were elected to their positions. Guided by life-changing experiences with public service, memories of loved ones struggling with lung disease, and a pure and overwhelming desire to help the most vulnerable populations around the world acquire the resources they need to survive, the new CHEST Foundation Board members understand enhancing the CHEST Foundation’s impact on global health over the coming years to be their greatest shared priority.

At CHEST 2019 in New Orleans, the CHEST Foundation was pleased to formally welcome to its Board of Trustees new CHEST President Stephanie Levine, MD, FCCP, and Executive Committee Chair of the Council of Global Governors, Sai Haranath, MBBS, MPH, FCCP – who were appointed to their positions – as well as Roozehra Khan, DO, FCCP; Burton Lesnick, MD, FCCP; and Jill Popovich – who were elected to their positions. Guided by life-changing experiences with public service, memories of loved ones struggling with lung disease, and a pure and overwhelming desire to help the most vulnerable populations around the world acquire the resources they need to survive, the new CHEST Foundation Board members understand enhancing the CHEST Foundation’s impact on global health over the coming years to be their greatest shared priority.

At CHEST 2019 in New Orleans, the CHEST Foundation was pleased to formally welcome to its Board of Trustees new CHEST President Stephanie Levine, MD, FCCP, and Executive Committee Chair of the Council of Global Governors, Sai Haranath, MBBS, MPH, FCCP – who were appointed to their positions – as well as Roozehra Khan, DO, FCCP; Burton Lesnick, MD, FCCP; and Jill Popovich – who were elected to their positions. Guided by life-changing experiences with public service, memories of loved ones struggling with lung disease, and a pure and overwhelming desire to help the most vulnerable populations around the world acquire the resources they need to survive, the new CHEST Foundation Board members understand enhancing the CHEST Foundation’s impact on global health over the coming years to be their greatest shared priority.

CHEST 2019 marked the inaugural FISH Bowl competition for attendees. Inspired by Shark Tank, our kinder, gentler, yet still competitive and cutting-edge FISH Bowl (Furthering Innovation and Science for Health) featured CHEST members disrupting our beliefs about how clinical care and education are performed. As health-care providers, they presented innovative ideas pertaining to education and clinical disease for pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. Six finalists were chosen from dozens of submissions, and three emerged winners! In this limited series, we introduce you to several of them - beginning with finalist Dr. Ernest Chan.

Name: Ernest G. Chan, MD, MPH

Institutional Affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Position: PGY-4 Integrated Cardiothoracic Surgery Resident

Brief Summary of Submission:

My innovative idea for the CHEST FISH Bowl Competition 2019 was a device that monitors the use of the incentive spirometry, as well as makes its use interactive with a postoperative surgical patient. Our device would have several modules that monitor the frequency, volume, and quality of each breath. All of the information will be sent to the electronic medical records, so patients can get feedback from the surgical team in real time. There will also be programmable alarms so that we can create unique treatment plans personalized to each patient. All of these functions will ultimately allow us as physicians to study this incentive spirometry better.


1. What inspired your innovation?

What inspired my innovation is the world we live in today. Everything is automated from your toaster oven to self-driving cars. This automation allows for improved adherence and minimization of confounding variables.


2. Who do you think can benefit most from it, and why?

I think the people who would benefit most are the patients. When you are at your most vulnerable state after surgery, it is important to feel like someone is looking after you. Right now with incentive spirometry, you are given the device, someone tells you how to use it one time, and you are supposed to use it correctly. With our device, not only are you constantly reminded of using the device, as well as using correctly, the medical team is being fed these data to ensure what you are doing maximizes the benefits.


3. What do you see as challenges to your innovation gaining widespread acceptance? How can they be overcome?

I think the initial challenge will be the acceptance in spending more money. Physiologically and scientifically, the use of the incentive spirometry should help decrease postoperative pulmonary complications, but the current data are controversial, at best. I think that if we can show improvement in these postoperative complications, taking on extra upfront cost in investing in our device will ultimately pay off in the end.


4. Why was it meaningful for you to emerge as a finalist in FISH Bowl 2019?

I believe CHEST to be one of if not the most premiere medical organizations in the world. To become a finalist in the inaugural FISH Bowl Competition is a complete honor. Throughout every CHEST annual conference, there is innovation in every corner and every presentation. I hope that becoming a finalist at the FISH Bowl competition is just the first in my participation with CHEST.


5. What future do you envision for your innovation beyond FISH Bowl 2019?

I hope that my innovation will inspire young thinkers to look at any medical device/procedure/protocol and say, “How can I apply technology to this to make this better/safer/more efficient?” Because the future generations are exposed at the youngest of ages to technology that is exponentially getting better each day, they will be the ones to come up with the greatest of ideas.

CHEST 2019 marked the inaugural FISH Bowl competition for attendees. Inspired by Shark Tank, our kinder, gentler, yet still competitive and cutting-edge FISH Bowl (Furthering Innovation and Science for Health) featured CHEST members disrupting our beliefs about how clinical care and education are performed. As health-care providers, they presented innovative ideas pertaining to education and clinical disease for pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. Six finalists were chosen from dozens of submissions, and three emerged winners! In this limited series, we introduce you to several of them - beginning with finalist Dr. Ernest Chan.

Name: Ernest G. Chan, MD, MPH

Institutional Affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Position: PGY-4 Integrated Cardiothoracic Surgery Resident

Brief Summary of Submission:

My innovative idea for the CHEST FISH Bowl Competition 2019 was a device that monitors the use of the incentive spirometry, as well as makes its use interactive with a postoperative surgical patient. Our device would have several modules that monitor the frequency, volume, and quality of each breath. All of the information will be sent to the electronic medical records, so patients can get feedback from the surgical team in real time. There will also be programmable alarms so that we can create unique treatment plans personalized to each patient. All of these functions will ultimately allow us as physicians to study this incentive spirometry better.


1. What inspired your innovation?

What inspired my innovation is the world we live in today. Everything is automated from your toaster oven to self-driving cars. This automation allows for improved adherence and minimization of confounding variables.


2. Who do you think can benefit most from it, and why?

I think the people who would benefit most are the patients. When you are at your most vulnerable state after surgery, it is important to feel like someone is looking after you. Right now with incentive spirometry, you are given the device, someone tells you how to use it one time, and you are supposed to use it correctly. With our device, not only are you constantly reminded of using the device, as well as using correctly, the medical team is being fed these data to ensure what you are doing maximizes the benefits.


3. What do you see as challenges to your innovation gaining widespread acceptance? How can they be overcome?

I think the initial challenge will be the acceptance in spending more money. Physiologically and scientifically, the use of the incentive spirometry should help decrease postoperative pulmonary complications, but the current data are controversial, at best. I think that if we can show improvement in these postoperative complications, taking on extra upfront cost in investing in our device will ultimately pay off in the end.


4. Why was it meaningful for you to emerge as a finalist in FISH Bowl 2019?

I believe CHEST to be one of if not the most premiere medical organizations in the world. To become a finalist in the inaugural FISH Bowl Competition is a complete honor. Throughout every CHEST annual conference, there is innovation in every corner and every presentation. I hope that becoming a finalist at the FISH Bowl competition is just the first in my participation with CHEST.


5. What future do you envision for your innovation beyond FISH Bowl 2019?

I hope that my innovation will inspire young thinkers to look at any medical device/procedure/protocol and say, “How can I apply technology to this to make this better/safer/more efficient?” Because the future generations are exposed at the youngest of ages to technology that is exponentially getting better each day, they will be the ones to come up with the greatest of ideas.

CHEST 2019 marked the inaugural FISH Bowl competition for attendees. Inspired by Shark Tank, our kinder, gentler, yet still competitive and cutting-edge FISH Bowl (Furthering Innovation and Science for Health) featured CHEST members disrupting our beliefs about how clinical care and education are performed. As health-care providers, they presented innovative ideas pertaining to education and clinical disease for pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. Six finalists were chosen from dozens of submissions, and three emerged winners! In this limited series, we introduce you to several of them - beginning with finalist Dr. Ernest Chan.

Name: Ernest G. Chan, MD, MPH

Institutional Affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Position: PGY-4 Integrated Cardiothoracic Surgery Resident

Brief Summary of Submission:

My innovative idea for the CHEST FISH Bowl Competition 2019 was a device that monitors the use of the incentive spirometry, as well as makes its use interactive with a postoperative surgical patient. Our device would have several modules that monitor the frequency, volume, and quality of each breath. All of the information will be sent to the electronic medical records, so patients can get feedback from the surgical team in real time. There will also be programmable alarms so that we can create unique treatment plans personalized to each patient. All of these functions will ultimately allow us as physicians to study this incentive spirometry better.


1. What inspired your innovation?

What inspired my innovation is the world we live in today. Everything is automated from your toaster oven to self-driving cars. This automation allows for improved adherence and minimization of confounding variables.


2. Who do you think can benefit most from it, and why?

I think the people who would benefit most are the patients. When you are at your most vulnerable state after surgery, it is important to feel like someone is looking after you. Right now with incentive spirometry, you are given the device, someone tells you how to use it one time, and you are supposed to use it correctly. With our device, not only are you constantly reminded of using the device, as well as using correctly, the medical team is being fed these data to ensure what you are doing maximizes the benefits.


3. What do you see as challenges to your innovation gaining widespread acceptance? How can they be overcome?

I think the initial challenge will be the acceptance in spending more money. Physiologically and scientifically, the use of the incentive spirometry should help decrease postoperative pulmonary complications, but the current data are controversial, at best. I think that if we can show improvement in these postoperative complications, taking on extra upfront cost in investing in our device will ultimately pay off in the end.


4. Why was it meaningful for you to emerge as a finalist in FISH Bowl 2019?

I believe CHEST to be one of if not the most premiere medical organizations in the world. To become a finalist in the inaugural FISH Bowl Competition is a complete honor. Throughout every CHEST annual conference, there is innovation in every corner and every presentation. I hope that becoming a finalist at the FISH Bowl competition is just the first in my participation with CHEST.


5. What future do you envision for your innovation beyond FISH Bowl 2019?

I hope that my innovation will inspire young thinkers to look at any medical device/procedure/protocol and say, “How can I apply technology to this to make this better/safer/more efficient?” Because the future generations are exposed at the youngest of ages to technology that is exponentially getting better each day, they will be the ones to come up with the greatest of ideas.

Nine dimensions of wellness help nurses set self-care goals, seek resources, and support others.

Since nursing is a high-stress profession, it’s important to recognize signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in yourself or your fellow nurses.

“Nurses and PTSD: Combine Professional Care With Self-Care,” in American Nurse Today notes that one in four nurses will experience PTSD at some point. Symptoms can include agitation, irritability, self-destructive behavior, social isolation, fear, loneliness, and severe anxiety.

Nurse leaders can support their staff by seeking resources, advocating for assistance, and engaging with them. “When you listen, encourage, and support them, you develop trust, which can go a long way toward getting them the help they need,” the article adds.

Within the article is a link to “Wellness 101,” a self-care series that details nine dimensions of wellness to help nurses set goals for the well-being of themselves and others. “Wellness 101: 9 dimensions of wellness,” an introductory article in the series, summarizes each type of wellness:

Physical: Exercise, eat healthy, reduce stress, address medical issues and maintain healthy practices every day.

Emotional: Cognitive behavioral skills and mindfulness can relieve stress and anxiety.

Financial: Plan well and control spending to change how you feel.

Intellectual: Learn a new skill or concept, understand different viewpoints or exercise your mind with puzzles and games.

Career: Engage in work that provides satisfaction and matches your values.

Social: Build a support network based on mutual respect and trust among friends, family and co-workers.

Creative: Doodle, dance or sing without worrying about whether you’re doing it well.

Environmental: Appreciate your responsibility to preserve and protect the environment and connect to nature.

Spiritual: Be open to quiet self-reflection, reading and dialogue. Explore your beliefs and respect those of others.
 

Nine dimensions of wellness help nurses set self-care goals, seek resources, and support others.

Since nursing is a high-stress profession, it’s important to recognize signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in yourself or your fellow nurses.

“Nurses and PTSD: Combine Professional Care With Self-Care,” in American Nurse Today notes that one in four nurses will experience PTSD at some point. Symptoms can include agitation, irritability, self-destructive behavior, social isolation, fear, loneliness, and severe anxiety.

Nurse leaders can support their staff by seeking resources, advocating for assistance, and engaging with them. “When you listen, encourage, and support them, you develop trust, which can go a long way toward getting them the help they need,” the article adds.

Within the article is a link to “Wellness 101,” a self-care series that details nine dimensions of wellness to help nurses set goals for the well-being of themselves and others. “Wellness 101: 9 dimensions of wellness,” an introductory article in the series, summarizes each type of wellness:

Physical: Exercise, eat healthy, reduce stress, address medical issues and maintain healthy practices every day.

Emotional: Cognitive behavioral skills and mindfulness can relieve stress and anxiety.

Financial: Plan well and control spending to change how you feel.

Intellectual: Learn a new skill or concept, understand different viewpoints or exercise your mind with puzzles and games.

Career: Engage in work that provides satisfaction and matches your values.

Social: Build a support network based on mutual respect and trust among friends, family and co-workers.

Creative: Doodle, dance or sing without worrying about whether you’re doing it well.

Environmental: Appreciate your responsibility to preserve and protect the environment and connect to nature.

Spiritual: Be open to quiet self-reflection, reading and dialogue. Explore your beliefs and respect those of others.
 

Nine dimensions of wellness help nurses set self-care goals, seek resources, and support others.

Since nursing is a high-stress profession, it’s important to recognize signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in yourself or your fellow nurses.

“Nurses and PTSD: Combine Professional Care With Self-Care,” in American Nurse Today notes that one in four nurses will experience PTSD at some point. Symptoms can include agitation, irritability, self-destructive behavior, social isolation, fear, loneliness, and severe anxiety.

Nurse leaders can support their staff by seeking resources, advocating for assistance, and engaging with them. “When you listen, encourage, and support them, you develop trust, which can go a long way toward getting them the help they need,” the article adds.

Within the article is a link to “Wellness 101,” a self-care series that details nine dimensions of wellness to help nurses set goals for the well-being of themselves and others. “Wellness 101: 9 dimensions of wellness,” an introductory article in the series, summarizes each type of wellness:

Physical: Exercise, eat healthy, reduce stress, address medical issues and maintain healthy practices every day.

Emotional: Cognitive behavioral skills and mindfulness can relieve stress and anxiety.

Financial: Plan well and control spending to change how you feel.

Intellectual: Learn a new skill or concept, understand different viewpoints or exercise your mind with puzzles and games.

Career: Engage in work that provides satisfaction and matches your values.

Social: Build a support network based on mutual respect and trust among friends, family and co-workers.

Creative: Doodle, dance or sing without worrying about whether you’re doing it well.

Environmental: Appreciate your responsibility to preserve and protect the environment and connect to nature.

Spiritual: Be open to quiet self-reflection, reading and dialogue. Explore your beliefs and respect those of others.
 

Editorials
Right Ventricle to Left Ventricle Ratio at CTPA Predicts Mortality in Interstitial Lung Disease
By Dr. S. Gaine, et al.

Lung Ultrasound for the Diagnosis of Acute Heart Failure in the Emergency Department: A Step Forward
By Dr. P. Le Conte, et al.

Original research
The Burden of Substance Abuse-Related Admissions to the Medical ICU
By Dr. D. Westerhausen, et al.

Accuracy of Several Lung Ultrasound Methods for the Diagnosis of Acute Heart Failure in the Emergency Department: A Multicenter Prospective Study
By Dr. T. Choulhed, et al.

Editorials
Right Ventricle to Left Ventricle Ratio at CTPA Predicts Mortality in Interstitial Lung Disease
By Dr. S. Gaine, et al.

Lung Ultrasound for the Diagnosis of Acute Heart Failure in the Emergency Department: A Step Forward
By Dr. P. Le Conte, et al.

Original research
The Burden of Substance Abuse-Related Admissions to the Medical ICU
By Dr. D. Westerhausen, et al.

Accuracy of Several Lung Ultrasound Methods for the Diagnosis of Acute Heart Failure in the Emergency Department: A Multicenter Prospective Study
By Dr. T. Choulhed, et al.

Editorials
Right Ventricle to Left Ventricle Ratio at CTPA Predicts Mortality in Interstitial Lung Disease
By Dr. S. Gaine, et al.

Lung Ultrasound for the Diagnosis of Acute Heart Failure in the Emergency Department: A Step Forward
By Dr. P. Le Conte, et al.

Original research
The Burden of Substance Abuse-Related Admissions to the Medical ICU
By Dr. D. Westerhausen, et al.

Accuracy of Several Lung Ultrasound Methods for the Diagnosis of Acute Heart Failure in the Emergency Department: A Multicenter Prospective Study
By Dr. T. Choulhed, et al.

Alfred Soffer Research Award Winners
Johnathan Chung: EVALUATING CLINICAL UTILITY OF A UIP GENOMIC CLASSIFIER IN SUBJECTS WITH AND WITHOUT A HRCT PATTERN OF UIP
Girish Nair, MD: QUANTITATIVE LUNG FUNCTION IMAGING USING NOVEL INTEGRATED JACOBIAN VENTILATION METHOD IN A HEALTHY COHORT WITH NO RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS

Young Investigator Award Winners
Marvi Bikak, MD: APPLICATION OF MARKOV MODELING TO ASSESS OUTCOMES IN COPD
Arunima Bera, MD: SOLUBLE INTRACELLULAR ADHESION MOLECULE-1 (ICAM-1) PREDICTS MORTALITY IN CHILDREN WITH ARDS AND SEPSIS

Top Abstract Poster
Winner: Rachel Naramore: CAUSES OF MORTALITY POST SINGLE VS DOUBLE LUNG TRANSPLANTATION FOR COPD
Runner-up: Arjun Srinivasan: FEASIBILITY AND SAFETY OF DAY CARE THORACOSCOPY FOR UNDIAGNOSED EXUDATIVE PLEURAL EFFUSIONS

Case Report Slide Winners
Catherine A. Gao, MD: NOCARDIA ABSCESS AND PULMONARY ALVEOLAR PROTEINOSIS MASQUERADING AS LUNG CANCER WITH LYMPHANGITIC SPREAD IN A 57-YO PATIENT WITH 80 PY SMOKING HISTORY, in Fellows session - Interesting Presentations of Infectious Diseases

Sangita Goel, MD: SUCCESSFUL SINGLE LUNG TRANSPLANT OF A HEPATITIS C POSITIVE DONOR TO AN HIV SEROPOSITIVE RECIPIENT WITH PULMONARY FIBROSIS, in Fellows session, – Pulmonary Pathology

Matthew Lyons, MD: FAMILIAL PULMONARY FIBROSIS SECONDARY TO SHORT TELOMERE SYNDROME, in Medical Student/Resident session – Diffuse Lung Disease

Sarika Savajiyani, DO: MANAGEMENT OF SECONDARY HYPERFIBRINOLYSIS IN EXTRACORPOREAL MEMBRANE OXYGENATION AS IDENTIFIED BY THROMBOELASTOGRAPHY, in Fellows session – Clinical Conundrums in ECMO

Chase A. Baxter, DO: POLYBIOPSY FULMINANS: PULMONARY LYMPHOMATOID GRANULOMATOSIS, in Medical Student/Resident session – Pulmonary Pathology

Jason Low, MBBS: THE HURRICANE EFFECT: AN UNUSUAL PHENOMENON IN THE PULMONARY ARTERY, in Fellows session – Bronchoscopic Procedures

Jacob Hupp, MD: ECMO-RELATED HEMOLYTIC ANEMIA: A CASE SERIES ILLUSTRATING THE ROLE OF PLASMAPHERESIS IN MANAGEMENT, in Fellows session – Plasmapheresis to the Rescue

Nichole A. Smith, MD: BILATERAL CHYLOTHORAX SECONDARY TO SPONTANEOUS THORACIC DUCT ANEURYSM, in Fellows session – Disorders of the Pleura

Ritu Modi, MD: A FLORIST’S OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE, in Fellows session – Chest Infections: Find the Fungus

Ly Tran, DO: A RARE CASE OF PARANEOPLASTIC EDEMATOUS DERMATOMYOSITIS ASSOCIATED WITH SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER, in Medical Student/Resident session – Lung Cancer: Unusual Presentations

Abdelhamid Ben Selma, MD: PRIMARY SYNOVIAL SARCOMA OF THE LUNG COMPLICATED WITH POST BIOPSY TUMOR SPREAD TO THE TRACHEAL WALL, in Medical Student/Resident session – Pulmonary Pathology II

Dhaval Thakkar, MD: A CURIOUS MANIFESTATION OF SARCOIDOSIS, in Fellows session – Pulmonary Manifestations of Systemic Disease

Isaac N. Biney, MBChB: ACUTE PULMONARY EMBOLISM ASSOCIATED WITH A MOBILE RIGHT ATRIAL THROMBUS MANAGED BY SUCTION THROMBECTOMY, in Fellows session – Pulmonary Vascular Disease

Tie: José Antonio J. Meade Aguilar: CROSSFIT TRAINING-RELATED SPONTANEOUS DIAPHRAGMATIC RUPTURE: A CASE REPORT and Abigayle R. Sullivan, DO: A RARE CASE OF CULTURE-NEGATIVE WHIPPLE’S ENDOCARDITIS, in Medical Student/Resident session - Cardiovascular Cases

Yameena T. Jawed: BLUE INSIDE AND OUT: A NOVEL CASE OF HYPOTHERMIC SHOCK SALVAGED BY METHYLENE BLUE, in Fellows session – Unusual Cases and Treatments in the ICU

Rahul Dasgupta, MD: SUPERIOR VENA CAVA (SVC) –TRACHEAL FISTULA: AN UNUSUAL CASE OF HEMOPTYSIS, in Medical Student/Resident session – Lung Cancer: Expect the Unexpected

Akshay Bhatnagar, MD: A CASE OF CLINICALLY AMYOPATHIC DERMATOMYOSITIS-RELATED INTERSTITIAL LUNG DISEASE DUE TO ANTI-MDA5 ANTIBODY AND HEPATITIS B INFECTION, in Fellows session – Diffuse Lung Diseases

Kathleen Twomey, MD: A CASE OF RECURRENT ENCEPHALOPATHY IN A GASTRIC BYPASS PATIENT, in Medical Student/Resident session – Critical Care Complications

Jennifer Sunny, DO: MASSIVE BEE ENVENOMATION TREATED BY PLASMAPHERESIS, in Medical Student/Resident session – Critical Care Devices

Hafiz B. Mahboob, MD: PAZOPANIB ASSOCIATED SECONDARY SPONTANEOUS PNEUMOTHORAX: NATURAL DISEASE PROGRESSION OR DRUG SAFETY CONCERN? in Fellows session – Lung Cancer

Tie: Andrew DeMaio, MD, A CASE OF PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS AND PERSISTENT INTESTINAL INFLAMMATION AND HEMORRHAGE: TB OR NOT TB? and Joanna M. Scoon: ATTACK OF THE WILD BOARS, in Fellows session – Chest Infections

Danielle El Haddad, MD: A RIGHT TO LEFT EXTRACARDIAC SHUNT FROM A CHRONIC SUPERIOR VENA CAVA THROMBUS IN A PROTHROMBOTIC PATIENT, in Medical Student/Resident session – Pulmonary Vascular Disease

John Shumar, DO: MAKE NO BONES ABOUT IT: A RARE CASE OF OSSEOUS SARCOIDOSIS PRESENTING TWENTY YEARS AFTER INITIAL DIAGNOSIS, in Medical Student/Resident session – Pulmonary Manifestations of Systemic Disease


Case Report Poster Winners
Jad Sargi, MD: ATYPICAL PRESENTATION OF POSTERIOR REVERSIBLE ENCEPHALOPATHY SYNDROME (PRES SYNDROME)

Ankur Sinha, MBBS: LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES BRAIN ABSCESS IN AN IMMUNOCOMPETENT ADULT

Carla Emille D. Barbon, MD: GIANT PRIMARY LIPOSARCOMA OF THE PLEURA RESECTED THROUGH HEMI-CLAMSHELL THORACOTOMY

Hope F. Johnson, RRT: BRONCHOSCOPIC TREATMENT OF EARLY AND LATE PRESENTATION OF IRON PILL ASPIRATION

Humna Abid Memon, MD: AUTOLOGOUS STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION: A POSSIBLE TREATMENT FOR PULMONARY HYPERTENSION IN POEMS SYNDROME

Jordanna Hostler, MD, FCCP: BEYOND STEROIDS: MEPOLIZUMAB FOR CHRONIC EOSINOPHILIC PNEUMONIA

Zahra Zia, MD, MBBS: EXTRACORPOREAL MEMBRANE OXYGENATION (ECMO) FOR EMERGENT SURGICAL TREATMENT OF ANAEROBIC PURULENT PERICARDITIS CAUSING CARDIAC TAMPONADE, BRONCHOMEDIASTINAL FISTULA, AND ARDS

Brooke A. McDonald: FATAL CENTRAL PULMONARY CEMENT EMBOLISM AFTER KYPHOPLASTY

Mary E. Richert, MD: A CASE OF RASBURICASE-INDUCED METHEMOGLOBINEMIA DUE TO GLUCOSE-6-PHOSPHATE DEHYDROGENASE DEFICIENCY TREATED WITH HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY

Shiva M. Arjun, MD: AORTOBRONCHIAL FISTULA DUE TO GRAFT FAILURE: A RARE CAUSE OF HEMOPTYSIS

Harshwant Grover, MD: BLACK MEDIASTINUM: PRIMARY MEDIASTINAL MELANOMA

Neha Agarwal, MD: POSTTRANSPLANT PULMONARY KAPOSI SARCOMA PRESENTING AS CHYLOTHORAX

Alfred Soffer Research Award Winners
Johnathan Chung: EVALUATING CLINICAL UTILITY OF A UIP GENOMIC CLASSIFIER IN SUBJECTS WITH AND WITHOUT A HRCT PATTERN OF UIP
Girish Nair, MD: QUANTITATIVE LUNG FUNCTION IMAGING USING NOVEL INTEGRATED JACOBIAN VENTILATION METHOD IN A HEALTHY COHORT WITH NO RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS

Young Investigator Award Winners
Marvi Bikak, MD: APPLICATION OF MARKOV MODELING TO ASSESS OUTCOMES IN COPD
Arunima Bera, MD: SOLUBLE INTRACELLULAR ADHESION MOLECULE-1 (ICAM-1) PREDICTS MORTALITY IN CHILDREN WITH ARDS AND SEPSIS

Top Abstract Poster
Winner: Rachel Naramore: CAUSES OF MORTALITY POST SINGLE VS DOUBLE LUNG TRANSPLANTATION FOR COPD
Runner-up: Arjun Srinivasan: FEASIBILITY AND SAFETY OF DAY CARE THORACOSCOPY FOR UNDIAGNOSED EXUDATIVE PLEURAL EFFUSIONS

Case Report Slide Winners
Catherine A. Gao, MD: NOCARDIA ABSCESS AND PULMONARY ALVEOLAR PROTEINOSIS MASQUERADING AS LUNG CANCER WITH LYMPHANGITIC SPREAD IN A 57-YO PATIENT WITH 80 PY SMOKING HISTORY, in Fellows session - Interesting Presentations of Infectious Diseases

Sangita Goel, MD: SUCCESSFUL SINGLE LUNG TRANSPLANT OF A HEPATITIS C POSITIVE DONOR TO AN HIV SEROPOSITIVE RECIPIENT WITH PULMONARY FIBROSIS, in Fellows session, – Pulmonary Pathology

Matthew Lyons, MD: FAMILIAL PULMONARY FIBROSIS SECONDARY TO SHORT TELOMERE SYNDROME, in Medical Student/Resident session – Diffuse Lung Disease

Sarika Savajiyani, DO: MANAGEMENT OF SECONDARY HYPERFIBRINOLYSIS IN EXTRACORPOREAL MEMBRANE OXYGENATION AS IDENTIFIED BY THROMBOELASTOGRAPHY, in Fellows session – Clinical Conundrums in ECMO

Chase A. Baxter, DO: POLYBIOPSY FULMINANS: PULMONARY LYMPHOMATOID GRANULOMATOSIS, in Medical Student/Resident session – Pulmonary Pathology

Jason Low, MBBS: THE HURRICANE EFFECT: AN UNUSUAL PHENOMENON IN THE PULMONARY ARTERY, in Fellows session – Bronchoscopic Procedures

Jacob Hupp, MD: ECMO-RELATED HEMOLYTIC ANEMIA: A CASE SERIES ILLUSTRATING THE ROLE OF PLASMAPHERESIS IN MANAGEMENT, in Fellows session – Plasmapheresis to the Rescue

Nichole A. Smith, MD: BILATERAL CHYLOTHORAX SECONDARY TO SPONTANEOUS THORACIC DUCT ANEURYSM, in Fellows session – Disorders of the Pleura

Ritu Modi, MD: A FLORIST’S OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE, in Fellows session – Chest Infections: Find the Fungus

Ly Tran, DO: A RARE CASE OF PARANEOPLASTIC EDEMATOUS DERMATOMYOSITIS ASSOCIATED WITH SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER, in Medical Student/Resident session – Lung Cancer: Unusual Presentations

Abdelhamid Ben Selma, MD: PRIMARY SYNOVIAL SARCOMA OF THE LUNG COMPLICATED WITH POST BIOPSY TUMOR SPREAD TO THE TRACHEAL WALL, in Medical Student/Resident session – Pulmonary Pathology II

Dhaval Thakkar, MD: A CURIOUS MANIFESTATION OF SARCOIDOSIS, in Fellows session – Pulmonary Manifestations of Systemic Disease

Isaac N. Biney, MBChB: ACUTE PULMONARY EMBOLISM ASSOCIATED WITH A MOBILE RIGHT ATRIAL THROMBUS MANAGED BY SUCTION THROMBECTOMY, in Fellows session – Pulmonary Vascular Disease

Tie: José Antonio J. Meade Aguilar: CROSSFIT TRAINING-RELATED SPONTANEOUS DIAPHRAGMATIC RUPTURE: A CASE REPORT and Abigayle R. Sullivan, DO: A RARE CASE OF CULTURE-NEGATIVE WHIPPLE’S ENDOCARDITIS, in Medical Student/Resident session - Cardiovascular Cases

Yameena T. Jawed: BLUE INSIDE AND OUT: A NOVEL CASE OF HYPOTHERMIC SHOCK SALVAGED BY METHYLENE BLUE, in Fellows session – Unusual Cases and Treatments in the ICU

Rahul Dasgupta, MD: SUPERIOR VENA CAVA (SVC) –TRACHEAL FISTULA: AN UNUSUAL CASE OF HEMOPTYSIS, in Medical Student/Resident session – Lung Cancer: Expect the Unexpected

Akshay Bhatnagar, MD: A CASE OF CLINICALLY AMYOPATHIC DERMATOMYOSITIS-RELATED INTERSTITIAL LUNG DISEASE DUE TO ANTI-MDA5 ANTIBODY AND HEPATITIS B INFECTION, in Fellows session – Diffuse Lung Diseases

Kathleen Twomey, MD: A CASE OF RECURRENT ENCEPHALOPATHY IN A GASTRIC BYPASS PATIENT, in Medical Student/Resident session – Critical Care Complications

Jennifer Sunny, DO: MASSIVE BEE ENVENOMATION TREATED BY PLASMAPHERESIS, in Medical Student/Resident session – Critical Care Devices

Hafiz B. Mahboob, MD: PAZOPANIB ASSOCIATED SECONDARY SPONTANEOUS PNEUMOTHORAX: NATURAL DISEASE PROGRESSION OR DRUG SAFETY CONCERN? in Fellows session – Lung Cancer

Tie: Andrew DeMaio, MD, A CASE OF PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS AND PERSISTENT INTESTINAL INFLAMMATION AND HEMORRHAGE: TB OR NOT TB? and Joanna M. Scoon: ATTACK OF THE WILD BOARS, in Fellows session – Chest Infections

Danielle El Haddad, MD: A RIGHT TO LEFT EXTRACARDIAC SHUNT FROM A CHRONIC SUPERIOR VENA CAVA THROMBUS IN A PROTHROMBOTIC PATIENT, in Medical Student/Resident session – Pulmonary Vascular Disease

John Shumar, DO: MAKE NO BONES ABOUT IT: A RARE CASE OF OSSEOUS SARCOIDOSIS PRESENTING TWENTY YEARS AFTER INITIAL DIAGNOSIS, in Medical Student/Resident session – Pulmonary Manifestations of Systemic Disease


Case Report Poster Winners
Jad Sargi, MD: ATYPICAL PRESENTATION OF POSTERIOR REVERSIBLE ENCEPHALOPATHY SYNDROME (PRES SYNDROME)

Ankur Sinha, MBBS: LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES BRAIN ABSCESS IN AN IMMUNOCOMPETENT ADULT

Carla Emille D. Barbon, MD: GIANT PRIMARY LIPOSARCOMA OF THE PLEURA RESECTED THROUGH HEMI-CLAMSHELL THORACOTOMY

Hope F. Johnson, RRT: BRONCHOSCOPIC TREATMENT OF EARLY AND LATE PRESENTATION OF IRON PILL ASPIRATION

Humna Abid Memon, MD: AUTOLOGOUS STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION: A POSSIBLE TREATMENT FOR PULMONARY HYPERTENSION IN POEMS SYNDROME

Jordanna Hostler, MD, FCCP: BEYOND STEROIDS: MEPOLIZUMAB FOR CHRONIC EOSINOPHILIC PNEUMONIA

Zahra Zia, MD, MBBS: EXTRACORPOREAL MEMBRANE OXYGENATION (ECMO) FOR EMERGENT SURGICAL TREATMENT OF ANAEROBIC PURULENT PERICARDITIS CAUSING CARDIAC TAMPONADE, BRONCHOMEDIASTINAL FISTULA, AND ARDS

Brooke A. McDonald: FATAL CENTRAL PULMONARY CEMENT EMBOLISM AFTER KYPHOPLASTY

Mary E. Richert, MD: A CASE OF RASBURICASE-INDUCED METHEMOGLOBINEMIA DUE TO GLUCOSE-6-PHOSPHATE DEHYDROGENASE DEFICIENCY TREATED WITH HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY

Shiva M. Arjun, MD: AORTOBRONCHIAL FISTULA DUE TO GRAFT FAILURE: A RARE CAUSE OF HEMOPTYSIS

Harshwant Grover, MD: BLACK MEDIASTINUM: PRIMARY MEDIASTINAL MELANOMA

Neha Agarwal, MD: POSTTRANSPLANT PULMONARY KAPOSI SARCOMA PRESENTING AS CHYLOTHORAX

Alfred Soffer Research Award Winners
Johnathan Chung: EVALUATING CLINICAL UTILITY OF A UIP GENOMIC CLASSIFIER IN SUBJECTS WITH AND WITHOUT A HRCT PATTERN OF UIP
Girish Nair, MD: QUANTITATIVE LUNG FUNCTION IMAGING USING NOVEL INTEGRATED JACOBIAN VENTILATION METHOD IN A HEALTHY COHORT WITH NO RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS

Young Investigator Award Winners
Marvi Bikak, MD: APPLICATION OF MARKOV MODELING TO ASSESS OUTCOMES IN COPD
Arunima Bera, MD: SOLUBLE INTRACELLULAR ADHESION MOLECULE-1 (ICAM-1) PREDICTS MORTALITY IN CHILDREN WITH ARDS AND SEPSIS

Top Abstract Poster
Winner: Rachel Naramore: CAUSES OF MORTALITY POST SINGLE VS DOUBLE LUNG TRANSPLANTATION FOR COPD
Runner-up: Arjun Srinivasan: FEASIBILITY AND SAFETY OF DAY CARE THORACOSCOPY FOR UNDIAGNOSED EXUDATIVE PLEURAL EFFUSIONS

Case Report Slide Winners
Catherine A. Gao, MD: NOCARDIA ABSCESS AND PULMONARY ALVEOLAR PROTEINOSIS MASQUERADING AS LUNG CANCER WITH LYMPHANGITIC SPREAD IN A 57-YO PATIENT WITH 80 PY SMOKING HISTORY, in Fellows session - Interesting Presentations of Infectious Diseases

Sangita Goel, MD: SUCCESSFUL SINGLE LUNG TRANSPLANT OF A HEPATITIS C POSITIVE DONOR TO AN HIV SEROPOSITIVE RECIPIENT WITH PULMONARY FIBROSIS, in Fellows session, – Pulmonary Pathology

Matthew Lyons, MD: FAMILIAL PULMONARY FIBROSIS SECONDARY TO SHORT TELOMERE SYNDROME, in Medical Student/Resident session – Diffuse Lung Disease

Sarika Savajiyani, DO: MANAGEMENT OF SECONDARY HYPERFIBRINOLYSIS IN EXTRACORPOREAL MEMBRANE OXYGENATION AS IDENTIFIED BY THROMBOELASTOGRAPHY, in Fellows session – Clinical Conundrums in ECMO

Chase A. Baxter, DO: POLYBIOPSY FULMINANS: PULMONARY LYMPHOMATOID GRANULOMATOSIS, in Medical Student/Resident session – Pulmonary Pathology

Jason Low, MBBS: THE HURRICANE EFFECT: AN UNUSUAL PHENOMENON IN THE PULMONARY ARTERY, in Fellows session – Bronchoscopic Procedures

Jacob Hupp, MD: ECMO-RELATED HEMOLYTIC ANEMIA: A CASE SERIES ILLUSTRATING THE ROLE OF PLASMAPHERESIS IN MANAGEMENT, in Fellows session – Plasmapheresis to the Rescue

Nichole A. Smith, MD: BILATERAL CHYLOTHORAX SECONDARY TO SPONTANEOUS THORACIC DUCT ANEURYSM, in Fellows session – Disorders of the Pleura

Ritu Modi, MD: A FLORIST’S OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE, in Fellows session – Chest Infections: Find the Fungus

Ly Tran, DO: A RARE CASE OF PARANEOPLASTIC EDEMATOUS DERMATOMYOSITIS ASSOCIATED WITH SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER, in Medical Student/Resident session – Lung Cancer: Unusual Presentations

Abdelhamid Ben Selma, MD: PRIMARY SYNOVIAL SARCOMA OF THE LUNG COMPLICATED WITH POST BIOPSY TUMOR SPREAD TO THE TRACHEAL WALL, in Medical Student/Resident session – Pulmonary Pathology II

Dhaval Thakkar, MD: A CURIOUS MANIFESTATION OF SARCOIDOSIS, in Fellows session – Pulmonary Manifestations of Systemic Disease

Isaac N. Biney, MBChB: ACUTE PULMONARY EMBOLISM ASSOCIATED WITH A MOBILE RIGHT ATRIAL THROMBUS MANAGED BY SUCTION THROMBECTOMY, in Fellows session – Pulmonary Vascular Disease

Tie: José Antonio J. Meade Aguilar: CROSSFIT TRAINING-RELATED SPONTANEOUS DIAPHRAGMATIC RUPTURE: A CASE REPORT and Abigayle R. Sullivan, DO: A RARE CASE OF CULTURE-NEGATIVE WHIPPLE’S ENDOCARDITIS, in Medical Student/Resident session - Cardiovascular Cases

Yameena T. Jawed: BLUE INSIDE AND OUT: A NOVEL CASE OF HYPOTHERMIC SHOCK SALVAGED BY METHYLENE BLUE, in Fellows session – Unusual Cases and Treatments in the ICU

Rahul Dasgupta, MD: SUPERIOR VENA CAVA (SVC) –TRACHEAL FISTULA: AN UNUSUAL CASE OF HEMOPTYSIS, in Medical Student/Resident session – Lung Cancer: Expect the Unexpected

Akshay Bhatnagar, MD: A CASE OF CLINICALLY AMYOPATHIC DERMATOMYOSITIS-RELATED INTERSTITIAL LUNG DISEASE DUE TO ANTI-MDA5 ANTIBODY AND HEPATITIS B INFECTION, in Fellows session – Diffuse Lung Diseases

Kathleen Twomey, MD: A CASE OF RECURRENT ENCEPHALOPATHY IN A GASTRIC BYPASS PATIENT, in Medical Student/Resident session – Critical Care Complications

Jennifer Sunny, DO: MASSIVE BEE ENVENOMATION TREATED BY PLASMAPHERESIS, in Medical Student/Resident session – Critical Care Devices

Hafiz B. Mahboob, MD: PAZOPANIB ASSOCIATED SECONDARY SPONTANEOUS PNEUMOTHORAX: NATURAL DISEASE PROGRESSION OR DRUG SAFETY CONCERN? in Fellows session – Lung Cancer

Tie: Andrew DeMaio, MD, A CASE OF PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS AND PERSISTENT INTESTINAL INFLAMMATION AND HEMORRHAGE: TB OR NOT TB? and Joanna M. Scoon: ATTACK OF THE WILD BOARS, in Fellows session – Chest Infections

Danielle El Haddad, MD: A RIGHT TO LEFT EXTRACARDIAC SHUNT FROM A CHRONIC SUPERIOR VENA CAVA THROMBUS IN A PROTHROMBOTIC PATIENT, in Medical Student/Resident session – Pulmonary Vascular Disease

John Shumar, DO: MAKE NO BONES ABOUT IT: A RARE CASE OF OSSEOUS SARCOIDOSIS PRESENTING TWENTY YEARS AFTER INITIAL DIAGNOSIS, in Medical Student/Resident session – Pulmonary Manifestations of Systemic Disease


Case Report Poster Winners
Jad Sargi, MD: ATYPICAL PRESENTATION OF POSTERIOR REVERSIBLE ENCEPHALOPATHY SYNDROME (PRES SYNDROME)

Ankur Sinha, MBBS: LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES BRAIN ABSCESS IN AN IMMUNOCOMPETENT ADULT

Carla Emille D. Barbon, MD: GIANT PRIMARY LIPOSARCOMA OF THE PLEURA RESECTED THROUGH HEMI-CLAMSHELL THORACOTOMY

Hope F. Johnson, RRT: BRONCHOSCOPIC TREATMENT OF EARLY AND LATE PRESENTATION OF IRON PILL ASPIRATION

Humna Abid Memon, MD: AUTOLOGOUS STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION: A POSSIBLE TREATMENT FOR PULMONARY HYPERTENSION IN POEMS SYNDROME

Jordanna Hostler, MD, FCCP: BEYOND STEROIDS: MEPOLIZUMAB FOR CHRONIC EOSINOPHILIC PNEUMONIA

Zahra Zia, MD, MBBS: EXTRACORPOREAL MEMBRANE OXYGENATION (ECMO) FOR EMERGENT SURGICAL TREATMENT OF ANAEROBIC PURULENT PERICARDITIS CAUSING CARDIAC TAMPONADE, BRONCHOMEDIASTINAL FISTULA, AND ARDS

Brooke A. McDonald: FATAL CENTRAL PULMONARY CEMENT EMBOLISM AFTER KYPHOPLASTY

Mary E. Richert, MD: A CASE OF RASBURICASE-INDUCED METHEMOGLOBINEMIA DUE TO GLUCOSE-6-PHOSPHATE DEHYDROGENASE DEFICIENCY TREATED WITH HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY

Shiva M. Arjun, MD: AORTOBRONCHIAL FISTULA DUE TO GRAFT FAILURE: A RARE CAUSE OF HEMOPTYSIS

Harshwant Grover, MD: BLACK MEDIASTINUM: PRIMARY MEDIASTINAL MELANOMA

Neha Agarwal, MD: POSTTRANSPLANT PULMONARY KAPOSI SARCOMA PRESENTING AS CHYLOTHORAX

ANNUAL AWARDS

Master FCCP
Darcy Marciniuk, MD, Master FCCP

Distinguished Service Award
Doreen Addrizzo-Harris, MD, FCCP

Master Clinician Educator
Eric Edell, MD, FCCP

Early Career Clinician Educator
Cassie Kennedy, MD, FCCP
Paru Patrawalla, MD, FCCP

Alfred Soffer Award for Editorial Excellence
Richard Irwin, MD, Master FCCP

Presidential Citation
Lawrence Mohr, Jr., MD, FCCP
 

HONOR LECTURE AND MEMORIAL AWARDS

Edward C. Rosenow III, MD, Master FCCP/Master Teacher Honor Lecture
Dare We Discuss the Cure for Stage IV Lung Cancer? Next- Generation Sequencing and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors!
James Jett, MD, FCCP
The lecture is generously funded by the CHEST Foundation.

Distinguished Scientist Honor Lecture in Cardiopulmonary Physiology
Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Hypertension: Translating Pathophysiological Concepts Into Clinical Practice
Eduardo Bossone, MD, PhD, FCCP
The lecture is generously funded by the CHEST Foundation.

Presidential Honor Lecture
Drug-Induced Lung Disease: Watchful Eyes
Andrew Limper, MD, FCCP

Thomas L. Petty, MD, Master FCCP Memorial Lecture
The NHI Phase 3 Trial to Treat Central Sleep Apnea in Heart Failure With Low-Flow Oxygen
Shahrokh Javaheri, MD, FCCP
The lecture is generously funded by the CHEST Foundation.

Margaret Pfrommer Memorial Lecture in Home-Based Mechanical VentilationChildren Are Not Just Little Adults – Except Sometimes
Howard Panitch, MD, FCCP
The Margaret Pfrommer Memorial Lecture in Home-Based Mechanical Ventilation is generously supported by International Ventilator Users Network of Post-Polio Health International and the CHEST Foundation.

Pasquale Ciaglia Memorial Lecture in Interventional Medicine
Medical Thoracoscopy: Past, Present, and Future
Pyng Lee, MD, PhD
The lecture is generously funded by the CHEST Foundation.

Roger C. Bone Memorial Lecture in Critical CareReducing Mortality in Sepsis: The History of Performance Measures
Mitchell Levy, MD
The lecture is generously funded by the CHEST Foundation.

Murray Kornfeld Memorial Founders Lecture
Is It Infection, Inflammation, or…Cancer?
Diane Stover, MD, FCCP
The lecture is generously funded by the CHEST Foundation.

Om P. Sharma, MD, Master FCCP Memorial Lecture
Common Pitfalls in Sarcoidosis
Michael Iannuzzi, MD, FCCP
The lecture is generously funded by the CHEST Foundation.

Mark J. Rosen, MD, Master FCCP Memorial Lecture
Remembering a Giant in Chest Medicine: The Mark J. Rosen Memorial Lecture
Lisa Moores, MD, FCCP

 

CHEST FOUNDATION GRANT AWARDS

The GlaxoSmithKline Distinguished Scholar in Respiratory Health
Kamran Mahmood, MBBS, FCCP
Lymphocyte Exhaustion Markers in Malignant Pleural Effusions of Lung CancerThis grant is supported by an endowed fund from GlaxoSmithKline.

CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Lung Cancer
James Tsay, MD
Effect of the Inflammasone Signaling Pathway on Lung Microbiome and Lung Cancer
This grant supported in full by the CHEST Foundation.

CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Mona Alotaibi, MD
Metabolic Derangements Underlying SSc-PAH
This grant supported in full by the CHEST Foundation.

CHEST Foundation and the Alpha-1 Foundation Research Grant in Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency
Derek Russell, MD
Neutrophil-Elastase Positive Exosomes and Emphysema in Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency
This grant supported by the Alpha-1 Foundation and the CHEST Foundation.

CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Women’s Lung Health
Neelima Navuluri, MD, MPH
Evaluation of Chronic Hypoxemia From Cardiopulmonary Disease Among Patients in Western Kenya and Perspectives on Oxygen Therapy
This grant supported in full by the CHEST Foundation.

CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Pulmonary Fibrosis
Eric Abston, MD
Noninvasive Quantification of Pulmonary Fibrosis Due to Radiation Induced Lung Injury Using [68Ga]CBP8 Type 1 Collagen Probe
 

Karthik Suresh, MD
Safety and Efficacy of High-Flow Air for Long-term Oxygen Therapy Delivery in Patients With Pulmonary Fibrosis

These grants are supported by a scientific advancement agreement from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc and by a grant from Genentech.


CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Chris Mosher, MD
Identifying Treatment Outcomes and Early Predictors of Failure in 600 Hospitalized Patients With Acute Exacerbation of COPD Treated with Noninvasive Ventilation
Grant supported in full by the CHEST Foundation.

CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Diseases
Elsje Pienaar, PhD
A Computational Bridge Between In Vitro MIC and In Vivo Efficacy of Antibiotics Against MAC Infection

Elisa Ignatius, MD
Early Bactericidal Activity of Standard Drugs Used to Treat Mycobacterium Avium Complex: A Pilot Study

Supported by a research award grant by Insmed Incorporated.


CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Venous Thromboembolism
Mitchell Cahan, MD
A Translational Approach to Understanding Venous Thromboembolism in Post-Surgical Patients Using MicroRNAs in the American Black Bear
This grant supported in full by the CHEST Foundation.


CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Severe Asthma
Vickram Tejwani, MD
Peripheral Immune Cell Landscape in Obese Children With Severe Asthma

Sunita Sharma, MD, MPH
Predictors of Anti-IL-5 Treatment Failure in Severe Asthmatics

Supported by an independent educational grant from AstraZeneca LP.

CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Cystic Fibrosis
Kathleen Ramos, MD, MS
Underweight Individuals With Cystic Fibrosis and Implications for Lung Transplantation
This grant supported by Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated.

John R. Addrizzo, MD, FCCP Research Grant in Sarcoidosis
Divya Patel, DO
Pharmacogenetic Predictors of Therapeutic Response to Methotrexate in Patients With Sarcoidosis

Nicholas Arger, MD
Using Serum Interferon-Induced Chemokines to Predict Sarcoidosis Outcomes
This grant is in honor of John R. Addrizzo, MD, and is supported in full by the Addrizzo Family, their friends, and the CHEST Foundation.

CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Sleep Medicine
Irene Telias, MD
Influence of Sleep-Wakefulness Abnormalities on Patient-Ventilator Dyssynchrony: A Step Towards Improvement of Sleep Quality in Critically Ill Patients

Sushmita Pamidi, MD, MSc
Maternal Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Pregnancy and Risk of Adverse Health Outcomes in Children: A Follow-Up Study of the 3D Pregnancy and Birth Cohort
This grant supported by Apria Healthcare and Jazz Pharmaceuticals.

CHEST Foundation Community Service Grant Honoring D. Robert McCaffree, MD, Master FCCP
Hans Lee, MD, FCCP
Uganda Bronchoscopy and Pleuroscopy (UBP) Project

Panagis Galiatsatos, MD, MHS
The Lung Health Ambassador Program

Paul Sonenthal, MD
Improving Critical Care Capacity in Sierra Leone

Dana Hickman, ARNP-C, FNP-BC
Living With COPD: Empowering Individuals, Families, and Caregivers

Ann Salvator, MS
Pediatric Asthma Screenings and Education on the Navajo Reservation

Tisha Wang, MD
PAP Foundation Education Days: A Project to Reach Patients, Caregivers, and Physicians

Grants supported in full by the CHEST Foundation.

ANNUAL AWARDS

Master FCCP
Darcy Marciniuk, MD, Master FCCP

Distinguished Service Award
Doreen Addrizzo-Harris, MD, FCCP

Master Clinician Educator
Eric Edell, MD, FCCP

Early Career Clinician Educator
Cassie Kennedy, MD, FCCP
Paru Patrawalla, MD, FCCP

Alfred Soffer Award for Editorial Excellence
Richard Irwin, MD, Master FCCP

Presidential Citation
Lawrence Mohr, Jr., MD, FCCP
 

HONOR LECTURE AND MEMORIAL AWARDS

Edward C. Rosenow III, MD, Master FCCP/Master Teacher Honor Lecture
Dare We Discuss the Cure for Stage IV Lung Cancer? Next- Generation Sequencing and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors!
James Jett, MD, FCCP
The lecture is generously funded by the CHEST Foundation.

Distinguished Scientist Honor Lecture in Cardiopulmonary Physiology
Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Hypertension: Translating Pathophysiological Concepts Into Clinical Practice
Eduardo Bossone, MD, PhD, FCCP
The lecture is generously funded by the CHEST Foundation.

Presidential Honor Lecture
Drug-Induced Lung Disease: Watchful Eyes
Andrew Limper, MD, FCCP

Thomas L. Petty, MD, Master FCCP Memorial Lecture
The NHI Phase 3 Trial to Treat Central Sleep Apnea in Heart Failure With Low-Flow Oxygen
Shahrokh Javaheri, MD, FCCP
The lecture is generously funded by the CHEST Foundation.

Margaret Pfrommer Memorial Lecture in Home-Based Mechanical VentilationChildren Are Not Just Little Adults – Except Sometimes
Howard Panitch, MD, FCCP
The Margaret Pfrommer Memorial Lecture in Home-Based Mechanical Ventilation is generously supported by International Ventilator Users Network of Post-Polio Health International and the CHEST Foundation.

Pasquale Ciaglia Memorial Lecture in Interventional Medicine
Medical Thoracoscopy: Past, Present, and Future
Pyng Lee, MD, PhD
The lecture is generously funded by the CHEST Foundation.

Roger C. Bone Memorial Lecture in Critical CareReducing Mortality in Sepsis: The History of Performance Measures
Mitchell Levy, MD
The lecture is generously funded by the CHEST Foundation.

Murray Kornfeld Memorial Founders Lecture
Is It Infection, Inflammation, or…Cancer?
Diane Stover, MD, FCCP
The lecture is generously funded by the CHEST Foundation.

Om P. Sharma, MD, Master FCCP Memorial Lecture
Common Pitfalls in Sarcoidosis
Michael Iannuzzi, MD, FCCP
The lecture is generously funded by the CHEST Foundation.

Mark J. Rosen, MD, Master FCCP Memorial Lecture
Remembering a Giant in Chest Medicine: The Mark J. Rosen Memorial Lecture
Lisa Moores, MD, FCCP

 

CHEST FOUNDATION GRANT AWARDS

The GlaxoSmithKline Distinguished Scholar in Respiratory Health
Kamran Mahmood, MBBS, FCCP
Lymphocyte Exhaustion Markers in Malignant Pleural Effusions of Lung CancerThis grant is supported by an endowed fund from GlaxoSmithKline.

CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Lung Cancer
James Tsay, MD
Effect of the Inflammasone Signaling Pathway on Lung Microbiome and Lung Cancer
This grant supported in full by the CHEST Foundation.

CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Mona Alotaibi, MD
Metabolic Derangements Underlying SSc-PAH
This grant supported in full by the CHEST Foundation.

CHEST Foundation and the Alpha-1 Foundation Research Grant in Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency
Derek Russell, MD
Neutrophil-Elastase Positive Exosomes and Emphysema in Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency
This grant supported by the Alpha-1 Foundation and the CHEST Foundation.

CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Women’s Lung Health
Neelima Navuluri, MD, MPH
Evaluation of Chronic Hypoxemia From Cardiopulmonary Disease Among Patients in Western Kenya and Perspectives on Oxygen Therapy
This grant supported in full by the CHEST Foundation.

CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Pulmonary Fibrosis
Eric Abston, MD
Noninvasive Quantification of Pulmonary Fibrosis Due to Radiation Induced Lung Injury Using [68Ga]CBP8 Type 1 Collagen Probe
 

Karthik Suresh, MD
Safety and Efficacy of High-Flow Air for Long-term Oxygen Therapy Delivery in Patients With Pulmonary Fibrosis

These grants are supported by a scientific advancement agreement from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc and by a grant from Genentech.


CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Chris Mosher, MD
Identifying Treatment Outcomes and Early Predictors of Failure in 600 Hospitalized Patients With Acute Exacerbation of COPD Treated with Noninvasive Ventilation
Grant supported in full by the CHEST Foundation.

CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Diseases
Elsje Pienaar, PhD
A Computational Bridge Between In Vitro MIC and In Vivo Efficacy of Antibiotics Against MAC Infection

Elisa Ignatius, MD
Early Bactericidal Activity of Standard Drugs Used to Treat Mycobacterium Avium Complex: A Pilot Study

Supported by a research award grant by Insmed Incorporated.


CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Venous Thromboembolism
Mitchell Cahan, MD
A Translational Approach to Understanding Venous Thromboembolism in Post-Surgical Patients Using MicroRNAs in the American Black Bear
This grant supported in full by the CHEST Foundation.


CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Severe Asthma
Vickram Tejwani, MD
Peripheral Immune Cell Landscape in Obese Children With Severe Asthma

Sunita Sharma, MD, MPH
Predictors of Anti-IL-5 Treatment Failure in Severe Asthmatics

Supported by an independent educational grant from AstraZeneca LP.

CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Cystic Fibrosis
Kathleen Ramos, MD, MS
Underweight Individuals With Cystic Fibrosis and Implications for Lung Transplantation
This grant supported by Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated.

John R. Addrizzo, MD, FCCP Research Grant in Sarcoidosis
Divya Patel, DO
Pharmacogenetic Predictors of Therapeutic Response to Methotrexate in Patients With Sarcoidosis

Nicholas Arger, MD
Using Serum Interferon-Induced Chemokines to Predict Sarcoidosis Outcomes
This grant is in honor of John R. Addrizzo, MD, and is supported in full by the Addrizzo Family, their friends, and the CHEST Foundation.

CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Sleep Medicine
Irene Telias, MD
Influence of Sleep-Wakefulness Abnormalities on Patient-Ventilator Dyssynchrony: A Step Towards Improvement of Sleep Quality in Critically Ill Patients

Sushmita Pamidi, MD, MSc
Maternal Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Pregnancy and Risk of Adverse Health Outcomes in Children: A Follow-Up Study of the 3D Pregnancy and Birth Cohort
This grant supported by Apria Healthcare and Jazz Pharmaceuticals.

CHEST Foundation Community Service Grant Honoring D. Robert McCaffree, MD, Master FCCP
Hans Lee, MD, FCCP
Uganda Bronchoscopy and Pleuroscopy (UBP) Project

Panagis Galiatsatos, MD, MHS
The Lung Health Ambassador Program

Paul Sonenthal, MD
Improving Critical Care Capacity in Sierra Leone

Dana Hickman, ARNP-C, FNP-BC
Living With COPD: Empowering Individuals, Families, and Caregivers

Ann Salvator, MS
Pediatric Asthma Screenings and Education on the Navajo Reservation

Tisha Wang, MD
PAP Foundation Education Days: A Project to Reach Patients, Caregivers, and Physicians

Grants supported in full by the CHEST Foundation.

ANNUAL AWARDS

Master FCCP
Darcy Marciniuk, MD, Master FCCP

Distinguished Service Award
Doreen Addrizzo-Harris, MD, FCCP

Master Clinician Educator
Eric Edell, MD, FCCP

Early Career Clinician Educator
Cassie Kennedy, MD, FCCP
Paru Patrawalla, MD, FCCP

Alfred Soffer Award for Editorial Excellence
Richard Irwin, MD, Master FCCP

Presidential Citation
Lawrence Mohr, Jr., MD, FCCP
 

HONOR LECTURE AND MEMORIAL AWARDS

Edward C. Rosenow III, MD, Master FCCP/Master Teacher Honor Lecture
Dare We Discuss the Cure for Stage IV Lung Cancer? Next- Generation Sequencing and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors!
James Jett, MD, FCCP
The lecture is generously funded by the CHEST Foundation.

Distinguished Scientist Honor Lecture in Cardiopulmonary Physiology
Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Hypertension: Translating Pathophysiological Concepts Into Clinical Practice
Eduardo Bossone, MD, PhD, FCCP
The lecture is generously funded by the CHEST Foundation.

Presidential Honor Lecture
Drug-Induced Lung Disease: Watchful Eyes
Andrew Limper, MD, FCCP

Thomas L. Petty, MD, Master FCCP Memorial Lecture
The NHI Phase 3 Trial to Treat Central Sleep Apnea in Heart Failure With Low-Flow Oxygen
Shahrokh Javaheri, MD, FCCP
The lecture is generously funded by the CHEST Foundation.

Margaret Pfrommer Memorial Lecture in Home-Based Mechanical VentilationChildren Are Not Just Little Adults – Except Sometimes
Howard Panitch, MD, FCCP
The Margaret Pfrommer Memorial Lecture in Home-Based Mechanical Ventilation is generously supported by International Ventilator Users Network of Post-Polio Health International and the CHEST Foundation.

Pasquale Ciaglia Memorial Lecture in Interventional Medicine
Medical Thoracoscopy: Past, Present, and Future
Pyng Lee, MD, PhD
The lecture is generously funded by the CHEST Foundation.

Roger C. Bone Memorial Lecture in Critical CareReducing Mortality in Sepsis: The History of Performance Measures
Mitchell Levy, MD
The lecture is generously funded by the CHEST Foundation.

Murray Kornfeld Memorial Founders Lecture
Is It Infection, Inflammation, or…Cancer?
Diane Stover, MD, FCCP
The lecture is generously funded by the CHEST Foundation.

Om P. Sharma, MD, Master FCCP Memorial Lecture
Common Pitfalls in Sarcoidosis
Michael Iannuzzi, MD, FCCP
The lecture is generously funded by the CHEST Foundation.

Mark J. Rosen, MD, Master FCCP Memorial Lecture
Remembering a Giant in Chest Medicine: The Mark J. Rosen Memorial Lecture
Lisa Moores, MD, FCCP

 

CHEST FOUNDATION GRANT AWARDS

The GlaxoSmithKline Distinguished Scholar in Respiratory Health
Kamran Mahmood, MBBS, FCCP
Lymphocyte Exhaustion Markers in Malignant Pleural Effusions of Lung CancerThis grant is supported by an endowed fund from GlaxoSmithKline.

CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Lung Cancer
James Tsay, MD
Effect of the Inflammasone Signaling Pathway on Lung Microbiome and Lung Cancer
This grant supported in full by the CHEST Foundation.

CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Mona Alotaibi, MD
Metabolic Derangements Underlying SSc-PAH
This grant supported in full by the CHEST Foundation.

CHEST Foundation and the Alpha-1 Foundation Research Grant in Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency
Derek Russell, MD
Neutrophil-Elastase Positive Exosomes and Emphysema in Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency
This grant supported by the Alpha-1 Foundation and the CHEST Foundation.

CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Women’s Lung Health
Neelima Navuluri, MD, MPH
Evaluation of Chronic Hypoxemia From Cardiopulmonary Disease Among Patients in Western Kenya and Perspectives on Oxygen Therapy
This grant supported in full by the CHEST Foundation.

CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Pulmonary Fibrosis
Eric Abston, MD
Noninvasive Quantification of Pulmonary Fibrosis Due to Radiation Induced Lung Injury Using [68Ga]CBP8 Type 1 Collagen Probe
 

Karthik Suresh, MD
Safety and Efficacy of High-Flow Air for Long-term Oxygen Therapy Delivery in Patients With Pulmonary Fibrosis

These grants are supported by a scientific advancement agreement from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc and by a grant from Genentech.


CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Chris Mosher, MD
Identifying Treatment Outcomes and Early Predictors of Failure in 600 Hospitalized Patients With Acute Exacerbation of COPD Treated with Noninvasive Ventilation
Grant supported in full by the CHEST Foundation.

CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Diseases
Elsje Pienaar, PhD
A Computational Bridge Between In Vitro MIC and In Vivo Efficacy of Antibiotics Against MAC Infection

Elisa Ignatius, MD
Early Bactericidal Activity of Standard Drugs Used to Treat Mycobacterium Avium Complex: A Pilot Study

Supported by a research award grant by Insmed Incorporated.


CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Venous Thromboembolism
Mitchell Cahan, MD
A Translational Approach to Understanding Venous Thromboembolism in Post-Surgical Patients Using MicroRNAs in the American Black Bear
This grant supported in full by the CHEST Foundation.


CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Severe Asthma
Vickram Tejwani, MD
Peripheral Immune Cell Landscape in Obese Children With Severe Asthma

Sunita Sharma, MD, MPH
Predictors of Anti-IL-5 Treatment Failure in Severe Asthmatics

Supported by an independent educational grant from AstraZeneca LP.

CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Cystic Fibrosis
Kathleen Ramos, MD, MS
Underweight Individuals With Cystic Fibrosis and Implications for Lung Transplantation
This grant supported by Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated.

John R. Addrizzo, MD, FCCP Research Grant in Sarcoidosis
Divya Patel, DO
Pharmacogenetic Predictors of Therapeutic Response to Methotrexate in Patients With Sarcoidosis

Nicholas Arger, MD
Using Serum Interferon-Induced Chemokines to Predict Sarcoidosis Outcomes
This grant is in honor of John R. Addrizzo, MD, and is supported in full by the Addrizzo Family, their friends, and the CHEST Foundation.

CHEST Foundation Research Grant in Sleep Medicine
Irene Telias, MD
Influence of Sleep-Wakefulness Abnormalities on Patient-Ventilator Dyssynchrony: A Step Towards Improvement of Sleep Quality in Critically Ill Patients

Sushmita Pamidi, MD, MSc
Maternal Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Pregnancy and Risk of Adverse Health Outcomes in Children: A Follow-Up Study of the 3D Pregnancy and Birth Cohort
This grant supported by Apria Healthcare and Jazz Pharmaceuticals.

CHEST Foundation Community Service Grant Honoring D. Robert McCaffree, MD, Master FCCP
Hans Lee, MD, FCCP
Uganda Bronchoscopy and Pleuroscopy (UBP) Project

Panagis Galiatsatos, MD, MHS
The Lung Health Ambassador Program

Paul Sonenthal, MD
Improving Critical Care Capacity in Sierra Leone

Dana Hickman, ARNP-C, FNP-BC
Living With COPD: Empowering Individuals, Families, and Caregivers

Ann Salvator, MS
Pediatric Asthma Screenings and Education on the Navajo Reservation

Tisha Wang, MD
PAP Foundation Education Days: A Project to Reach Patients, Caregivers, and Physicians

Grants supported in full by the CHEST Foundation.

The FDA recently approved endobronchial valves for the bronchoscopic treatment of adult patients with hyperinflation associated with severe emphysema in regions of the lung that have little to no collateral ventilation. There are CPT® and ICD 10 codes that are appropriate to report these new services. CPT® codes typically are not product or device specific and the codes below apply to current and future FDA approved endobronchial valves with similar clinical indications and intent for the treatment of emphysema.

To be a candidate for the currently approved service, patients must have little to no collateral ventilation between the target and adjacent lobes. In some patients, this can be determined by a quantitative CT analysis service to assess emphysematous destruction and fissure completeness. If there is radiographic evidence of a complete fissure and anatomic isolation of the treatment target, a bronchoscopy assessment will be made on the patient. A bronchial blocking balloon and flow detection system is used to confirm that the patient has little to no collateral ventilation.

If the bronchial blocking technique shows evidence of collateral ventilation, the patient would be discharged without valve placement. In that scenario the appropriate CPT® code would be 31634:

INSERT GRAPHIC HERE

If the patient is determined not to have collateral ventilation, the valve procedure would proceed, followed by a minimum three-day inpatient stay to monitor for possible side effects.

The appropriate CPT codes for placing, and removing FDA approved valves are:

INSERT GRAPHIC HERE
 

The table below identifies potential ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes for emphysema. Applicability and usage of these codes may vary per case. Hospitals and physicians also should check and verify current policies and requirements with the payer for any patient who will be treated with endobronchial valves.

INSERT GRAPHIC HERE
 

The CHEST/ATS Clinical Practice Committee provided information for this article.


 

The FDA recently approved endobronchial valves for the bronchoscopic treatment of adult patients with hyperinflation associated with severe emphysema in regions of the lung that have little to no collateral ventilation. There are CPT® and ICD 10 codes that are appropriate to report these new services. CPT® codes typically are not product or device specific and the codes below apply to current and future FDA approved endobronchial valves with similar clinical indications and intent for the treatment of emphysema.

To be a candidate for the currently approved service, patients must have little to no collateral ventilation between the target and adjacent lobes. In some patients, this can be determined by a quantitative CT analysis service to assess emphysematous destruction and fissure completeness. If there is radiographic evidence of a complete fissure and anatomic isolation of the treatment target, a bronchoscopy assessment will be made on the patient. A bronchial blocking balloon and flow detection system is used to confirm that the patient has little to no collateral ventilation.

If the bronchial blocking technique shows evidence of collateral ventilation, the patient would be discharged without valve placement. In that scenario the appropriate CPT® code would be 31634:

INSERT GRAPHIC HERE

If the patient is determined not to have collateral ventilation, the valve procedure would proceed, followed by a minimum three-day inpatient stay to monitor for possible side effects.

The appropriate CPT codes for placing, and removing FDA approved valves are:

INSERT GRAPHIC HERE
 

The table below identifies potential ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes for emphysema. Applicability and usage of these codes may vary per case. Hospitals and physicians also should check and verify current policies and requirements with the payer for any patient who will be treated with endobronchial valves.

INSERT GRAPHIC HERE
 

The CHEST/ATS Clinical Practice Committee provided information for this article.


 

The FDA recently approved endobronchial valves for the bronchoscopic treatment of adult patients with hyperinflation associated with severe emphysema in regions of the lung that have little to no collateral ventilation. There are CPT® and ICD 10 codes that are appropriate to report these new services. CPT® codes typically are not product or device specific and the codes below apply to current and future FDA approved endobronchial valves with similar clinical indications and intent for the treatment of emphysema.

To be a candidate for the currently approved service, patients must have little to no collateral ventilation between the target and adjacent lobes. In some patients, this can be determined by a quantitative CT analysis service to assess emphysematous destruction and fissure completeness. If there is radiographic evidence of a complete fissure and anatomic isolation of the treatment target, a bronchoscopy assessment will be made on the patient. A bronchial blocking balloon and flow detection system is used to confirm that the patient has little to no collateral ventilation.

If the bronchial blocking technique shows evidence of collateral ventilation, the patient would be discharged without valve placement. In that scenario the appropriate CPT® code would be 31634:

INSERT GRAPHIC HERE

If the patient is determined not to have collateral ventilation, the valve procedure would proceed, followed by a minimum three-day inpatient stay to monitor for possible side effects.

The appropriate CPT codes for placing, and removing FDA approved valves are:

INSERT GRAPHIC HERE
 

The table below identifies potential ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes for emphysema. Applicability and usage of these codes may vary per case. Hospitals and physicians also should check and verify current policies and requirements with the payer for any patient who will be treated with endobronchial valves.

INSERT GRAPHIC HERE
 

The CHEST/ATS Clinical Practice Committee provided information for this article.


 

Two priorities of NAMDRC have moved into the formal congressional arena. The issues focus on access to pulmonary rehabilitation and CMS’s move to include home mechanical ventilation in competitive bidding.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation – The Problem: One of the major concerns to CMS and Congress is the fact that different payment methodologies for the same service result in different payment amounts dependent upon the actual site of service. To address the phenomenon of hospitals purchasing certain physician practices to game the payment system, Congress included in the 2015 Budget Act a provision that would remove incentives for such hospital purchases by stating that new hospital outpatient services must be within 250 yards of the main hospital campus in order to receive payment based on the hospital outpatient prospective payment system methodology. If a hospital opens such services beyond that 250-yard threshold, the hospital would be reimbursed at the physician fee schedule amount for the same service. Likewise, if an off campus program moved its grandfathered location because of expansion, loss of lease, etc, the physician fee schedule would again kick in.

For pulmonary rehabilitation services, this is extremely problematic and is tying the hands of hospitals providing this service. The physician fee schedule payment for pulmonary rehabilitation is less than $30 for 1 hour of service, and it is, therefore, not surprising that the service is simply not provided in physician offices. In fact, Medicare data show that all physician specialties bill less than $1M for code G0424, and we believe that most of that is likely billing error. Pulmonologists bill less than $500K for code G0424, and putting that number in context, the entire Medicare program is approaching $700B in outlays.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation – The Solution: As a solution to this problem, HR 4838 has been introduced in the House of Representatives. There is no specific reference to pulmonary rehabilitation in the bill as our approach is based not only on substance but political considerations, as well. Using CMS’ own acknowledgment of “unintended consequences,” this legislation would exempt all CPT codes from the restrictions imposed by Section 603 of the 2015 Budget Act when the physician billings for that code are under $2M for the most recent year for which data are available. CMS has signaled to us that such a limitation would apply only to pulmonary and cardiac rehab services, but others may be affected, as well. By putting a dollar limit rather than identifying a specific service for such a “carve out,” it is a more politically viable approach.

Bills such as this rarely see the light of day; however, such provisions are often attached to larger, more substantive bills. For nearly 2 decades, the common legislative vehicle for such provisions is a larger Medicare bill, often including “must pass Medicare extender” provisions that are slated to expire on a particular date. Our goal is to include HR 4838 in such a package of extenders some time between now and the end of this Congress in 2020.

Home Mechanical Ventilation – The Problem: CMS has proposed inclusion of home mechanical ventilation in competitive bidding for durable medical equipment. Such a regulatory proposal is fraught with downside risk, most notably that such a policy would follow the history of liquid oxygen. Liquid 02 has virtually disappeared from the marketplace since it was included in competitive bidding as suppliers simply refused to provide liquid oxygen systems as their own bidding dropped the price to prohibitively low levels. Also, because there is a statutory requirement that such payment be made on the basis of “frequent and substantial servicing,” and that stipulation could trigger wide variations in actual bidding because some states require involvement of respiratory therapists in such services, while others do not.

It is critical to understand that the driving force behind all of this is the reality that CMS’ own coverage policies for home mechanical ventilation are seriously flawed and outdated, creating perverse incentives for physicians to order easily accessible systems rather than clinically appropriate ones. NAMDRC and its sister societies have been pushing CMS to revise those policies with no success.

Home Mechanical Ventilation – The Solution: Our solution is twofold. HR 4945 bill was introduced on November 1, 2019. First, the proposed legislation would create a blanket exemption for home mechanical ventilation from competitive bidding. Second, it requires CMS to convene a technical expert panel to craft up-to-date policies for home mechanical ventilation.

The political strategy here is slightly different. While passage of the bill is certainly our first choice, we believe that introduction of the bill is a red flag signal to CMS for the need to revise its coverage policies as those policies are the root cause of the growth of home mechanical ventilation outlays.

Two priorities of NAMDRC have moved into the formal congressional arena. The issues focus on access to pulmonary rehabilitation and CMS’s move to include home mechanical ventilation in competitive bidding.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation – The Problem: One of the major concerns to CMS and Congress is the fact that different payment methodologies for the same service result in different payment amounts dependent upon the actual site of service. To address the phenomenon of hospitals purchasing certain physician practices to game the payment system, Congress included in the 2015 Budget Act a provision that would remove incentives for such hospital purchases by stating that new hospital outpatient services must be within 250 yards of the main hospital campus in order to receive payment based on the hospital outpatient prospective payment system methodology. If a hospital opens such services beyond that 250-yard threshold, the hospital would be reimbursed at the physician fee schedule amount for the same service. Likewise, if an off campus program moved its grandfathered location because of expansion, loss of lease, etc, the physician fee schedule would again kick in.

For pulmonary rehabilitation services, this is extremely problematic and is tying the hands of hospitals providing this service. The physician fee schedule payment for pulmonary rehabilitation is less than $30 for 1 hour of service, and it is, therefore, not surprising that the service is simply not provided in physician offices. In fact, Medicare data show that all physician specialties bill less than $1M for code G0424, and we believe that most of that is likely billing error. Pulmonologists bill less than $500K for code G0424, and putting that number in context, the entire Medicare program is approaching $700B in outlays.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation – The Solution: As a solution to this problem, HR 4838 has been introduced in the House of Representatives. There is no specific reference to pulmonary rehabilitation in the bill as our approach is based not only on substance but political considerations, as well. Using CMS’ own acknowledgment of “unintended consequences,” this legislation would exempt all CPT codes from the restrictions imposed by Section 603 of the 2015 Budget Act when the physician billings for that code are under $2M for the most recent year for which data are available. CMS has signaled to us that such a limitation would apply only to pulmonary and cardiac rehab services, but others may be affected, as well. By putting a dollar limit rather than identifying a specific service for such a “carve out,” it is a more politically viable approach.

Bills such as this rarely see the light of day; however, such provisions are often attached to larger, more substantive bills. For nearly 2 decades, the common legislative vehicle for such provisions is a larger Medicare bill, often including “must pass Medicare extender” provisions that are slated to expire on a particular date. Our goal is to include HR 4838 in such a package of extenders some time between now and the end of this Congress in 2020.

Home Mechanical Ventilation – The Problem: CMS has proposed inclusion of home mechanical ventilation in competitive bidding for durable medical equipment. Such a regulatory proposal is fraught with downside risk, most notably that such a policy would follow the history of liquid oxygen. Liquid 02 has virtually disappeared from the marketplace since it was included in competitive bidding as suppliers simply refused to provide liquid oxygen systems as their own bidding dropped the price to prohibitively low levels. Also, because there is a statutory requirement that such payment be made on the basis of “frequent and substantial servicing,” and that stipulation could trigger wide variations in actual bidding because some states require involvement of respiratory therapists in such services, while others do not.

It is critical to understand that the driving force behind all of this is the reality that CMS’ own coverage policies for home mechanical ventilation are seriously flawed and outdated, creating perverse incentives for physicians to order easily accessible systems rather than clinically appropriate ones. NAMDRC and its sister societies have been pushing CMS to revise those policies with no success.

Home Mechanical Ventilation – The Solution: Our solution is twofold. HR 4945 bill was introduced on November 1, 2019. First, the proposed legislation would create a blanket exemption for home mechanical ventilation from competitive bidding. Second, it requires CMS to convene a technical expert panel to craft up-to-date policies for home mechanical ventilation.

The political strategy here is slightly different. While passage of the bill is certainly our first choice, we believe that introduction of the bill is a red flag signal to CMS for the need to revise its coverage policies as those policies are the root cause of the growth of home mechanical ventilation outlays.

Two priorities of NAMDRC have moved into the formal congressional arena. The issues focus on access to pulmonary rehabilitation and CMS’s move to include home mechanical ventilation in competitive bidding.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation – The Problem: One of the major concerns to CMS and Congress is the fact that different payment methodologies for the same service result in different payment amounts dependent upon the actual site of service. To address the phenomenon of hospitals purchasing certain physician practices to game the payment system, Congress included in the 2015 Budget Act a provision that would remove incentives for such hospital purchases by stating that new hospital outpatient services must be within 250 yards of the main hospital campus in order to receive payment based on the hospital outpatient prospective payment system methodology. If a hospital opens such services beyond that 250-yard threshold, the hospital would be reimbursed at the physician fee schedule amount for the same service. Likewise, if an off campus program moved its grandfathered location because of expansion, loss of lease, etc, the physician fee schedule would again kick in.

For pulmonary rehabilitation services, this is extremely problematic and is tying the hands of hospitals providing this service. The physician fee schedule payment for pulmonary rehabilitation is less than $30 for 1 hour of service, and it is, therefore, not surprising that the service is simply not provided in physician offices. In fact, Medicare data show that all physician specialties bill less than $1M for code G0424, and we believe that most of that is likely billing error. Pulmonologists bill less than $500K for code G0424, and putting that number in context, the entire Medicare program is approaching $700B in outlays.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation – The Solution: As a solution to this problem, HR 4838 has been introduced in the House of Representatives. There is no specific reference to pulmonary rehabilitation in the bill as our approach is based not only on substance but political considerations, as well. Using CMS’ own acknowledgment of “unintended consequences,” this legislation would exempt all CPT codes from the restrictions imposed by Section 603 of the 2015 Budget Act when the physician billings for that code are under $2M for the most recent year for which data are available. CMS has signaled to us that such a limitation would apply only to pulmonary and cardiac rehab services, but others may be affected, as well. By putting a dollar limit rather than identifying a specific service for such a “carve out,” it is a more politically viable approach.

Bills such as this rarely see the light of day; however, such provisions are often attached to larger, more substantive bills. For nearly 2 decades, the common legislative vehicle for such provisions is a larger Medicare bill, often including “must pass Medicare extender” provisions that are slated to expire on a particular date. Our goal is to include HR 4838 in such a package of extenders some time between now and the end of this Congress in 2020.

Home Mechanical Ventilation – The Problem: CMS has proposed inclusion of home mechanical ventilation in competitive bidding for durable medical equipment. Such a regulatory proposal is fraught with downside risk, most notably that such a policy would follow the history of liquid oxygen. Liquid 02 has virtually disappeared from the marketplace since it was included in competitive bidding as suppliers simply refused to provide liquid oxygen systems as their own bidding dropped the price to prohibitively low levels. Also, because there is a statutory requirement that such payment be made on the basis of “frequent and substantial servicing,” and that stipulation could trigger wide variations in actual bidding because some states require involvement of respiratory therapists in such services, while others do not.

It is critical to understand that the driving force behind all of this is the reality that CMS’ own coverage policies for home mechanical ventilation are seriously flawed and outdated, creating perverse incentives for physicians to order easily accessible systems rather than clinically appropriate ones. NAMDRC and its sister societies have been pushing CMS to revise those policies with no success.

Home Mechanical Ventilation – The Solution: Our solution is twofold. HR 4945 bill was introduced on November 1, 2019. First, the proposed legislation would create a blanket exemption for home mechanical ventilation from competitive bidding. Second, it requires CMS to convene a technical expert panel to craft up-to-date policies for home mechanical ventilation.

The political strategy here is slightly different. While passage of the bill is certainly our first choice, we believe that introduction of the bill is a red flag signal to CMS for the need to revise its coverage policies as those policies are the root cause of the growth of home mechanical ventilation outlays.

When most think of Mark J. Rosen, MD, Master FCCP, so many words come to mind: master educator, astute and caring clinician, researcher, mentor, leader. We recall his generosity, kindness, honesty, brilliance, and sense of humor.

Mark loved CHEST. He gave so much to the organization and was happy to do so. He was one of the rare Past Presidents who contributed even more after his presidency than during or before. Mark left an enormous footprint on CHEST’s educational programs, including the CHEST Annual Meeting, Pulmonary Board Review, and SEEK. He was instrumental in building our international educational programs and a key player in empowering our Chinese colleagues in establishing pulmonary fellowships in their country. Much of what we have all accomplished at CHEST and in pulmonary medicine is directly related to the wonderful mentors we have had in the organization, and Mark was certainly one of the most prominent.

Mark always believed the core strength of the college was education. The CHEST Foundation is endowing the Rosen International Scholarship and raising $100,000 to support deserving international clinicians. This endowed fund will directly support international CHEST members’ travel to the CHEST Annual Meeting affording CHEST’s world-class educational and mentorship opportunities to members who could not otherwise attend.

To support the Mark J. Rosen, MD, FCCP Endowment, his legacy, and international CHEST members, visit chestfoundation.org/donate today.

When most think of Mark J. Rosen, MD, Master FCCP, so many words come to mind: master educator, astute and caring clinician, researcher, mentor, leader. We recall his generosity, kindness, honesty, brilliance, and sense of humor.

Mark loved CHEST. He gave so much to the organization and was happy to do so. He was one of the rare Past Presidents who contributed even more after his presidency than during or before. Mark left an enormous footprint on CHEST’s educational programs, including the CHEST Annual Meeting, Pulmonary Board Review, and SEEK. He was instrumental in building our international educational programs and a key player in empowering our Chinese colleagues in establishing pulmonary fellowships in their country. Much of what we have all accomplished at CHEST and in pulmonary medicine is directly related to the wonderful mentors we have had in the organization, and Mark was certainly one of the most prominent.

Mark always believed the core strength of the college was education. The CHEST Foundation is endowing the Rosen International Scholarship and raising $100,000 to support deserving international clinicians. This endowed fund will directly support international CHEST members’ travel to the CHEST Annual Meeting affording CHEST’s world-class educational and mentorship opportunities to members who could not otherwise attend.

To support the Mark J. Rosen, MD, FCCP Endowment, his legacy, and international CHEST members, visit chestfoundation.org/donate today.

When most think of Mark J. Rosen, MD, Master FCCP, so many words come to mind: master educator, astute and caring clinician, researcher, mentor, leader. We recall his generosity, kindness, honesty, brilliance, and sense of humor.

Mark loved CHEST. He gave so much to the organization and was happy to do so. He was one of the rare Past Presidents who contributed even more after his presidency than during or before. Mark left an enormous footprint on CHEST’s educational programs, including the CHEST Annual Meeting, Pulmonary Board Review, and SEEK. He was instrumental in building our international educational programs and a key player in empowering our Chinese colleagues in establishing pulmonary fellowships in their country. Much of what we have all accomplished at CHEST and in pulmonary medicine is directly related to the wonderful mentors we have had in the organization, and Mark was certainly one of the most prominent.

Mark always believed the core strength of the college was education. The CHEST Foundation is endowing the Rosen International Scholarship and raising $100,000 to support deserving international clinicians. This endowed fund will directly support international CHEST members’ travel to the CHEST Annual Meeting affording CHEST’s world-class educational and mentorship opportunities to members who could not otherwise attend.

To support the Mark J. Rosen, MD, FCCP Endowment, his legacy, and international CHEST members, visit chestfoundation.org/donate today.

CHEST leadership recently met for its fall quarterly face to face meeting prior to the CHEST Annual Meeting in New Orleans this October. Like all of CHEST board meetings, the agenda was packed with important topics and a great deal of meaningful discussion. I left the meeting more energized about CHEST and its current and future offerings for our membership. Below are a few highlights from the meeting.

The meeting was opened with an update from the outgoing CHEST President Clayton Cowl, MD, MS, FCCP. He highlighted some of the organization’s major achievements over the past year, including: Confirming and signing a new contract with our new EVP/CEO Robert Musacchio, PhD; hiring a new Chief Learning Officer, a new Editor in Chief for the CHEST® journal, and a new Chief Legal Counsel; and expansion of the international strategy with CHEST Congress in Bangkok and a CHEST Regional meeting in Athens with plans for CHEST Congress 2020 in Bologna, Italy. In addition, CHEST convened a Digital Strategy Task Force, which made recommendations to improve how members, patients, and staff interact with our organization.

EVP/CEO Robert Musacchio reviewed some additional organizational accomplishments and areas of focus for the future. These included redefining the One CHEST operating model and a continued focus on international business development with plans for CHEST Congress 2020 in Italy and exploration of future meetings in Singapore and The Philippines. CHEST continues to develop an improved membership strategy focused on improving experiences for our membership and improving member engagement to help secure the future of CHEST. Finally, CHEST remains focused on innovation though new experiences for our members, including new games, virtual patient tours, and enduring activities and products. Many of these experiences were highlighted and on display at the recent CHEST annual meeting.

Doreen Addrizzo-Harris, MD, FCCP, the CHEST Foundation outgoing President, recapped a very successful year for the CHEST Foundation with plans for increasing the impact and visibility of the CHEST Foundation going forward.. John Howington, MD, FCCP, Chair of the Finance Committee, updated the board on the financial health of the organization. Overall, CHEST had a solid financial report based on budgeted revenue and strong expense management by our executive leadership team.

John Studdard, MD, FCCP, the immediate Past President and Chair of the Governance Committee, led the Governance Committee report and discussion. The Governance Committee is composed of members of both the College Board of Regents (BOR) and Foundation Board of Trustees (BOT) and is responsible for the overall health of both boards and ensuring that the boards are consistently performing at a high level. Dr. Studdard presented slates for 2019-20 Board of Trustees and Board of Regents for discussion and approval. Five new members for the Board of Regents and four new members for the Board of Trustees were approved for the upcoming year. In addition, David Schulman, MD, MS, FCCP, and Robert De Marco, MD, FCCP, were elected as President-Designate of the BOR and BOT, respectively.

Several committees presented to the Board to review this year’s progress, future plans, and potential barriers to success. The Council of Global Governors continued to see growth in our international membership, though a potential ongoing barrier to future growth will be developing an efficient mode of communication between the Global Governors and our international members. Discussion around using the expertise within the Digital Strategy Task Force was offered as one method to improve international member communication and engagement. The Education Committee continues to be one of CHEST’s most popular committees with an unprecedented 130 nominations with exceptional credentials for the 2019-20 election cycle. The Education Committee has expanded the size of three of its subcommittees to better include and engage these individuals in CHEST education projects. The Training and Transitions Committee continues to see increased engagement from trainees and training programs. CHEST 2019 had an increased number of trainee submissions, as well as the number of accepted submissions to the meeting. The committee will continue to evolve their strategy for engaging trainees and early career professionals. Finally, Christopher Hergott, MD, FCCP, Chair of the Membership Committee, reviewed several strategies and recommendations to expand our membership offerings and improve the value that we bring to our all of our members.

Finally, it was time to say thank you and farewell to out our outgoing Board members. Clayton Cowl, MD, MS, FCCP, and Stephanie Levine, MD, FCCP, recognized the following board members for their service to CHEST over the last several years: Jack Buckley, MD, FCCP; John Studdard, MD, FCCP; David Zielinski, MD, FCCP; and Burt Lesnick, MD, FCCP.

CHEST leadership recently met for its fall quarterly face to face meeting prior to the CHEST Annual Meeting in New Orleans this October. Like all of CHEST board meetings, the agenda was packed with important topics and a great deal of meaningful discussion. I left the meeting more energized about CHEST and its current and future offerings for our membership. Below are a few highlights from the meeting.

The meeting was opened with an update from the outgoing CHEST President Clayton Cowl, MD, MS, FCCP. He highlighted some of the organization’s major achievements over the past year, including: Confirming and signing a new contract with our new EVP/CEO Robert Musacchio, PhD; hiring a new Chief Learning Officer, a new Editor in Chief for the CHEST® journal, and a new Chief Legal Counsel; and expansion of the international strategy with CHEST Congress in Bangkok and a CHEST Regional meeting in Athens with plans for CHEST Congress 2020 in Bologna, Italy. In addition, CHEST convened a Digital Strategy Task Force, which made recommendations to improve how members, patients, and staff interact with our organization.

EVP/CEO Robert Musacchio reviewed some additional organizational accomplishments and areas of focus for the future. These included redefining the One CHEST operating model and a continued focus on international business development with plans for CHEST Congress 2020 in Italy and exploration of future meetings in Singapore and The Philippines. CHEST continues to develop an improved membership strategy focused on improving experiences for our membership and improving member engagement to help secure the future of CHEST. Finally, CHEST remains focused on innovation though new experiences for our members, including new games, virtual patient tours, and enduring activities and products. Many of these experiences were highlighted and on display at the recent CHEST annual meeting.

Doreen Addrizzo-Harris, MD, FCCP, the CHEST Foundation outgoing President, recapped a very successful year for the CHEST Foundation with plans for increasing the impact and visibility of the CHEST Foundation going forward.. John Howington, MD, FCCP, Chair of the Finance Committee, updated the board on the financial health of the organization. Overall, CHEST had a solid financial report based on budgeted revenue and strong expense management by our executive leadership team.

John Studdard, MD, FCCP, the immediate Past President and Chair of the Governance Committee, led the Governance Committee report and discussion. The Governance Committee is composed of members of both the College Board of Regents (BOR) and Foundation Board of Trustees (BOT) and is responsible for the overall health of both boards and ensuring that the boards are consistently performing at a high level. Dr. Studdard presented slates for 2019-20 Board of Trustees and Board of Regents for discussion and approval. Five new members for the Board of Regents and four new members for the Board of Trustees were approved for the upcoming year. In addition, David Schulman, MD, MS, FCCP, and Robert De Marco, MD, FCCP, were elected as President-Designate of the BOR and BOT, respectively.

Several committees presented to the Board to review this year’s progress, future plans, and potential barriers to success. The Council of Global Governors continued to see growth in our international membership, though a potential ongoing barrier to future growth will be developing an efficient mode of communication between the Global Governors and our international members. Discussion around using the expertise within the Digital Strategy Task Force was offered as one method to improve international member communication and engagement. The Education Committee continues to be one of CHEST’s most popular committees with an unprecedented 130 nominations with exceptional credentials for the 2019-20 election cycle. The Education Committee has expanded the size of three of its subcommittees to better include and engage these individuals in CHEST education projects. The Training and Transitions Committee continues to see increased engagement from trainees and training programs. CHEST 2019 had an increased number of trainee submissions, as well as the number of accepted submissions to the meeting. The committee will continue to evolve their strategy for engaging trainees and early career professionals. Finally, Christopher Hergott, MD, FCCP, Chair of the Membership Committee, reviewed several strategies and recommendations to expand our membership offerings and improve the value that we bring to our all of our members.

Finally, it was time to say thank you and farewell to out our outgoing Board members. Clayton Cowl, MD, MS, FCCP, and Stephanie Levine, MD, FCCP, recognized the following board members for their service to CHEST over the last several years: Jack Buckley, MD, FCCP; John Studdard, MD, FCCP; David Zielinski, MD, FCCP; and Burt Lesnick, MD, FCCP.

CHEST leadership recently met for its fall quarterly face to face meeting prior to the CHEST Annual Meeting in New Orleans this October. Like all of CHEST board meetings, the agenda was packed with important topics and a great deal of meaningful discussion. I left the meeting more energized about CHEST and its current and future offerings for our membership. Below are a few highlights from the meeting.

The meeting was opened with an update from the outgoing CHEST President Clayton Cowl, MD, MS, FCCP. He highlighted some of the organization’s major achievements over the past year, including: Confirming and signing a new contract with our new EVP/CEO Robert Musacchio, PhD; hiring a new Chief Learning Officer, a new Editor in Chief for the CHEST® journal, and a new Chief Legal Counsel; and expansion of the international strategy with CHEST Congress in Bangkok and a CHEST Regional meeting in Athens with plans for CHEST Congress 2020 in Bologna, Italy. In addition, CHEST convened a Digital Strategy Task Force, which made recommendations to improve how members, patients, and staff interact with our organization.

EVP/CEO Robert Musacchio reviewed some additional organizational accomplishments and areas of focus for the future. These included redefining the One CHEST operating model and a continued focus on international business development with plans for CHEST Congress 2020 in Italy and exploration of future meetings in Singapore and The Philippines. CHEST continues to develop an improved membership strategy focused on improving experiences for our membership and improving member engagement to help secure the future of CHEST. Finally, CHEST remains focused on innovation though new experiences for our members, including new games, virtual patient tours, and enduring activities and products. Many of these experiences were highlighted and on display at the recent CHEST annual meeting.

Doreen Addrizzo-Harris, MD, FCCP, the CHEST Foundation outgoing President, recapped a very successful year for the CHEST Foundation with plans for increasing the impact and visibility of the CHEST Foundation going forward.. John Howington, MD, FCCP, Chair of the Finance Committee, updated the board on the financial health of the organization. Overall, CHEST had a solid financial report based on budgeted revenue and strong expense management by our executive leadership team.

John Studdard, MD, FCCP, the immediate Past President and Chair of the Governance Committee, led the Governance Committee report and discussion. The Governance Committee is composed of members of both the College Board of Regents (BOR) and Foundation Board of Trustees (BOT) and is responsible for the overall health of both boards and ensuring that the boards are consistently performing at a high level. Dr. Studdard presented slates for 2019-20 Board of Trustees and Board of Regents for discussion and approval. Five new members for the Board of Regents and four new members for the Board of Trustees were approved for the upcoming year. In addition, David Schulman, MD, MS, FCCP, and Robert De Marco, MD, FCCP, were elected as President-Designate of the BOR and BOT, respectively.

Several committees presented to the Board to review this year’s progress, future plans, and potential barriers to success. The Council of Global Governors continued to see growth in our international membership, though a potential ongoing barrier to future growth will be developing an efficient mode of communication between the Global Governors and our international members. Discussion around using the expertise within the Digital Strategy Task Force was offered as one method to improve international member communication and engagement. The Education Committee continues to be one of CHEST’s most popular committees with an unprecedented 130 nominations with exceptional credentials for the 2019-20 election cycle. The Education Committee has expanded the size of three of its subcommittees to better include and engage these individuals in CHEST education projects. The Training and Transitions Committee continues to see increased engagement from trainees and training programs. CHEST 2019 had an increased number of trainee submissions, as well as the number of accepted submissions to the meeting. The committee will continue to evolve their strategy for engaging trainees and early career professionals. Finally, Christopher Hergott, MD, FCCP, Chair of the Membership Committee, reviewed several strategies and recommendations to expand our membership offerings and improve the value that we bring to our all of our members.

Finally, it was time to say thank you and farewell to out our outgoing Board members. Clayton Cowl, MD, MS, FCCP, and Stephanie Levine, MD, FCCP, recognized the following board members for their service to CHEST over the last several years: Jack Buckley, MD, FCCP; John Studdard, MD, FCCP; David Zielinski, MD, FCCP; and Burt Lesnick, MD, FCCP.