With the vast skyline of the City by the Bay as a backdrop, the ATS kicked off its 2012 International Conference this week.

With more than 500 sessions, 800 speakers, and 5,800 scientific abstracts and clinical case reports, the ATS International Conference offers a broad spectrum of topics for you to learn about developments in many fields or concentrate on a specific area. With new topics, perspectives, learning formats and networking opportunities, ATS 2012 offers unparalleled learning opportunities.

“In recent years, the ATS has reviewed its International Conference programming to maximize the benefits for the diverse group of healthcare professionals who attend. We’ve incorporated case reports and quality-improvement abstracts, enhanced networking opportunities and added hands-on learning opportunities in the PG courses, Clinicians Center and the Exhibit Hall itself,” said David Au, MD, chair of the International Conference Committee. “At ATS 2012, we’ve continued these well-received additions to our programming and added others, including a Research and Science Exchange, a networking center for basic and clinical researchers.”

David Au, MD

Some things about the Conference, such as its size, breadth and commitment to networking and education, have not changed. Yet, a number of new features are designed to enhance your experience. Here are some of the highlights:

Quality improvement, front and center 
While quality improvement (QI) has been part of the International Conference since the Society began, more QI projects will be presented at ATS 2012 than ever. More than 100 projects will be presented during two poster discussion sessions and a thematic poster session. Topics include discharge bundles for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients, provider acceptance of medication warnings, early antibiotic administration and critically ill patients.

Research & Science Exchange
Clinical trials are essential for advancing pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. While many trials are presented at the ATS International Conference, more are in progress or just getting started. Learn about the latest scientific advancements and clinical trial opportunities in the Research & Science Exchange, which is located to the left of the Exhibit Hall entrance.

Wi-Fi Coffee Cafés
Check your email or search the Web via wireless Internet in a comfortable café-style setting, while enjoying a cup of complimentary coffee and dessert in four select areas of the Exhibit Hall. Coffee is served at 10 a.m., and coffee and dessert are served at 1 p.m.

Drug discovery and development
The ATS’s Drug/Device Discovery and Development Committee will present a symposium on the development of new medicines and technologies to help patients. In “The Changing World of Drug Discovery and Development,” speakers from industry and academia also will discuss the landscape, issues, and sources of innovation for drug discovery and development. They also will examine patient access with regard to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, acute lung injury/sepsis and mucus-altering medicines. D12 will be held from 8:15 to 10:45 a.m. Wednesday in Room 132, North Building (Lower Level), Moscone Center.

Symposia with the editors of JAMA and the NEJM
During these new symposia—one dedicated to pulmonary medicine and the other to critical care—the editors of the Journal of the American Medical Association and the New England Journal of Medicine will moderate discussions with six authors who will discuss their research. The editors themselves will provide insight into why they felt the articles were significant and selected to run in their journals.

Science and Innovation Center
The Science and Innovation Center in the Exhibit Hall is a forum for scientists and researchers to network with each other, learn about research-related resources and consult informally with designated experts about study designs.

The center will feature three expert consultations and three career opportunity discussions each day.

Today
10 to 11 a.m.
Center opens: Networking opportunities

11 a.m. to 12 p.m.            
Expert consultation: Genetic Epidemiology
Juan Celedón, MD, DrPH, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

12 to 1 p.m.          
Expert consultation: Genetic Engineered Mice
Anne Karina Perl, MS, PhD, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital

1 to 3 p.m.
Informal networking opportunities

3 to 4 p.m.
Career Development: Meet the Editor, American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology
Kenneth Adler, PhD, North Carolina State University, Raleigh

Monday
10 to 11 a.m.
Center opens: Networking opportunities

11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Career development: Meet the National Institutes of Health Leadership
James P. Kiley, PhD, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Md.

12 to 1 p.m.
Expert consultation: Next Generation Sequencing
Max Seibold, PhD, National Jewish Health, Denver

1 to 3 p.m.
Informal networking opportunities

2 to 3 p.m. 
Expert consultation: Functional Genomics
Naftali Kaminski, MD, University of Pittsburgh

Tuesday
10 to 11 a.m.
Center opens: Networking opportunities

11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Expert consultation: Small Animal Imaging
Eric A. Hoffman, PhD, University of Iowa, Iowa City

12 to 1 p.m.
Expert consultation: Pulmonary Stem Cells
Darrell Kotton, MD, Boston University

1 to 2 p.m.            
Career development: Scientific Careers in Academia and Industry
Lynn Schnapp, MD, University of Washington, Seattle, and David G. Morris, MD, FCCP, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation

Three assemblies—Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology, Respiratory Structure and Function, and Allergy, Immunology and Inflammation—will offer a list highlighting their 2012 Conference symposia, coupons with discounts for webcasts of their symposia, their postgraduate courses presented at ATS 2010 and 2011 conferences, and their assembly materials. Also look for the Members In Transition and Training Grant Resource Guide and the Career Talk CD.

The center is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday and Tuesday. Beverages and light fare will be served throughout the day in the center.

Global Community 
Half of the more than 13,000 International Conference attendees come from 100 different countries. With that in mind, ATS created the Global Community in the Exhibit Hall. The Global Community is the place where thoracic and respiratory societies from around the world can exchange information and ideas about programming and activities. In addition to several international organizations hosting booths, others will provide posters and literature about their offerings, including the Korean Society of Radiology, the Polish Respiratory Society and the Romanian Society of Pneumology.

Clinicians Center

Visit the Clinicians Center to see hands-on demonstrations from leading experts.

A physicians’ lounge designed for practicing clinicians, the Clinicians Center features live, hands-on demonstrations each afternoon with these ATS experts:

Today
2 to 3 p.m. 
Endobronchial Ultrasound
David Feller-Kopman, MD, associate professor of medicine and director of bronchoscopy and interventional pulmonology, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore

Monday
12 to 1 p.m. 
Ultrasonography
Pierre Kory, MPA, MD, assistant professor and director of simulation training, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, New York

Tuesday
12 to 1 p.m.
Portable Monitoring/Continuous Positive Airway Pressure
Charles Atwood, MD, associate professor of medicine, University of Pittsburgh, and assistant chief of medicine and director of the sleep disorders program, Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System

12 to 2 p.m.
Proceedings of the American Thoracic Society
John Hansen-Flaschen, MD, editor, Proceedings of the American Thoracic Society

Also meet with government advocates from the ATS office in Washington; a billing and coding consultant (by appointment); a representative from the American Board of Internal Medicine to discuss Maintenance of Certification; and ATS Immediate President Dean Schraufnagel, MD, about World Spirometry Day, June 27.

Located in the Exhibit Hall, the Clinicians Center is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday and Tuesday. A social hour featuring cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be from noon to 1 p.m.

The ATS also offers other hands-on courses during ATS 2012, including today’s “Endobronchial Ultrasound Workshop (EBUS),” from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Room 301, South Building (Esplanade Level), Moscone Center. Attendees will hear a 30-minute lecture on the state of the art of EBUS-TBNA (transbronchial needle aspiration) and then participate in 60 minutes of hands-on training.