Comprehensive and interactive clinically based programming will give ATS 2015 attendees the ability to return home confident that they possess the knowledge that they need to stay abreast of changes in the field and to immediately apply that knowledge to their patient care practices. When developing your ATS 2015 itinerary, keep these clinically focused educational offerings in mind.

Adult and Pediatric Core Curricula
Busy clinicians have a systematic way of keeping abreast of changes in their fields through the Adult Core Curriculum and Pediatric Core Curriculum. ATS 2015 will provide opportunities to earn up to 35 American Board of Internal Medicine Maintenance of Certification Medical Knowledge Points through the Adult Clinical Core Curriculum modules. The Pediatric Core has been approved for 10 American Board of Pediatrics MOC Part 2 Self-Assessment credits. All core curriculum modules are free for attendees for up to two months post-meeting.

“Stressors pile up on a physician’s clinical load, including billing and coding obstacles, meaningful use requirements with mandated electronic medical recording, and the dramatic increase of recertification requirements,” says Carey C. Thomson, MD, MPH, chair of the ATS Education Committee. “We’re thrilled to be able to offer MOC opportunities again in conjunction with the great clinical and scientific content that attendees have come to expect from the International Conference.”

The Adult Core will focus on pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine topics. Pulmonary Clinical Core Curricula includes ILD, rare and congenital lung diseases, obstructive lung diseases (non-cystic fibrosis), lung transplantation, cell/molecular biology and genetics, pulmonary physiology, asthma, and pulmonary hypertension. Critical Care Core Curricula includes soft tissue infections, gastrointestinal infections, pneumonia in the immunocompromised patient, brain death, stroke, drug metabolism in the critically ill, and use of quality metrics in the ICU. Sleep Medicine Core Curricula includes the definition and subtypes, epidemiology and risk factors, assessment and pharmacology of insomnia, disorders of sleep-wake, central sleep apneas, sleep-related hypoventilation disorders, and normal sleep and variants.

The Pediatric Core will feature cystic fibrosis, radiology for the pediatric pulmonologist, and non-imaging diagnostic testing in pediatric pulmonary disease.

Pulmonary Clinical Core Curriculum I (CC5) is supported by educational grants from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Genentech.

Pulmonary Clinical Core Curriculum II (CC6) is supported by educational grants from Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc., AstraZeneca LP, Genentech, Lung Biotechnology, MEDA Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Pfizer Inc., and United Therapeutics.

Pediatric Clinical Core Curriculum I: Cystic Fibrosis (PCC1) is supported by an educational grant from Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

JAMA, NEJM Unveil Newly Published Research
Today, two sessions will give attendees the opportunity to interact with the authors and editors about papers published in the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association. Papers presented will be recent publications or published at the time of the conference and are selected by the editors to be of significant importance to the field of pulmonary and critical care medicine. Editor comments follow each presentation by the author.

Both sessions will be in the Mile High Ballroom 4 A-D (Lower Level) Colorado Convention Center.

“JAMA and the New England Journal of Medicine. Discussion on The Edge: Reports Of Recently Published Pulmonary Research” will take place from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. with session chairs Jeffrey M. Drazen, MD, editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, and George T. O’Connor, MD, MS, associate editor of JAMA.

Papers in JAMA include:

• Accuracy of FDG-PET to Diagnose Lung Cancer in Areas with Infectious Lung Disease
• Corticosteroids and Treatment Failure in Patients with Severe Community-Acquired Pneumonia and High Inflammatory Response

Papers in NEJM include:

Modification Allergen-Induced Asthmatic Responses by a Novel Intervention

A Novel Treatment for Patients with Phe508del CF

“The New England Journal of Medicine and JAMA. Discussion on The Edge: Reports of Recently Published Critical Care Research” will take place from 2:15 to 4:15 p.m. with session chairs Derek C. Angus, MD, MPH, associate editor of JAMA, and Dr. Drazen.

Papers in NEJM include:

• Driving Pressure and Survival in the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
• High Flow Oxygen Compared to Non-Invasive Ventilation in Respiratory Failure

Papers in JAMA include:

• Daily Chlorhexidene Bathing in the Critically Ill: A Cluster Randomized Trial
• High Flow Oxygen Compared to Non-Invasive Ventilation in Post-Operative Hypoxemia

Clinical Years in Review
Clinical Year in Review sessions will run from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. today through Wednesday in Bellco Theatre Section 2 (Street Level) Colorado Convention Center.

Today’s sessions will focus on asthma, COPD, ILD, rare lung diseases. Monday’s topics will be ARDS, mechanical ventilation, critical care medicine, and sleep medicine. Tuesday will focus on pulmonary hypertension, occupational and environmental lung disease, thoracic oncology, and TB/NTM. The series will wrap up Wednesday with talks on communication with patients and families, thoracic imaging, lung transplant, and smoking cessation and e-cigarettes.

Clinical Year in Review 1 (A1) is supported by educational grants from AstraZeneca LP, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Genentech, and MEDA Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Clinical Year in Review 3 (C1) is supported by educational grants from Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc. AstraZeneca LP, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Olympus Corporation of the Americas, Pfizer Inc., and United Therapeutics Corporation.

Clinicians Center
Clinicians can meet, relax, learn, and gather information and resources in the Clinicians Center, which will be open through Tuesday, in E Concourse (Street Level) Colorado Convention Center. Learning opportunities include the mid-day educational demonstrations “Ultrasound in Pulmonary and Critical Care Emergencies,” “EBUS Transbronchial Needle Aspiration—Improving Your Yield,” and “Mechanical Ventilation: Case Studies.” The center will offer a light complimentary breakfast from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. each day.

Also scheduled are a meet-and-greet reception for nurses from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. today and an award reception for the Outstanding Clinician Award recipient from 4 to 5 p.m. Monday. Attendees participating in the adult and pediatric core curriculum sessions are invited to take their respective exams in the Clinicians Center, where dedicated computers will be available through Tuesday.