Fear of missing out (FOMO) can be a real thing at ATS 2018, where you can choose from 500 educational sessions. To minimize that FOMO, you can follow the blogs of four physicians who will bring you daily recaps of the sessions they are attending as they share their experiences online. Look for their blogs on the ATS Facebook page. Here is a quick look at the doctors who’ll be making sure you don’t miss a thing.
Ann Wu, MD
Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute
Blogger Beat: Areas related to asthma, pediatrics, behavioral science/health services research, and more.
Twitter handle: @Asthma3Ways
Q: How long have you been attending the ATS International Conference?
A: This is my 13th year attending the
conference.
Q: Why will readers want to follow your blog each day?
A: There is so much ongoing at the conference that it is impossible to be at every session. Hopefully, my blog posts will give a glimpse at what happened at sessions people were unable to attend, or a different point of view for people who did attend the same sessions. I always try to share observations and experiences that are distinct from the published abstracts.
Q: What are you most excited to write about/share with readers?
A: I’m excited to attend some of the Rapid Abstract Poster Discussion (RAPiD) sessions. This is a new format at ATS that was tested last year, and I think the format can generate lively discussions. The Year in Review sessions are always good overviews of the year in research.
Q: What do you think will be the hot topic at the conference this year?
A: I think an important hot topic this year is reducing physician burnout and improving well-being. There has been a lot of buzz on this topic recently for good reason.
Q: What is your favorite thing about the ATS International Conference?
A: For me, the ATS conference is an exciting time to see colleagues from around the world and to see everyone’s latest research studies. It’s a fun time to reconnect with collaborators and to meet new potential collaborators.
Viren Kaul, MD
Fellow, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai/Elmhurst Hospital Center
Blogger Beat: Interventional pulmonology, pleural diseases, post ICU syndrome, and more.
Twitter handle:@virenkaul
Q: How long have you been attending the ATS International Conference?
A: Five years and counting!
Q: Why will readers want to follow your blog each day?
A: The ATS International Conference can be overwhelming with a plethora of options in terms of sessions, workshops, and opportunities. Through the blogpost, I will strive to share high-yield points from the sessions I attend. I will briefly also mention sessions I will live tweet or blog about the next day, so say goodbye to the FOMO!
Q: What are you most excited to write about/share with readers?
A: The Center for Career Development has a powerful lineup this year and is a must-attend for everyone interested in MedEd, so I will be reporting live from there a lot. I’m also looking forward to sharing snippets from the Resident Boot Camp, our session focused on International Graduates Interested in Medical Education (my apologies for the shameless plug but the session is at the CCD on May 21 from 3:45 to 4:30 p.m. followed by drinks and appetizers), and Fellow Case Conferences.
Q: What do you think will be the hot topic at the conference this year?
A: 2017 and 2018 (so far) have been influential years for fairness/equality for women, especially female physicians, and I am hoping to see a huge push for the same at the IC.
Q: What is your favorite thing about the ATS International Conference?
A: The IC reminds me of how supportive, encouraging, and dynamic the pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine community is. It evens the playing field and provides opportunities to network and collaborate.
Kevin Gipson, MD, MS
Clinical Fellow, Pediatric Pulmonology, Massachusetts General Hospital
Blogger Beat: Pediatric pulmonology and sleep medicine.
Twitter handle: @kevingipsonmd
Q: How long have you been attending the ATS International Conference?
A: Two years.
Q: Why will readers want to follow your blog each day?
A: I plan to tweet high-impact reports from the conference and hope to supplement this with a few longer blog posts throughout the week.
Q: What are you most excited to write about/share with readers?
A: As an upcoming sleep fellow, I’m most excited about learning about new therapies for pediatric sleep patients, with a particular focus on patients with chronic pulmonary and neuromuscular disorders. I’m also interested in the interface of emerging technologies and medicine, and so will be keeping my eye out for exciting new devices and projects.
Q: What do you think will be the hot topic at the conference this year?
A: The rapidly evolving field of pulmonary genetics is going to be a major driver of pulmonary practice in the near future. It will definitely be worth seeking out any number of the excellent talks on this topic at this year’s program, as ever-improving genetic sequencing and powerful supporting informatic techniques will redefine clinical medicine in the coming decades.
Q: What is your favorite thing about the ATS International Conference?
A: The best thing about this conference absolutely has to be the opportunity to meet new colleagues and reconnect with old friends.
Nitin Seam, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine at George Washington University
Blogger Beat: Areas related to the Resident Boot Camp, medical education, and critical care.
Twitter handle: @NitinSeam
Q: How long have you been attending the ATS International Conference?
A: Ten years.
Q: Why will readers want to follow your blog each day?
A: I will post about the exciting educational experiences at the conference and new research related to critical care medicine that breaks at the conference.
Q: What are you most excited to write about/share with readers?
A: The Resident Boot Camp is a great initiative in which residents who will start pulmonary/critical care fellowships get two days of intense, interactive training in the basics of pulmonary and critical care medicine from expert teachers from around the country.
Q: What do you think will be the hot topic at the conference this year?
A: ATS President Marc Moss has made physician wellness and burnout a priority for the conference. This is one of the most important issues we face as a medical community.
Q: What is your favorite thing about the ATS International Conference?
A: Meeting old friends, seeing new research in my field, and exploring opportunities to collaborate.