A program designed to help those at the beginning of their careers, the Fellows Track Symposium helps them stay abreast of the latest scientific and clinical advances in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine.

Designed to help those at the beginning of their careers stay abreast of the latest scientific and clinical advances in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine, the Fellows Track Symposium has become a big draw at the International Conference.

“The 2012 Fellows Track Symposium is part of the Society’s efforts to support fellows and to serve as a scientific and clinical resource for those at the beginning of their careers,” said ATS President Nicholas S. Hill, MD. “The future of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine literally depends on the education and dedication of today’s trainees, so the ATS is doing everything it can to foster educational excellence and a commitment to lifelong learning.”

Its overarching goals aside, the Fellows Track Symposium is designed to make the International Conference easier to navigate for these young professionals. It also serves as an orientation to the meeting. On Friday and Saturday, a host of clinical and scientific experts were on hand to provide content background on major sessions and topics to be covered over the course of the International Conference.

The ATS provided $1,200 travel awards to 140 fellows from U.S. training programs, which enabled them to participate in the symposium.

“The 2012 Fellows Track Symposium has been a very rich educational experience. It’s been eye-opening to meet and learn from the best in the field. It takes you beyond the science to learn the ‘art of the trade’ of pulmonary/critical care,” said Ammar Alkhazna, MD, of the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

For Regina Pillai, MD, of the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, the program provided her with the chance to obtain knowledge in specialized areas—areas that she and other participants would otherwise not have been exposed to during training, she said.

“Topics such as sleep in pregnancy, challenges in the chronically ill and neurological critical care were all very informative,” Dr. Pillai said. “One of the most enjoyable moments has been to meet colleagues facing the same challenges in their careers. It creates a supportive network and sense of camaraderie in our profession.”

The symposium, chaired by Deborah Shure, MD, gave attendees an overview of the latest advances in each of the Society’s three pillars. Carolyn Welsh, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Colorado, Denver, oversaw the pulmonary portion. Neil Macintyre, MD, professor of medicine and chief of clinical services at Duke University, Durham, N.C., directed the critical care track. Barbara Phillips, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Kentucky School of Medicine, Lexington, oversaw the sleep program.

“The program’s format and structure fosters interaction among fellows and faculty members, as well as provides time for networking among fellows from different institutions,” Dr. Shure said. “That’s one reason the 2012 program offers three breakout sessions—one for each pillar—which are designed to incorporate a hands-on approach and allow fellows to hear talks specifically aligned with their interests.”

Two breakout sessions were held on Friday. Charles Irvin, PhD, director of the Vermont Lung Center and professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics at the University of Vermont, Burlington, discussed pulmonary physiology, and Dr. Phillips focused on the future of sleep medicine. The FTS also featured an ultrasonography dinner symposium on Friday evening with Pierre Kory, MPA, MD, director of simulation training at Beth Israel Medical Center and assistant professor of medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, who talked about critical care ultrasonography.

Paras Khandhar, MD, of the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, found the program rewarding from the start. “The highlight of this session thus far has been the interaction with faculty who are known as the experts and innovators in their respective subspecialty,” said Dr. Khandhar after attending Friday’s program.

Throughout the remainder of the 2012 International Conference, all Fellows Track Symposium faculty members will be available to answer questions in the Center for Fellows and Junior Professionals from 7 to 8 a.m. today and Tuesday.

The ATS gratefully acknowledges the FTS underwriting supporter Genentech for providing the Fellows Travel Scholarships. Additional educational support has been provided Gilead Sciences, Inc., and by Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc. In-Kind Support has been provided by SonoSite, Inc.