“The great strength of the ATS International Conference is that scientists and clinicians—some of the best in the field—present findings and discuss clinical issues side by side.”
Imad Haddad, M.D. 

“The conference helps clinicians to better understand the evolution of the most advanced treatments, from molecular research through animal studies and, ultimately, clinical trials.”
Karen A. Fagan, M.D. 

“The ATS conference is the first place in the world for research—the place where you learn about data before it has been published.”
Bruno Crestani, M.D., Ph.D. 

“”I tell my fellows, the ATS is tomorrow’s medicine. By going to the conference, you are going to learn what is happening now but is only known by those speaking about it.”
Chadi Hage, M.D. 

“It really gives my patients hope when I can tell them about a new drug that is being tested and how it might address some of the shortcomings of the medicines they currently take.”
Anthony Szema, M.D. 

“With competitive grants, reviewers want to know the rationale, so the conference serves as a major venue for basic scientists to see clinical connections and amplify their imaginations to relate their work to patient care.”
Michael Matthay, M.D. 

“Among the more interesting sessions at the conference are the pro-con debates. These debates get to the heart of clinical practice when physicians try to decide whether a certain study result or therapy applies to the patient sitting in front of them.”
Michael Gruber, M.D. 

“With Year in Review, you have the advantage of an expert in the field selecting what are the best articles in the last year or so and explaining why they may change how you practice medicine.”
Christine Fukui, M.D. 

“There is no greater influence on my professional network than the conference. It’s the best forum for interacting with people who review papers and grants in the field.”
Tom Mariani, Ph.D. 

“The ability for basic scientists to interact with clinical scientists and clinicians is unlike any other meeting I have ever attended. There is a real opportunity to build collaborations to work on truly bench to bedside research.”
Tom Mariani, Ph.D. 

“The real benefit of attending the ATS conference is to get away from doing lung research in a vacuum in order to see the relevance of basic science research.”
Zea Borok, M.D. 

“If we were at a cell science conference, I might not ever meet you because I look at cells from a materials science perspective and you look at them from a signaling perspective. The ATS Conference is like the glue that brings basic scientists together.”
Jeffrey Fredberg, Ph.D. 

“The most influential people in the field are the ones giving talks and leading the symposia at the International Conference. Speakers put a lot of thought into their presentations, because they feel honored to address the Conference.”
Richard Helmers, M.D. 

“Whatever clinical or research interest you have, you can find the topic covered at the conference. If you want to sample a broad range of subjects, you can. If, however, your focus is solely on critical care, for instance, you can do that.”
James Beck, M.D. 

“No program or event can match the International Conference for bringing pulmonary nurses together.”Throughout my career, I have relied upon that network to help my patients.”
Suzanne Lareau, R.N., M.S. 

“The best of the best go to the conference. Thanks to the network I have formed over the years, I know I can call on others with more experience when one of my patients has a rare disease.”
Blakeslee Noyes, M.D. 

“Sometimes I have to pull an all-nighter before the conference to find the time to attend, but I think it is worth it. The quality and speakers at the conference’s clinical sessions are very good, and I like going because it gives me a chance to learn without the distractions of the office.”
John Gotchall, M.D. 

“We can’t just rely on scientific journals anymore—they’re6 to 12 months behind the times. The Conference presents up-to-the-moment research conducted by one’s peers, in all fields of lung disease.”
Augustine Choi, M.D. 

“The depth and breadth of research presented at the meeting is unparalleled. The conference represents the highest quality of respiratory and pulmonary science in the world. If you want people in the pulmonary community to know about your work, this venue is paramount.”
Reynold Panettieri, Jr., M.D. 

“Junior researchers and trainees get a very good view of the research landscape. And the Conference offers an opportunity for researchers at all levels to see what other people are doing and to establish new scientific collaborations.”
Augustine Choi, M.D. 

“Scientists—both physician-scientists and Ph.D.’s—have the opportunity to get a ‘clinical relevance check’ at the meeting, and to work together to foster a bench-to-bedside approach.”
Reynold Panettieri, Jr., M.D. 

“The complementary expertise of clinicians and scientists at the Conference makes a bridge between basic science and patient care.”
James Beck, M.D. 

“The conference helps clinicians better understand the evolution of the most advanced treatments. Attendees hear from the investigators themselves—from the scientists who performed the first basic studies to the investigators who tested those ideas in patients.”
Karen A. Fagan, M.D. 

“The conference serves to ‘reaffirm’ a clinician’s knowledge. Even when there hasn’t been a major advance in the field, it’s important to know that fact.”
Michael A. Matthay, M.D. 

“At the International Conference, you hear a lot of the latest information first. The biggest names in the field come to the meeting and often present findings ahead of publication.”
Ellen L. Burnham, M.D. 

“One of the most valuable aspects of the conference is meeting people who are experts in your specific area of respiratory health/disease, who are eager and willing to talk to you, and to support up-and-coming nurses in the field.”
Janet Larson, Ph.D., R.N. 

“The conference covers end-of-life issues, symptom management, supplemental oxygen therapy and pulmonary rehab in the IPF population, and this is just one of many lung diseases covered at this conference.”
Kathleen Lindell, M.S.N., R.N. 

“The International Conference is n incredible opportunity for trainees though the sheer size of the conference can be somewhat intimidating to new attendees. However,, the ATS has created opportunities just for trainees to make the meeting more meaningful, manageable and fun.”
Polly Parsons, M.D. 

“One of the reasons the meeting is so extraordinary is because thel symposia, postgraduate courses, workshops and seminars are geared toward attendees from a variety of backgrounds interested in many areas of respiratory, critical care and sleep medicine.”
Monica Kraft, M.D. 

“Almost everyone in pediatric pulmonology and sleep medicine goes to the ATS’s annual meeting. I tend to choose lectures over poster sessions, and my focus is more on clinical practice, rather than basic science research.”
Richard Kravitz, M.D. 

“I’ve been going to the ATS’s annual meeting for 20 years, and during that time, it’s just gotten better and better. There are more symposia, more poster sessions, and more cutting-edge clinical and basic science in sleep medicine presented at the conference.”
Robert Basner, M.D. 

“The conference is really ‘one-stop-shopping.’ Whether working in academic medical centers or in private practice, very few of us just do sleep, so we must keep up with other developments in respiratory medicine. The conference offers an easy and stimulating way to do that.”
Susheel Patil, M.D. 

“Today, the ATS International Conference is widely considered the ideal platform to meet experts in sleep from around the world. And that is true for adult and pediatric specialists.”
Malcolm Kohler, M.D. 

“As a researcher, I don’t often get the chance to talk to people who have niches of interest that apply to the research questions I am asking. The sheer size of the meeting promotes an exciting interchange with an incredibly broad range of specialists.”
Gregory J. Redding, M.D. 

“Attendees can not only learn new clinical skills and knowledge, but also gain insight into the mechanisms causing the diseases they treat—and how advances at the bench are being translated into improved care at the bedside.”
Raouf Amin, M.D. 

“Within the ATS, there is strong support of researchers who are at the beginning of their careers and the International Conference is a great opportunity for them to become more visible.”
Raouf Amin, M.D. 

“For international fellows, the ATS International Conference represents a major opportunity to present one’s data. Presenting a poster at the ATS ensures a critical mass of top sleep experts, all of whom are keen to interact and comment on your study.”
Mary Morrell, Ph.D. 

“The International Conference is perfect for clinicians who not only want to know what to do but why they are doing it.”
Marc Moss, M.D.