During his address at the ATS International Conference Opening Ceremony, Bennett deBoisblanc, M.D., reflected on the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina: “It is in the service of others that we will truly discover our own humanity.”

The American Thoracic Society celebrated its roots and paid homage to its host city on Saturday afternoon with the inaugural ATS International Conference Opening Ceremony, which featured a moving keynote address that examined the reactions of humans when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans.

ATS President J. Randall Curtis, M.D., M.P.H., welcomed attendees to the conference by recalling the establishment of the Society more than 100 years ago, when its founders gathered to share their experiences in an effort to find a cure for tuberculosis—which then accounted for 20 percent of deaths in large U.S. cities. That sharing of information continues today as a cornerstone of the ATS, he said.

“We believe one of the most potent weapons we possess against illness and disease is the exchange of information that will take place here,” he said, adding that the ATS is also reaching beyond science and making a statement by meeting in New Orleans to show its empathy for the city.

Marc Moss, M.D., chair of the ATS International Conference Committee, said that look at the human side of New Orleans’ struggle was an important part of the inaugural Opening Ceremony, which featured a keynote address by Bennett deBoisblanc, M.D., who was medical director of the ICU at the city’s Charity Hospital when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005.

“I think it is a fascinating story that is really relevant from a human-interest perspective,” Dr. Moss said. “This is something that even people outside pulmonary care get something out of—learning about how a hospital deals with a catastrophe like Katrina and delivers patient care without things like electricity, medical supplies and clean water.

“This is a real human-interest story, one that transcends pulmonary care. And with the meeting being in New Orleans, it becomes that much more relevant, just a natural fit.”

In his address, Dr. deBoisblanc recounted the toll that Katrina took on the city in those dark days, but added that the disaster shone light on the positive side of human nature.

“Understanding and confronting some of Katrina’s myths is important,” he said in his address. “Perhaps the most commonly held disaster myth is that following a major interruption in the structure of our everyday lives that chaos will prevail. Why, faced with one’s own peril, would attacking a perfect stranger increase one’s odds of survival? A more rational behavior would seem to be ‘let’s work together.'”

The truth is that collaborative interactions are the norm, and that was demonstrated repeatedly in the days following Katrina, he said.

“The initial response to disaster most often comes from victims,” Dr. deBoisblanc said, showing photos of how many resident physicians and nurses performed extraordinary tasks. “They were fearless and compassionate, and just plain got it done.”

Photos were captioned by Dr. deBoisblanc, explaining how one Tulane University surgery resident simultaneously worked on a critically ill patient, while also comforting an elderly woman on the ground.

“The singular emotion each of these professionals has expressed was the feeling of fortune for having the opportunity to serve,” he said, as he moved on to another photo of a seriously ill patient in the bed of a pickup truck awakening from sedation to pat the arm of the patient next to her.

“This behavior lies dormant in us, but is awakened by an earth-shaking event,” Dr. deBoisblanc said. “What else can explain these acts of kindness?”

Today, New Orleans continues to recover, and the city will soon break ground to build a $2.4 billion state-of-the-art medical campus between Louisiana State University and Tulane University medical schools to replace Charity Hospital, which has not reopened.

“I hope my message is one of hope and belief in the goodness of human beings,” Dr. deBoisblanc told attendees, adding that he wondered how humans would respond to war and global hunger in the future. “If my experience is an indicator, we will not look away. It is in the service of others that we will truly discover our own humanity.”

The opening ceremony was followed by the Fellows & Junior Professionals Exchange. This annual networking event provided attendees with the opportunity to mingle and network wtih colleagues. The program also included the presentation of the ATS Resident Travel Awards, supported by an educational grant from Merck.