Monday morning’s President’s Symposium and a Tuesday morning session, “Global Health and Pulmonary Medicine: Voices from the Field,” will highlight global initiatives and strategies aimed at reducing the burden of lung diseases.
President’s Symposium
The ATS 2011 President’s Symposium will focus on developing global health leadership, an area of increasing importance as global trade and the ease of travel have broken down national boundaries with respect to respiratory diseases, critical illnesses and sleep disorders. The symposium will take place from 8:15 to 10:45 a.m. on Monday in the Korbel Ballroom 2A-3A on the lower level of the Colorado Convention Center.
Dean E. Schraufnagel, MD
“This symposium will focus on leadership in world health: how to be a leader, how to find a leader and how to develop a leader,” said ATS President Dean E. Schraufnagel, MD, who will co-chair the program with ATS President-Elect Nicholas S. Hill, MD.
Leaders from the National Institutes of Health, World Bank and World Health Organization’s Stop TB Partnership will discuss the definition, nature and impact of leadership. They will also talk about how to deal with difficult situations in various international settings, as well as suggest ways for individuals to become more involved and effective in the international projects in which they are involved.
“Almost half of ATS International Conference attendees come from outside the United States, and many North American attendees are involved in international activities,” Dr. Schraufnagel said. “Many participants are, or aspire to be, international global health leaders and are involved in developing and training future leaders.”
Lucica Ditiu, MD, executive secretary of the WHO Stop TB Partnership, will discuss her efforts to treat TB in the Balkans. “If we think we have difficulties getting people to work together, we need to listen to Dr. Ditiu tell how she tried to develop a team approach to treating tuberculosis in the Balkans during their civil war,” Dr. Schraufnagel said.
The session will also educate attendees about international organizations, how they view leadership, and how they select and train leaders. “Effective leadership makes all the difference,” Dr. Schraufnagel said. “Indoor air pollution, for instance, has occurred since humans first used fire in enclosed spaces, but, as former ATS President William J. Martin will tell you, only with effective world health leadership will the problem be addressed.”
Scheduled topics and speakers include:
| • | 8:15 a.m.: Defining Research Questions: Strategic Approaches to Scientific Priorities in Lung Health—S. Shurin, MD, Bethesda, MD |
| • | 8:45 a.m.: Developing Great Leaders in Global Health: Experience and Lessons from the Fogarty International Center, NIH—J. G. Breman, MD, Bethesda, MD |
| • | 9:15 a.m.: Leadership in Health and Development—E. Baris, MD, Washington, DC |
| • | 9:45 a.m.: How Leadership Makes a Difference—W. J. Martin, MD, Bethesda, MD |
| • | 10:15 a.m.: Working with the Field—L. Ditiu, MD, Geneva, Switzerland |
“The world is becoming a smaller place, and the impact of diseases in one part of the world has larger implications in other parts of the world,” said Marc Moss, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Colorado, Denver, who chairs the ATS International Conference Committee. “We can learn from other international scientists and clinicians who have experience with treating lung diseases, and extrapolate their knowledge to help our patients.”
Global Health & Pulmonary Medicine
Dr. Schraufnagel will introduce Tuesday’s C11 “Global Health and Pulmonary Medicine: Voices from the Field,” which will take place from 8:15 to 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday in rooms 102-104-106.
The course will give attendees information on existing programs and opportunities for global health activities within the ATS. Presenters will discuss research priorities for critical care in the developing world, the burden of disease in Africa, volunteering in post-disaster settings, the challenges of conducting research across continents, and teaching and mentoring in the developing world.
Gustavo Matute-Bello, MD
“The session will provide an overview of the current status of key global issues in pulmonary disease. We hope to provide valuable information to individuals interested in pursuing global health careers or volunteering with some of the global health programs of the ATS,” said Gustavo Matute-Bello, MD, associate professor of medicine, Center for Lung Biology, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle.
He will describe some of the key elements of the ATS international agenda, and how are they being implemented worldwide. He said that he plans to emphasize activities involving education, research, advocacy and international collaborations, as well as how ATS members can become engaged in some of these international activities.
For Dr. Matute-Bello, ATS involvement in such activities is needed for several reasons. “First, the ATS is an international organization. Approximately one-third of the ATS members are international, as are roughly half of the attendees to the international conference,” he said. “Second, many members have an interest in issues related to global health. Specifically, a growing number of pulmonary fellows and junior faculty want to pursue careers in global health.
“Third, it is fundamental to raise awareness about the importance of lung diseases in low- and middle-income countries. In areas such as Africa and Southeast Asia, the burden of respiratory diseases, both communicable and non-communicable is enormous, and yet there are extremely limited resources. Most importantly, diseases such as asthma, bronchiectasis and other non-communicable diseases appear to be highly prevalent, yet they are barely discussed as important health problems. The ATS is at the forefront of the fight against lung diseases at a global level with activities ranging from generating guidelines to providing education.”
William J. Martin II, MD, associate director of the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences and director of the Office of Translational Biomedicine at the National Institutes of Health, will co-chair the session with Dr. Matute-Bello.