International Conference speakers are required to take several steps to ensure that ATS audiences are aware of any professional or personal relationships they have with companies that are relevant to their presentation content.

The support that pharmaceutical and medical device companies provide for the research, education, and patient care conducted by ATS members and other International Conference speakers is instrumental to finding cures and maintaining quality of life. The ATS and industry take great care to ensure that relevant commercial support received by speakers or relevant personal investments is disclosed and made known to ATS 2019 attendees. 

To comply with requirements of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, speakers in sessions designated for CME were required to complete extensive questionnaires for review of conflicts of interest ahead of the International Conference. Speakers also re-enter the names of relevant company affiliations when they submit their presentation slides online, so that a disclosure screen automatically appears just before their talk.  They are also encouraged to also orally highlight their relevant relationships. In addition, a written summary of disclosures is also posted on the International Conference website and available through the ATS 2019 app.

More information on ATS 2019 requirements for speakers is available at conference.thoracic.org/speakers/session-speaker-instructions.php.