American Thoracic Society

Advocacy Alert: Thank you to Laura Myers, MD, MPH, Kaiser Permanente, research scientist I, Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente, and pulmonary intensivist, Diablo Service Area, and our ATS Environmental Health Policy Committee members who spoke last week during a virtual public hearing urging the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to approve the California Advanced Clean Fleet waiver. The Advanced Clean Fleet waiver would shift more new vehicles in truck fleets to zero-emission technologies and significantly cut diesel exhaust and associated health harms by ensuring a long-term transition to zero-emission truck sales. If approved, what are the health benefits? → An estimated $26.5 billion in health benefits would be provided between 2024 to 2050, more than 2,500 lives would be saved, over 870 hospitalizations for cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses and over 1,100 emergency room visits would be avoided. How does the waiver address the roots of climate change? → By reducing GHG emissions from fleet vehicle trucks. How does it support environmental justice? → Help patients by reducing overall air pollution and reducing future emissions of GHGs. → Helps communities that face greater exposures to diesel exhaust, which are often people with lower incomes and people of color.

Wildfires threaten the health of everyone, especially individuals with lung disease! In November 2023, the ATS and the NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management published the Health of the Air Report, which provided the first-ever local and national estimates of the health impacts specifically attributable to air pollution from wildland fires. Funding from NASA, through the Health and Air Quality Applied Science Team (HAQAST), allowed for the inclusion of this critical source of pollution in the health analysis. “...In the western US, in the Midwest and the Southeast US, there are a large number of unmonitored counties that have important health relevant concentrations of pollution from wildland fires,” says Kevin Cromar, PhD, NYU Marron Institute program director and lead author of The Health of the Air Report. You can read the report here: https://lnkd.in/eTcyHHY5.

Happening Now: The ATS MECOR Latin America course is this week in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, with 64 students participating and 19 faculty members! MECOR = American Thoracic Society Methods in Epidemiologic, Clinical, and Operations Research (MECOR) Program!

Are you an early career investigator interested in Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency research? Announcing the ATS/Alpha-1 Foundation Young Investigator Grant in Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency. We have one grant available, $50,000 for one year. This grant will provide support for early career investigators who are starting their research careers and intend to pursue a career in Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency research. Learn more and apply: https://lnkd.in/g5DAX-Wb.

Many thanks to our ATS 2024 Social Media Sponsor: Regeneron Healthcare Solutions. Learn more about the PATHWAYS Global Innovation Grant Initiative from Sanofi and Regeneron. https://lnkd.in/g4NmxcES #ad #ATS2024

How are you staying healthy? Did you get your COVID-19 and flu vaccines? Here are six reminders for you to take measures to avoid getting sick: 1. Wash your hands often and properly, by washing with soap and water for 20 seconds. 2. Use alcohol-based sanitizer (60 percent alcohol) if soap and water are unavailable. 3. Stay away from people who are sick. 4. Wear a high-quality mask (N95, KN95, or KF94) as recommended by your health care provider. 5. Encourage family members who have symptoms (fever, cough, runny nose, etc.) to get tested for COVID-19 and isolate themselves as recommended. 6. Practice self-care, including getting enough sleep, managing excess stress, quitting smoking, and eating a nutritious diet. 📸: Masking and visual display of “Epithelial Barrier Dysfunction” at ATS Conference.

Celebrate #MembershipMonday with us: “ATS has a sense of home,” says Andrew Halyako, PhD, ATSF, professor and Canada research chair, department of physiology and pathophysiology, University of Manitoba and Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, and editor, American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology. “It is big, it is busy, and it is cutting -edge, but the connectivity that is fostered with colleagues from around the world is at the root of what makes ATS special.” Connect with your colleagues at the ATS! Members of the Society can join up to three different ATS Assemblies and an unlimited number of ATS Sections. Not a member? Join us: https://lnkd.in/eDpAaFh9.

Today is #NationalNonprofitDay Did you know the ATS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit? Tax deductible donations (US) appreciated: https://lnkd.in/eWW_5imx. As the world's leading medical society dedicated to accelerating the advancement of global respiratory health through multidisciplinary collaboration, education, and advocacy, our core activities are focused on leading scientific discoveries, advancing professional development, impacting global health, and transforming patient care. #charity #respiratory #criticalcare #sleepmedicine

Webinar alert for next week 🔔 #ATS2024 Follow-Up: ASPEN Study Global Phase 3 RCT of Brensocatib for Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis will take place 1-2 p.m. ET, Wednesday, Aug. 21: https://lnkd.in/eSWQVUrR. ATS International Committee chair and chair-elect, Debra M. Boyer, MD, MPHE, ATSF, and Jennifer Taylor-Cousar, MD, MSCS, ATSF, will discuss results from the ASPEN study with James Chalmers, MBChB, MD, PhD, and Doreen J. Addrizzo-Harris, MD. Drs. Chalmers and Addrizzo-Harris will present data, answer questions, and share additional positive results from this landmark trial.

We are now accepting applications for the ATS/ALA Commemorative 120th Anniversary Joint Research Award: https://lnkd.in/eRT6kcqX! This $60,000 grant (per year for two years) will fund basic, translational, or clinical research that has a high likelihood of advancing the understanding of lung disease. Grant funds may be used to provide salary support for the Principal Investigator or ancillary staff, to purchase supplies and/or reagents, or for subject enrollment fees directly related to the project or other allowable costs. Indirect costs will not be paid to the sponsoring institution.  Application Deadline: Dec. 16, 2024