2014

HomeWashington Letter2014 ▶ ATS Leaders Meet with Federal Research Agencies
ATS Leaders Meet with Federal Research Agencies

October 2014

This week, the executive committee of the American Thoracic Society held a series of meetings with key federal research programs, including the National Institutes of Health, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the ATS's first meeting with the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Tobacco Products. The purpose of the meetings was to urge federal programs to continue to expand support for research on respiratory, critical care and sleep-related illnesses.

The ATS leadership made a number of visits to key Institutes at NIH, including the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute of Nursing, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

"In each of the meetings, we made the case for continued and expanded support for respiratory, critical care and sleep-related illnesses," said ATS President Tom Ferkol, MD. "Although the tone and details of the meetings varied by each Institute and its particular area of research, all of the meetings emphasized our key message on the need for research and the many opportunities in lung, critical care and sleep in each Institute's purview."

For several years, the ATS leadership has met with federal research agencies. "As a result of these meetings and the other science-based activities of the ATS, NIH and other federal agencies view the ATS as a credible and informed partner." says ATS President-Elect Atul Malhotra, MD. " I really feel like we are making an important impact," he said.

Last Reviewed: October 2017