We must celebrate the success of our peers and honor the accomplishments of our predecessors, for we stand on the shoulders of giants. Yet for the sake of our field and our patients, we must work tirelessly to ensure that the next generation is always the best. At the ATS, we are firmly committed to the success of those holding the keys to our future.

This commitment is evident at the annual ATS International Conference, which offers a variety of programs tailored to the next generation of physicians and scientists. Such programs include our Resident Boot Camp, our Fellows Track Symposium, our Student Scholars program, and the New Faculty Boot Camp. This year, all early career professional programs will be held virtually, but you can still view live recordings of hands-on demonstrations from previous years, archived in Facebook Live videos and available on the ATS Facebook page.  Early career professionals can also participate in the annual BEAR (Building Education to Advance Research) Cage Competition, in which all finalists receive prize money to support their research and mentoring from experts in translational science. In addition to formal programming, there are networking opportunities throughout the conference to foster new collaborations, as well as career development resources.  

Outside the conference and throughout the year, the ATS Education Committee plans, executes, and evaluates educational activities for early career professionals. Moreover, our Members in Transition and Training (MITT) Committee, primarily composed of early career professionals, focuses on their needs within the ATS. The MITT committee leads efforts in all aspects of clinical and research training for adult and pediatric pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. This includes organizing webinars, Twitter chats, and other events of interest to our members in transition and training. In addition, the ATS offers a Core Training Webinar series that focuses on professional development for early career members, from public speaking to social media use.

Early career professionals are critical to the success of our committees and assemblies. Early career members can volunteer to participate in our committees through our Get Involved portal and all ATS Assemblies are now accepting applications for the ATS Assembly Apprenticeship program, which was designed to involve early career assembly members in helping to guide the future of our society. Through these initiatives, assembly mentoring programs, travel and assembly awards, Minority Trainee Development Scholarships, and our Methods in Epidemiologic, Clinical, and Operations Research (MECOR) program for colleagues in low- and middle-income countries, we are preparing a dynamic and diverse group of young members for future leadership roles within and outside the ATS.

We are indeed grateful to our members for their commitment to those who will follow our footsteps. When you make a donation to the ATS Research Program, you are not only supporting young scientists at a crucial time in their professional lives but also fostering discovery of scientific breakthroughs that could lead to improved prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of respiratory diseases.

As our Society continues to evolve and grow, I am confident that we are cultivating a strong and diverse pipeline of future leaders in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. Knowing that both the ATS and our patients will be in good hands is a testament to our highest ideals and a justifiable source of pride for all our members.