Being the president of the ATS during COVID-19, (an experience I now share with my predecessors Jim Beck and Juan Celedón and a credential I hope ends with me) is to lead the Society during a time of uncertainty and transition. As we look to the future, we will take with us the lessons from the past year adding new perspective and insight.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, our Society rose to the challenge and created tools and resources for our colleagues around the world, and to support our ATS community. We did this through development of guidance documents, published research, patient resources, webinars, podcasts, and resources about vaccines, all constantly updated to reflect the evolving situation and advances in knowledge.  As we pivoted our work to virtual platforms, we also realized the many opportunities to innovate and leverage lessons learned in the past year.  

As such, it’s my pleasure to announce that we will be streamlining communications from the Society and emphasizing newer methods, such as social media. Moving forward, we will  share my President’s Messages using the ATS President twitter account, @PresidentATS,  and sunset this newsletter.  My goal: more interactions within the Society, increased engagement with our members, and increased nimbleness to respond to issues facing our membership from within the Society (and the broader community!).

We’ll also be making greater use of social media in general, with member highlights on our Twitter and Instagram accounts, as well as behind-the-scenes looks into committees and assemblies. There, you’ll be able to see what events are happening at the ATS, learn about the work the Society is doing, how you can get involved, and, in general, get a better picture of the ATS as a whole!  

It’s only fitting with all of the changes underway that ATS undergo a bit of a “makeover,” including a new logo, and branding strategy that better reflect our current values and mission.  Our membership is younger and more diverse than it’s ever been in the past, and our work on issues that impact our patients go beyond lung health, to issues such as health care access and equity. And it’s important that our forward-looking work is reflected in every element of our presentation to the world. You’ll see more examples of this “new” ATS in the months to come.

It’s an exciting time to lead the ATS, and I know this year will be full of the unexpected as all of us adjust to a “new normal.” Join us on Twitter to follow our main account, @atscommunity and the new ATS President account, @PresidentATS, to join the conversation!