The South Carolina Thoracic Society is one of five new local ATS chapters, and the group is kicking off its first year with a two-day conference, Sept. 15-16, in Charleston, South Carolina.

This first annual meeting will highlight a broad range of pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine topics, from state-of-the-art management of lung cancer, and interstitial lung disease to sarcoidosis, and refractory hypoxemia. There is a strong interactive component to their programming, such as the session on bedside ultrasound techniques. Spots are still available to register!

Conference Director Lynn Schnapp, MD, division chief of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy and Sleep Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, discusses the event and the chapter's formation.

Why should pulmonary, critical care, sleep medicine physicians, and other health care professionals attend the SCTS conference?

The Friday to Saturday event aims to be interesting and informative. It will feature leading experts in the field, with ample opportunity provided for audience engagement. Networking is another important aspect, and the lineup includes a dinner presentation, lunch meeting, and breakout sessions.

What are the chapter's primary objectives?

The state of South Carolina has four medical schools, and about 150 active pulmonologists. The chapter in South Carolina will provide local education opportunities and facilitate collaborative relationships across the state. 

What would you identify as a unique threat to lung health in your region, and how might members in the southeast address this?

South Carolina struggles with high rates of smoking and asthma, and it ranks as one of at the 10 unhealthiest states in the U.S. by the United Health Foundation Rankings. There is a tremendous unmet need to improve the health of our region. The SC Thoracic Society was formed to help meet this need, which we we'll work to achieve by  increasing  interactions of pulmonary and critical care specialists throughout the area, and by discussing difficult management issues, new therapies, clinical trials, and even patient advocacy.