John F. Murray, MD (1927-2020)
On March 24, 2020, John F. Murray, MD, past president of the ATS, passed away at the age of 93. He was a member of the ATS community for 60 years. His influence throughout his career has impacted the entire field. He helped to create the pulmonary field itself, design its training programs, and to establish its national society, the ATS. He also established NHLBI research support for lung disease. At San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH)/UCSF, Dr. Murray established the ICU and created a division that led the country in excellence, and he helped lead SFGH into its prominence in high-quality research and teaching. During his career, he made major contributions of his own in research to the fields of tuberculosis, ARDS, and HIV/AIDS. It is difficult to overstate his influence, and how much he will be missed.
Read more about Dr. Murray’s contributions.
COVID-19 Announcements
The ATS staff would like to thank our members for their critical work during this unprecedented time.
As you know, we have canceled the International Conference. Please continue to check our website for resources and updates, including information regarding the CMS expansion for telehealth services, as well as event announcements, such as ongoing COVID-19 Twitter chats.
You can also find information about ATS advocacy, as well as our work with industry partners to address the immediate needs of the health care community. Take action now and send a letter to your elected officials in support of these efforts.
The ATS staff is following all recommended protocols and is working remotely, unable to access ATS postal mail. Thus, we have suspended all check payments indefinitely, including checks for membership renewals, as well as donations to the ATS Research Program.
If you need to renew your membership, please contact Membervalue@thoracic.org.
COVID-19 Twitter Chat:
When: 7 p.m. ET, March 25, 2020
Where: Twitter, using #ATSchat
Last Chance to Vote! A Reminder from the Nominating Committee
The ATS Nominating Committee had a number of outstanding applicants for Secretary-Treasurer this year, all of whom would be terrific additions to the ATS Executive Committee. After an extensive review process, we put forward two superb candidates for your consideration, Zea Borok, MD, ATSF, and M. Patricia Rivera, MD, ATSF.
The ATS has had a long-term commitment to democratically electing our officers. As history shows, the strength of any democracy is heavily dependent on the active participation of the electorate. In that regard, many non-profit organizations, including the ATS, have historically fallen well short of reasonable democratic goals, with participation rates in elections sometimes below 10 percent. If members don’t vote, selection of our leaders can be decided by a very small fraction of our members. The nominating committee therefore urges all members to read and carefully consider the online materials, and, most importantly, to vote!
You have until this Friday, March 27, 2020, to cast your vote!
ATS Recognizes World TB Day
In support of World TB Day, March 24, the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), of which the American Thoracic Society is a founding member, urges governments to promote tuberculosis prevention as a critical component of TB elimination.
TB is the leading infectious disease killer worldwide, accounting for 1.5 million deaths in 2018 alone according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2019 Global TB Report. An additional 10 million people fell ill with TB in 2018.
Despite significant progress against TB in recent years, many people struggle to receive the treatment and care they need for reasons ranging from gaps in research and development and insufficient or underfunded health services, to long and difficult treatments or because of stigma. In addition, a quarter of the world’s population is estimated to be living with TB infection, the bacteria that causes the disease.
Read the full release!
Upcoming Webinars!
Happening Today
As part of "Scleroderma Week at the ATS" and in conjunction with PAR partner the Scleroderma Foundation, join us for "Lung Involvement in Scleroderma.”
When: 2 p.m. – 3 p.m., ET, March 25, 2020
Where: Online. Register here.
ATS and APSR Joint Webinar: Global Perspectives on COVID-19
The webinar aims to connect respiratory health professionals in different regions to share their experiences with COVID-19 and have an opportunity to ask their colleagues questions. Participants include practitioners and professors from China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and South Korea.
When: 6 p.m. ET, March 27, 2020
Where: Online. Register now!
Journal Clubs
Join our upcoming joint Journal Club discussing, “A genetic risk score of COPD associated with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease susceptibility and lung structure on computed tomography .”
When: 1 p.m. ET, April 1, 2020
Where: Online. Register here.
The Peds Assembly will be hosting a webinar discussing COVID-19.
When: 1 p.m. ET, April 2, 2020
Where: Online. Mark your calendar!
