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$30 Member/Non-Member

The annual ATS Women's Forum recognizes the achievements and supports the advancement of women in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine and research. The forum provides a valuable opportunity for women to find value in the inspirational messages and career insights the speakers share. This year Zea Borok, MD, ATSF and Stephanie Davis, MD, ATSF the 2024 Elizabeth Rich awardee will discuss their experiences during the forum.

Dr. Borok was previously the Ralph Edgington Chair in Medicine, Division Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and Hastings Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles, which she joined in 1990 as an instructor. At USC, Borok led expansion of research efforts and creation of clinical programs of excellence, such as the Center for Advanced Lung Disease, Pulmonary Hypertension Program, Sleep Center, and the Interventional Pulmonary Program. Throughout her career, Dr. Borok said she has emphasized mentoring students, trainees, and faculty, having directed more than 30 individuals. She said she is particularly aware of the challenges facing female faculty members and focuses her time mentoring and sponsoring other female scientists seeking career advancement within their fields of research.

We will also recognize and hear remarks from the 2024 recipient of the Elizabeth A. Rich Award Stephanie Davis, MD, ATSF. The Elizbeth Rich Award is presented to an outstanding woman in ATS who has made significant contributions in the fields of pulmonary, critical car and sleep medicine. Dr. Stephanie Duggins Davis is the Edward C. Curnen, Jr. Distinguished Professor and Chair of Pediatrics at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and the Physician in Chief for UNC Children’s. Her NIH funded research focuses on elucidating early lung disease through sensitive endpoints and biomarkers, specifically in cystic fibrosis, primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), and chronic lung disease related to prematurity. Since 2019, she has served as the contact PI for the NCATS and NHLBI funded Genetic Disorders of Mucociliary Clearance Consortium. For over 20 years, this Consortium has worked closely with the PCD Foundation to increase the recognition of the PCD phenotype, describe genotype-phenotype relationships, and improve understanding of this rare disease. Dr. Davis is passionate about educating trainees and early career faculty development. During her career, she has served on numerous scholarship oversight and research mentoring committees and as the mentor for over 50 trainees and early-career faculty. As an ATS Fellow, Dr. Davis has a longstanding history of serving the ATS. She has served as Chair of the Pediatric Assembly, Chair of the Pediatric Program Committee, Chair of the Pediatric Nominating Committee and currently serves as Chair of the Publications Policy Committee. She has been a member of the Board of Directors, the Infant/Preschool PFT Standardization Taskforce, the Research Advocacy Committee, and the Pediatric Planning Committee.

The ATS is proud to present the ATS/MECOR Leadership Program in Africa. This visionary program is designed to significantly enhance leadership capacities among women in Africa, a cause close to our hearts and aligned with the values promoted at the Women's Forum. This program will be fully funded by ATS through a generous individual donation. Sonia Buist, MD and Obianuju Ozoh, MD will discuss this exciting new initiative.

Dr. Buist is Professor Emerita of Medicine, Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). She earned her MB.ChB medical degree in 1964 from the University of St. Andrews Medical School in Scotland and an M.D (PhD equivalent) from the University of Dundee, also in Scotland. She was Head of the OHSU Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care for 20 years, on the Editorial Board of the New England Journal of Medicine and was President of the American Thoracic Society (ATS). She started, and for 25 years directed, the ATS Methods in Epidemiologic, Clinical & Operations Research (MECOR) Program which trains pulmonary physicians in clinical & epidemiologic research in resource-poor countries. The MECOR Program has over 2500 graduates in Latin America, Türkiye, Africa, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, and India. She also started the Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) Study that is creating a database of COPD prevalence and its risk factors worldwide.

Dr. Obianuju Ozoh is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Department of Medicine, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine of the University of Lagos, Lagos Nigeria. She is also a Consultant Pulmonologist at the affiliated Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nigeria.

Her research focuses on the epidemiology of chronic respiratory diseases, developing interventions to reduce exposure to risk factors and improving access to services for diagnosis and treatment. She engages in clinical training and research capacity building for respiratory disease in Africa and is the Co-Director of the Pan African Thoracic Society Methods in Epidemiologic, Clinical and Operations Research (PATS MECOR) program and the Vice President of PATS. She is a science committee and board member of the Global Initiative on Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD). Dr Ozoh strongly advocates for persons with respiratory diseases and has developed a patient education program for asthma using task shifting. She is the first recipient of the Buist’s Pathway to leadership award and received the World Lung Health award of the American Thoracic Society in 2023. Dr Obianuju Ozoh is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Department of Medicine, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine of the University of Lagos, Lagos Nigeria. She is also a Consultant Pulmonologist at the affiliated Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nigeria.

Her research focuses on the epidemiology of chronic respiratory diseases, developing interventions to reduce exposure to risk factors and improving access to services for diagnosis and treatment. She engages in clinical training and research capacity building for respiratory disease in Africa and is the Co-Director of the Pan African Thoracic Society Methods in Epidemiologic, Clinical and Operations Research (PATS MECOR) program and the Vice President of PATS. She is a science committee and board member of the Global Initiative on Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD). Dr Ozoh strongly advocates for persons with respiratory diseases and has developed a patient education program for asthma using task shifting. She is the first recipient of the Buist’s Pathway to leadership award and received the World Lung Health award of the American Thoracic Society in 2023.

The forum is organized and presented by the ATS Membership Committee and will be hosted by its Chair Meshell Johnson, MD and Vice Chair Alexandra Noel, PhD.

ATS thanks United Therapeutics and Regeneron Healthcare Solutions for their support of the Women’s Forum.

Zea Borok, MD, ATSF

Stephanie Davis, MD, ATSF

Sonia Buist, MD

Obianuju Ozoh, MD