At the ATS 2025 International Conference, community wasn’t just something the ATS talked about – it was something built together with the people of San Francisco. Through intentional outreach, grounded partnerships, and ongoing support for local businesses and organizations, the Society left a lasting impact on its host city and brought its goal of health equity to life.

From a precedent-setting youth engagement event to promoting local businesses, ATS 2025 proved that science and service can – and must – go hand in hand.

Breaking Barriers to the Medical World

Just before the International Conference, the ATS hosted its first-ever community outreach event in partnership with the Homeless Children’s Network (HCN) on Thursday, May 15. Organized by the ATS Diversity, Equity & Community Outreach Team, the event reflected the ATS’s unwavering commitment to giving back to the cities that host the International Conference and creating pathways for future leaders in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine.

Students from HCN’s Jabali Youth Advocacy Program were invited to a warm, welcoming afternoon of educational exploration and mentorship. ATS President Irina Petrache, MD, ATSF (now past president), and members of the Executive Committee joined local physicians – including moderator Aaron Baugh, MD, pulmonary specialist and health equity advocate – to guide a panel discussion and interactive Q & A with students.

Doctors spoke candidly about their educational journeys, overcoming adversity, and finding purpose in their work. Students responded with insightful questions about what it takes to succeed in medicine, how to navigate college, and what keeps clinicians motivated.

Melanin Magnificence at the YMCA

On Saturday, May 17, the ATS partnered with community leaders and healthcare providers to host Melanin Magnificence, a joyful and affirming event at the local YMCA celebrating Black health, wellness, and heritage.

Families enjoyed music, art, food, and free health talks provided by ATS volunteers and local clinicians. The day featured culturally centered health awareness, fitness activities, and creative spaces for children and teens.

The success of the event was rooted in cultural humility, joyful collaboration, and the belief that wellness belongs to everyone.

“The hope is that these opportunities to meet and talk with ATS members allow people to be more comfortable talking with specialists in general and encouraging their family members and friends to being open to meeting with a specialist before an emergency arises,” said Jamil Paden, director, Diversity, Equity, and Community Outreach, ATS.

A Keynote that Calls us to Action

This year’s Fran Comi Keynote Lecture, Providing Health Care for Unhoused Individuals, which took place on Sunday, May 18, featured a panel moderated by Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir, MD, MS, ATSF and featuring Undersecretary at the California Health & Human Services Agency Corrin Buchanan, Vice President of Capital Impact Robynne Rose-Haymer, and Margot Kushel, MD.

“We’re aiming to give people a framework for what’s going on, why so many people are unhoused, and instill the sense of possibility that we can get ourselves out of this crisis,” explained Dr. Kushel, director of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative (BHHI), UCSF Action Research Center for Health Equity, and Keynote Series speaker. “We’re often meeting unhoused patients at the worst time in their lives, but that isn’t their entire trajectory.”

The BHHI’s multidisciplinary team works with community partners to answer questions and develop practical solutions to prevent and end homelessness. The organization produces and disseminates research on the drivers and the consequences of homelessness, which is shared with policymakers and community organizations.

“Health care workers have an enormous say in policy, and I always hope that we will use our voice to make health care better but also use our voice for issues adjacent to health care,” Dr. Kushel said.

The Impact of Air Quality

On Tuesday, May 20, a panel of experts challenged conference attendees to help patients and regional leaders understand the importance of air quality for individual and community health during the keynote “Improving Air Quality and Health: Current Challenges and Opportunities” – which, like Sunday’s keynote, was also programmed by the ATS International Conference Committee.

Moderated by Silpa Krefft, MD, PPH, program committee chair, ATS Assembly on Environmental, Occupational and Population Health (EOPH), the session featured Bonnie Holmes-Gen, senior director for policy and air quality, American Lung Association; Kathleen Navarro DuBose, wellbeing program coordinator, Wildland Firefighter Health; and ATS member Erika Moseson, MD, MA, clinical pulmonologist, Legacy Medical Group, host of the Air Health Our Health podcast and a member of the EOPH Assembly.

“Every time we take a breath of air, we are inhaling everything, all the chemicals and everything that is in that air, and it is going straight to our lungs,” said Dr. Moseson. “As respiratory health professionals, we know that there is only a tiny cell layer separating it from our bloodstream, and that whatever is in our air can circulate around our body, potentially causing illness in every organ system.”

She acknowledged that talking with people about air quality can be difficult because so many individual and community factors contribute to it, but that is also why these conversations are essential.

“Air pollution is pervasive,” added Holmes-Gen, who is also chief, health and exposure assessment branch, research division, California Air Resources Board. She noted scientific studies from across the globe have proven that air quality has a major impact on community health and “confirm the importance of reducing pollution levels” and encouraged California residents to access the numerous online resources for the public and clinicians that her board provides.

Supporting San Francisco’s Diverse Small Business Community

The ATS also made a conscious choice to support San Francisco’s minority-owned and locally rooted small businesses throughout the week. From Chinatown to the Fillmore, the Society encouraged attendees to explore the city’s cultural richness and economic diversity through food, art, and retail experiences that give back to the community.
Through its Support Local campaign, the ATS highlighted dozens of small businesses in ATS Conference News and on-site signage. Local favorites included:

• Kokak Chocolates, founded in 2020, crafts heirloom, single-origin chocolates inspired by Filipino roots and bold, umami flavors in San Francisco’s Castro district.
• Mariposas serves bold and authentic Peruvian cuisine – from grilled anticuchos to lomo saltado – in a stylish, group-friendly setting with dine-in and take-out options.
• Sextant Coffee, with roots in Ethiopia, sources beans through sustainable, direct relationships to deliver exceptional brews from farm to cup at two San Francisco locations.
• Social Cafe brings the flavors and spirit of Cuba to San Francisco with authentic pastries, sandwiches, and café con leche in a warm, community-oriented setting.
• Sohunan, carrying on the legacy of Henry’s Hunan, offers beloved Chinese classics like Kung Pao Chicken and Hunan Dumplings with dine-in and takeout options.

Highlighting these businesses is the Society’s way of honoring the communities that host the International Conference and making sure its presence has a positive, measurable impact.

Rooted in Local Partnership

To make sure its impact in San Francisco was authentic and sustainable, the ATS worked closely with the California Thoracic Society throughout the planning and execution of its community engagement efforts. Their local expertise helped guide its programming, connecting the global organization to trusted, local partners, and ensuring that the relationships that began in at ATS 2025 could be sustained long after the end of the International Conference.

Together, the societies built the foundation for resource sharing and future collaboration that will continue to benefit San Francisco’s communities year-round.

At ATS 2025, the Society proved that community engagement doesn’t have to happen outside the agenda – it is the agenda. From uplifting youth voices and supporting diverse businesses, to taking on providing health care for the unhoused and improving air quality for all, ATS members and conference attendees transformed their values into action.

We didn’t just visit San Francisco. We built something real with the people who live there – and we can’t wait to return.

“It’s not just a one-and-done. We try to make it so that we involve local members because they have opportunities to go back to the groups throughout the year, meaning there is a constant presence in the community from people whose faces are known,” Paden said.

“Next year, when we go to Orlando, our programs won’t be the same. They might be similar, but culturally it will not be the same, so how we approach it will be different – and that’s another reason why we don’t take the lead but work with the community.”

Thank you, San Francisco. Until next time!

Next year, when we go to Orlando, our programs won’t be the same. They might be similar, but culturally it will not be the same, so how we approach it will be different – and that’s another reason why we don’t take the lead but work with the community.