PG1A/PG1B Critical Care Ultrasound and Echocardiography I and II

Session Description: This is a 2-day postgraduate course that consists of didactic lectures and hands-on stations. The focus is primarily bedside transthoracic echocardiography, with some diagnostic ultrasound. The topics include basic and intermediate critical care echocardiography (including hemodynamic measures), assessment of fluid status, procedural guidance for vascular access and thoracentesis, venography. The hands-on stations will include both healthy models and laptops that can demonstrate abnormal pathology.

Target Audience: Providers of critical care or emergency medicine

Learning Objectives:

• apply ultrasound at bedside to assess critically ill patients
• apply ultrasound to guide common ICU procedures
• diagnose alternate etiologies of shock in the critically ill patient

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PG2 Bronch Day 2023: A Comprehensive, Hands-On Guide to Basic Bronchoscopy, EBUS, and Navigational Bronchoscopy

Session Description: This course is designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to diagnostic and therapeutic flexible bronchoscopy. Participants will acquire the knowledge and skills to improve their proficiency in bronchoscopic techniques and be introduced to linear EBUS, radial EBUS and navigational bronchoscopy. A series of lectures will be followed by intensive, hands-on training. Through the use of physical and virtual reality simulators participants will strengthen their procedural skills. This course will be of particular interest to providers seeking to refine their bronchoscopy skills and who wish to review the data behind the various bronchoscopic techniques. Audience response will be used during lectures.

Target Audience: Adult and pediatric pulmonologists and intensivists, thoracic surgeons, physicians in training, allied health professionals:anesthesiologists interested in improving their skills in diagnostic and therapeutic flexible bronchoscopy and EBUS

Learning Objectives:

• diagnose and manage adults and children with benign and malignant respiratory diseases
• improve knowledge of basic flexible bronchoscopy and strengthen procedural skills
• understand the indications for linear and radial endobronchial ultrasound and the skills necessary to perform these

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PG3 Pediatric Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders: State of the Art and Current Best Practices

Session Description: This, first of its kind, course will provide a state of the art practical, evidence-based, and comprehensive approach to the evaluation and management of pediatric sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBD). There will be a mix of interactive didactic sessions (highlighting the intersection of basic science, translational and clinical aspects of pediatric SRBD), panel discussions, and hands-on stations. Small group, case-based, breakout sessions will give participants the opportunity to interact with national and international experts in the field. Hands-on stations will provide learners with a unique “real-time” experience with advanced diagnostic and therapeutic modalities as they relate to pediatric SRBD.

Target Audience: Clinicians including pediatricians, family practitioners, intensivists, pulmonologists, sleep medicine physicians, researchers, allied health professionals, nurses, nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, and trainees (all levels).

Learning Objectives:

• describe the current and emerging understanding of SRBD in children and apply this knowledge to clinical practice and research
• recognize the interplay of pediatric SRBD and chronic pulmonary conditions
• integrate new treatment options into the management of pediatric SRBD to ensure personalized patient-centered care

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PG4 State of the Art Management of Noninvasive Ventilation From Hospital to Ambulatory Care

Session Description: This combined didactic and skills-based course aims to highlight hospital to ambulatory management of complex pulmonary-sleep disorders and chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure syndromes. The skills-based section will focus on state of the art management of noninvasive ventilation including home mechanical ventilation. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn device algorithms, modes, interpretation of device downloads, and apply these skills towards specific disease states to optimize patient care.

Target Audience: Health care providers who care for patients with complex pulmonary-sleep disorders and chronic respiratory failure syndromes including noninvasive ventilation; physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, respiratory therapists, and fellows.

Learning Objectives:

• define new strategies for inpatient to ambulatory evaluation and management of complex inpatient pulmonary-sleep disorders
• define strategies for evaluation and management of common chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure syndromes including neuromuscular disease, COPD, obesity hypoventilation syndrome
• develop expertise on management of noninvasive ventilation including advanced respiratory assist devices and home mechanical ventilators

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PG5 Severe Asthma 2023: Implementing Current Guidelines Into Practice

Session Description: This session will provide a comprehensive, pragmatic overview of the latest guidelines for severe asthma management from GINA, the NAEPP and ATS/ERS, with a particular focus on how they can be incorporated into practice. Course faculty are experts involved the creation of these guidelines. The course will incorporate interactive case-based review and panel discussion.

Target Audience: Pulmonary and allergy physicians, physicians in training, and advanced practice providers who care for patients with asthma.

Learning Objectives:

• discuss how to interpret clinical guidelines recommendations
• identify adults and children with asthma in whom monoclonal anti-IL5 antibody, omalizumab, tiotropium, and macrolides are indicated
• describe a NIH clinical trial testing personalized treatment options for severe asthma

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PG6 Towards Dismantling Structural Injustice in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine - A Primer on Health Equityy Research

Session Description: Structural inequities lead to poor health outcomes for marginalized patients with pulmonary, critical care, and sleep related illnesses. The goal of this postgraduate course is to engage non-equity investigators from all career stages and provide them with a primer on doing health equity research. This session will leverage case studies and facilitated small group exercises to introduce principles of health equity research and allow participants to apply these principles in real time to practice developing their own health equity research proposal.

Target Audience: Clinicians and scientists interested in health equity research and examining the relationship between social determinants of health and outcomes in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine.

Learning Objectives:

• construct a research question grounded in equity theories and frameworks
• propose a research agenda using tailored methods that center marginalized groups
• create a dissemination plan that maximizes reach and policy impact

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PG7 Updates in Lung Transplantation; What Pulmonologists Need to Know

Session Description: This session will provide updates and cover important topics of lung transplant that are highly relevant to ATS attendees. The audience will learn about indications and proper referral, donor selection, operative care and complication as well as immune mediated rejections and long term outcomes of lung transplant.

Target Audience: Providers caring for patients with end-stage lung diseases, that might benefit from lung transplant. Pulmonologists, thoracic surgeons, physical therapists, pharmacists, transplant pulmonologists, surgeons, and trainees interested in lung transplant.

Learning Objectives:

• better understand the indications and proper timing of referral for lung transplantation as well as optimization of patients with end stage lung disease prior to listing
• understand the process of donor selection and optimization, peri-operative care of lung transplant including mechanical ventilation and ECMO support
• recognize various causes of acute and chronic allograft dysfunction and how to utilize the current methods to diagnose and treat them

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PG8 Interstitial Lung Disease: Delivering Optimal , Patient Centered Care

Session Description: This course will provide a practical approach to the diagnosis and management of patients with ILD. It will bring recommendations and guidelines into a usable strategy that will facilitate the care of patients with ILD. This will occur through didactics, simulated MDD, and panel discussions of difficult cases with audience engagment through audience response which will provide a range of learning strategies to help the largest number of learners.

Target Audience: This course should be broadly relevant to those who provide clinical care for patients with ILD. This will include fellows, general pulmonologists, ILD specialists, and advanced care

Learning Objectives:

• be able to apply a consistent, effective strategy to ILD/IPF diagnosis
• understand the range of therapeutics available for ILD and how and when to prescribe them
• be able to integrate a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to ILD patient care

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PG9 Fund Me: Overcoming the Barriers and Challenges to Successful Career Development Awards

Session Description: Writing mentored research awards can be paralyzing and stressful. In this session, participants will learn fundamental skills needed to develop a competitive mentored grant proposal, including how to write compelling specific aims and develop integrated research, mentoring, and training plans that outline a clear trajectory to future awards and independence. Participants will gain an appreciation of the review process through participation in a mock study section and interact throughout the day with a diverse faculty composed of previous awardees, experienced mentors, grant reviewers and program officers from various funding bodies. This session will be broadly applicable to potential applicants with any clinical, basic, translational, or health services research focus.

Target Audience: Early-stage investigators (fellows, junior faculty, advanced practice nurses, PhDs) interested in submitting clinical, translational, health services, or implementation science F, K, or other career development awards.

Learning Objectives:

• compose a competitive mentored grant award application with an emphasis on innovative research and training plans that highlight the candidate’s potential as well as the strength of their mentorship team and institutional environment
• formulate and articulate integrated training, mentoring, and research plans that outline a clear path forward for future independent funding and career development
• gain a better understanding of the grant review process, including resubmission, through participation in a mock study section

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PG10 Quitting is Winning: Tobacco and E-Cigarette Cessation

Session Description: The primary goal of this session is to provide learners with up to date, evidence-based knowledge and skills in the assessment and treatment of nicotine dependence. The course will provide timely information about tobacco products, associated risks, and how this knowledge informs the approach to tobacco cessation. The treatment approach will be individualized and evidence-based, and will span all age groups (adolescent to adult) and practice settings (inpatient and outpatient). Timely updates about regulation/policy, cannabinoid use in e-cigarettes, and EVALI will be shared. Course faculty include multidisciplinary clinical, research, and advocacy experts. Participants will attend breakout sessions to refine new skills.

Target Audience: Clinicians, trainees and multidisciplinary allied health personnel.

Learning Objectives:

• describe the differences between various types of tobacco, nicotine, and vaping products and how this affects risk and nicotine dependence
• appropriately evaluate and treat patients of all ages with nicotine dependence, utilizing both behavioral and pharmacologic interventions based on new guideline recommendations and best practices
• improve the quality of care provided to those with nicotine dependence by understanding how to develop inpatient and outpatient treatment services

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PG11 A Hands-On Introduction to Studying the Lung Microbiome

Session Description: This course provides an up to date and accessible introduction to microbiome analyses for trainees and investigators. The course will introduce methodologies used to study the lung microbiome using culture-independent methods. During the session, participants will learn how to design, execute, analyze and interpret a lung microbiome study. Experiences will include didactic sessions, facilitated small-group discussions on designing and executing lung microbiome studies, and demonstrations on the use of statistical software to analyze microbiome data. Attendees will be provided with a set of microbiome data as well as annotated code for hands-on analysis.

Target Audience: Research scientists interested in designing, performing, and understanding the analysis of lung and airway microbiome samples using sequencing-based techniques.

Learning Objectives:

• apply research design and analytical approaches needed to conduct culture-independent assessment of microbiome communities in respiratory specimens
• integrate microbiome sequencing results with current culture-based models of respiratory infection and re-evaluate disease paradigms and apply this knowledge when designing studies of the lung microbiome
• apply a combination of basic science and multi-dimensional computational approaches for investigating microbial function and mechanisms of disease. Audience will be equipped to prioritize mechanistic approaches to the microbiota

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PG12 Molecular Targeting in COPD - From Basics Through Multi-Omic Integration to Novel Therapeutics

Session Description: COPD is the third leading cause of death worldwide but there are only limited symptomatic therapeutic options available with no causal treatment able to reverse or prevent the progression of COPD, revealing a high unmet medical need for novel therapeutics. To combat this problem a thorough understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind COPD are crucial for the development of new targets. Here we present leading avenues of investigation that will enhance the participants understanding of COPD patho-mechanisms and how the integration of cutting-edge technologies can help in our stride towards finding more efficient therapies.

Target Audience: Basic science researchers looking for novel druggable targets in COPD. Clinicians (clinician scientist) interested in novel approaches to treat COPD.

Learning Objectives:

• understand genetic susceptibililty, disease heterogeneity and pathological mechanisms underlying COPD
• learn about novel molecular pathways currently being targeted for future therapeutics
• learn and understand how to use current technologies to delineate novel targets for drug discovery

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PG13 Huffing and Puffing: Best Practice and State of the Art in CPET and PFT

Session Description: This course will focus on clinical physiology, combining guidelines from the new technical standards published in the past three years and interpretive strategies document published in the last year with interactive experience in small group settings focusing on the performance, interpretation, and reporting of pulmonary function testing (PFT) and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). We will combine didactic lectures with case-based instruction, small group discussion, and live demonstration of cardiopulmonary exercise testing. We will use a multidisciplinary team approach to facilitate case discussions including content experts, clinicians, physiologists, and pulmonary function laboratory medical directors from around the world.

Target Audience: Current and future directors of PFT and CPET labs, attending physicians, respiratory therapists, clinical physiologists, trainees, fellows, and other interested health care providers.

Learning Objectives:

• integrate/incorporate the principles and practice of pulmonary function diagnostic tests
• improve and develop greater confidence interpreting pulmonary function test results in clinical practice
• apply and improve the performance and interpretation of cardiopulmonary exercise testing

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PG14 State of the Art: Lung Cancer in 2023

Session Description: This course will provide a comprehensive review of topics in the evaluation and management of patients with lung cancer. We discuss recent developments in tobacco control, updated guidelines and practical tips for lung cancer screening, and minimally invasive diagnostic approaches for patients with lung nodules. The treatment of early stage, locally advanced and metastatic disease, highlighting novel/minimally invasive approaches as well as the use, and toxicities of immunotherapy will also be covered. Attention will be given to the impact of lung cancer on underrepresented populations as well as the rising incidence of lung cancer in non-smoking females. Interactive tumor boards will be held to highlight these topics and facilitate audience engagement.

Target Audience: All providers caring for patients with lung nodules/lung cancer (pulmonologists, thoracic surgeons, radiation oncologists, NP/PAs).Those interested in the translational research being done in this field.

Learning Objectives:

• understand the racial and gender disparities related to lung cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment
• understand recent developments in lung cancer diagnosis
• understand recent advances in the treatment of lung cancer

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PG15 Teaching Skills for Busy Clinicians: Efficient and Effective Teaching Strategies for Busy Clinicians

Session Description: Teaching is a core component of medical practice, from teaching patients about their medical conditions to helping students and trainees develop their clinical skills. Most physicians, however, have not had formal training on best practices in medical education, and are not aware of evidence-based strategies for teaching medical learners. In this postgraduate course, medical education experts from the American Thoracic Society will review effective and efficient teaching strategies that participants can incorporate into their teaching activities. Through an interactive, hands-on approach participants will learn about and have the opportunity to practice the teaching skills covered in this course.

Target Audience: Physicians, Physicians In-Training, Advanced Practice Providers, Nurses, Pharmacists, Respiratory Therapists, Medical Students, anyone who teaches

Learning Objectives:

• identify and define effective strategies for teaching adult medical learners in different clinical settings
• describe educational strategies for promoting critical thinking, giving feedback, and mentoring effectively
• review and practice strategies to improve your white board teaching and your PowerPoints

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