The annual ATS Diversity Forum focuses on diversity within the fields of pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine and research. All ATS Members are invited to attend this event to find inspiration and valuable career insights. This year’s speaker is Terri Laguna, MD, MSCS, ATSF. Dr. Laguna is the Division Head of Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine and a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She is also affiliated with the Center for Respiratory Biology and Therapeutics at Seattle Children’s Research Institute. Dr. Laguna is passionate about mentoring and sponsoring the next generation, particularly as a Latinx woman and member of the LGBTQIA+ community in academic medicine. She believes in the power of representation and strives to bring her authentic self to work every day, using her leadership platforms to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

Dr. Laguna's academic journey began with an undergraduate degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of New Mexico, followed by an MD from the University of California, San Francisco. She completed her Pediatric Residency and Chief Residency at the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital, and her Pediatric Pulmonology Fellowship and a master’s degree in Clinical Science at the University of Colorado. Her research focuses on early lung disease in cystic fibrosis (CF), with NIH R01 and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) grants supporting her work on early infections in the CF airway and the role of anaerobic communities in lung disease development.

Recognized five times as an Outstanding Faculty Educator by pediatric residents and a recipient of the Underrepresented Trainee Development Scholarships (UTDS), Dr. Laguna is also a national mentor for the CFF and serves on NIH and CFF grant review study sections. She is deeply involved in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at various levels and has been active in professional societies such as the American Thoracic Society, where she has held leadership roles.

The Underrepresented Trainee Development Scholarships (UTDS), which recognize trainees who are members of underrepresented minority groups will be presented at this forum. UTDS recipients are selected for the quality of the science in their submitted abstract, among other criteria. The 2025 ATS Fellowship in Health Equity and Diversity recipient will also be presented during the forum. These fellowships are designed to support the efforts of senior fellows, post-doctoral Trainees, or junior faculty with research, clinical, educational, and/or policy endeavors to advance health equity for patients with respiratory disease, critical care illness or injury, and sleep disordered breathing. The Diversity Forum is jointly organized and presented by the ATS Health Equity Diversity Committee and Membership Committee. A representative from the ATS Membership committee and ATS Health Equity Diversity Committee’s Vice Chair Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir, MD, MS will host the event. The Underrepresented Trainee Development Scholarships are supported by the American Thoracic Society.

ATS Thanks Johnson & Johnson and Genentech USA for their generous support of the Diversity Forum

Pre-registration and an additional fee are required.
$40 Member/Non-Member