Join the CHEST Foundation at one of its many events designed to educate and promote patients’ lung health during CHEST 2018.
The activities kick off with the Lung Health Experience on Saturday held at the Main Plaza Conservancy. The event offers free spirometry screening for lung disease by respiratory therapists and pulmonologists. Participants can then have their spirometry values interpreted and explained by a physician or clinician. Anyone is welcome to attend the event, and volunteers are encouraged to come help.
“The Lung Health Experience is unique in that it allows us to touch the surrounding community and help educate them about the importance of lung health,” said CHEST Foundation President Lisa K. Moores, MD, FCCP. “It’s always very energetic and fun, and I believe is helping us advance the branding/recognition of the Foundation. The experience is also an opportunity for us to partner with our industry friends and other organizations who are passionate about patient education, a pillar of the Foundation.”
In recent years, the Foundation has put an emphasis on women in pulmonary as a way to combat the gender gap and provide a platform for women to network and support each other in academic and career goals, but also to achieve leadership goals, competitive pay and benefits, and work-life balance. The Women in Pulmonary Luncheon is held on Sunday, with a Women in Pulmonary Reception in the evening.
Monday’s Opening Session/CHEST Foundation Award Convocation will provide attendees with an update on the Foundation’s work over the past year and also will present this year’s award winners. Previous grant awardees will be highlighted during the Breakfast of Champions, which will take place prior to the Opening Session.
Monday evening will include a reception for young professionals hosted by the Foundation. In addition, the Foundation also has provided more than 40 Diversity Travel grants to young clinicians interested in attending the annual meeting who otherwise may not be able to attend. These grants require recipients to attend career and professional development sessions at the annual meeting, including social events to help them expand their professional networks.
“An important piece of that program is that members of the Foundation and College Leadership provide one-on-one mentorship to these young professionals,” Dr. Moores said. “These mentor-mentee relationships are broadly defined, but the idea is that the mentor would help engage their mentee in activities at the annual meeting. For example, have mentee shadow your session at CHEST 2018, share a meal together, attend sessions with one another. We hope this brings them back to the annual meeting for years to come, and that they will become involved in the great work that the Foundation is doing.”
Also on Monday, attendees can pay $20 to wear denim for a Foundation-sponsored “Dollars for Denim Day.” This option was added to the meeting registration page in an effort to bring in significant funds to advance the Foundation’s efforts in patient education and clinical research.
“The simple mission of the Foundation is to champion lung health,” Dr. Moores said. “We do this through three main pillars: clinical research, community service, and patient education. We partner with our members, our patients, patient advocacy groups, our local communities, and industry and nonindustry sponsors to raise awareness about major lung diseases and to educate our patients and others on proper prevention and treatment.”
This summer, the Foundation was approved to participate as a National Organization in the 2018 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). The CFC is the only authorized solicitation of employees in the federal workplace on behalf of charitable organizations.
“This new opportunity to engage and support our mission of clinical research, community service, and patient education is incredibly exciting,” Dr. Moores said. “We will not only be able to show support of the CHEST Foundation through employee giving through the CFC, but also can share the story of the CHEST Foundation with colleagues in the federal workplace, which is not an audience we can typically reach.”
Stop by one of the many open-invitation activities listed to the right—including some Foundation-sponsored scientific sessions—and learn more about how the CHEST Foundation can support you in our efforts to champion lung health through clinical research grants, community service, and patient education.