The CHEST 2022 Opening Session will kick off this year’s annual meeting with a familiar mix of award recognitions and speeches. But, expect the unexpected as the celebration gets underway at 3:45 PM Sunday.
Just around the corner might be an uncontrollable burst of laughter, the thrill of a surprise appearance, or a wave of happiness at seeing friends after years apart. Every aspect of the 2-hour event will emphasize renewed joy and connection, starting with the welcome from CHEST 2022 Scientific Program Committee Chair, Subani Chandra, MD, FCCP, to live music by Temecula Road and special videos, all the way through to a highly anticipated keynote address.
“No one’s going to want to miss out on this. We’re going to have a lot of fun in the Opening Session,” said Emily Petraglia, senior manager of volunteer operations at CHEST.
CHEST President, David Schulman, MD, MPH, FCCP, will lead the traditional festivities, which include a convocation honoring the 70 CHEST members from nine countries who obtained the Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians (FCCP) designation in 2022. They will be joined by initiates from 2020 and 2021 who missed out on the in-person pomp and circumstance because of recent virtual meetings. Dr. Schulman will then hand out this year’s Presidential Citation and the six major CHEST Awards before honoring the 2022 Distinguished CHEST Educators.
Later in the program, CHEST Foundation President, Ian T. Nathanson, MD, FCCP, will appear to highlight recent initiatives from CHEST’s philanthropic arm and recognize the latest recipients of Foundation grants. Dr. Schulman will reflect on his personal journey as CHEST President and the college’s successes in 2022 before symbolically passing the mantle of the presidency to Doreen Addrizzo-Harris, MD, FCCP. Dr. Addrizzo-Harris, who will assume the office at the beginning of 2023, will then give insight into goals and objectives for her term.
The Opening Session will conclude with a keynote address by Neil Pasricha, the best-selling author of nine books and journals, including The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation. His presentation on “The Art of Happiness” will keep with the theme of the Opening Session and CHEST 2022 as a whole. After a difficult few years, it’s important for CHEST attendees to rediscover the joy in everyday life, reconnect with others in shared experiences, and invest in positive energy that they can carry forward, Petraglia said.
That message can be put into action at the CHEST All Attendee Opening Reception immediately following the Opening Session, from 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM. CHEST staff will be on hand to guide attendees to the nearby Wildhorse Saloon in downtown Nashville, where attendees can mingle surrounded by good food and good music, including a performance by Sister Hazel.