A group of people, bound by strong connections but often separated by geography and daily responsibilities… A handful of dates on the calendar, when everyone comes together to share important updates, celebrate accomplishments, and set the stage for things to come. When thinking about the CHEST Annual Meeting and its importance to the pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine community, Scientific Program Committee Member, Mauricio Danckers, MD, FCCP, sees the similarities with other holiday seasons.

“Our families are busy with their regular, day-to-day activities during the year, but then there comes that time when everybody goes back home,” Dr. Danckers said. “I think that is CHEST at the annual meeting—gathering as a family to see how the year has gone and what we are doing next year.”

The extended chest medicine family will reunite from October 6 to 9 in Boston for CHEST 2024, and there will be numerous opportunities for attendees to catch up and collaborate on exciting initiatives through CHEST Networks and Interest Groups.

CHEST Networks

The Networks will be a starting point for anyone looking to engage with seven specific clinical areas—Airways Disorders, Chest Infections and Disaster Response, Critical Care, Diffuse Lung Disease and Lung Transplant, Pulmonary Vascular and Cardiovascular, Sleep Medicine, and Thoracic Oncology and Chest Procedures.

“The Networks are a place where members can find their home base within CHEST,” said Council of Networks Chair, Margaret Pisani, MD, MPH, FCCP. “It’s a place where they can go to meet people who are interested in the same areas of pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine that they are.”

The Network Mixer, on October 7 at 5 pm ET, will serve as a low-pressure opportunity to learn about each Network, meet leaders, and mingle with fellow attendees. Open Forums for each Network will celebrate recent accomplishments, recognize outstanding contributors, and outline future initiatives. Leaders, including junior faculty, from each of the 22 Network Sections—subgroups focused on specialties within the seven broader areas—will also deliver 15-minute presentations at the Experience CHEST area of the Exhibit Hall.

Whether attendees are currently members of a Network or are looking to get involved for the first time, Dr. Pisani encourages everyone to check out the events at the annual meeting. True to their name, the Networks open up new opportunities for leadership, education, and collaboration by connecting members with mentors, mentees, and peers throughout the world.

CHEST Interest Groups

Three Interest Groups will provide additional chances for CHEST 2024 attendees to meet people with shared identities and goals. The Interest Groups are relatively new spaces within the CHEST community that recognize members’ diverse experiences and help nurture a more inclusive environment within the chest medicine field. Leaders from all three groups will be present to share more information at the Cultures and Communities Reception on October 8 at 7 pm, immediately preceding the CHEST Challenge Championship.

The Women in Chest Medicine Interest Group, an evolution of the former Women & Pulmonary Program, aims to support women in the field as they navigate unique factors in their professional and personal lives. The group is involved in advocacy and education about the impact of sex and gender in patient care, and a special luncheon at CHEST 2024 will focus on the role of negotiation skills in career success.

“I think having the opportunity to get together and share common struggles, challenges, and opportunities with each other is valuable,” said Dr. Pisani, who also chairs the Women in Chest Medicine Interest Group Steering Committee.

The Respiratory Care Interest Group, said Steering Committee Chair, Kevin O’Neil, MD, MHA, FCCP, serves to solidify CHEST’s beliefs that respiratory therapists are essential members of the multidisciplinary care team and valued members of CHEST. The group will hold a luncheon during CHEST 2024 focused on the role of respiratory care medical directors in clinical and academic settings, with more initiatives on the horizon.

“Bring your ideas,” Dr. O’Neil said. “We’re definitely looking for things that we can do that would be of value to both the physician and respiratory care communities and would help build those bonds between the two groups.”

The newest Interest Group, LGBTQ+ at CHEST, developed out of conversations at CHEST 2023 in Honolulu that identified a need within CHEST to better support the LGBTQ+ community. The group, which welcomes both those who identify as LGBTQ+ and allies of the community, is focused around three pillars—advancing equitable health care for LGBTQ+ patients through education, empowering CHEST members who are LGBTQ+ in their careers, and contributing to LGBTQ+ health research and other resources. After only a few months, several efforts are already underway, including published research in CHEST journals and collaborations with other professional societies.

At CHEST 2024, the Interest Group will sponsor a session on the care of transgender patients and a workshop on gender-affirming and inclusive language. Dr. Danckers, who chairs the group, said Steering Committee members understand the importance of being the group’s front-facing representatives at the annual meeting and are committed to respecting the confidentiality and privacy of potential group members.

“It’s an opportunity to present the group formally for the first time to everybody and show our visibility,” Dr. Danckers said. “People will know that not only are we part of the community of CHEST physicians, but we’re actively looking to represent them in the best way we can and advance their careers.”

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Community events at CHEST 2024

Network Mixer

Monday, October 7
5 pm – 6 pm ET

The Network Mixer is open to all attendees. Whether you’re a member of a Network or want to learn more about these groups, come to the Network Mixer. This is a great opportunity to network with other attendees and meet Network leaders. There will be hors d’oeuvres, beverages, and a chance to mix and mingle.

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Network Open Forums

Tuesday, October 8
11:15 am – 12:15 pm ET

Each of the seven Networks will have an Open Forum which will highlight accomplishments from their Network and Sections during the past year. This year, each Network will showcase the recipients of the inaugural Rising Star Awards. These awards recognize the contributions of early career clinicians practicing in their respective area under CHEST’s Network structure. Some of the Open Forums will also include a featured speaker.

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Network Presentations at Experience CHEST

Monday, October 7, to Wednesday, October 9
Various times, details to come

Each Network Section will have a 15-minute unopposed presentation in the Exhibit Hall. It’s a great opportunity to hear from up-and-coming leaders of CHEST on hot topics in the chest medicine profession. These presentations are located at Experience CHEST in the Exhibit Hall.

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Women in Chest Medicine Interest Group luncheon

Monday, October 7
12 pm – 1:30 pm ET

The Women in Chest Medicine Interest Group’s annual luncheon is free but requires advance registration (the link to register will open in August). The focus of this year’s luncheon will be on developing your negotiation skills to more effectively achieve success for yourself, your programs, and your colleagues.

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Respiratory Care Interest Group luncheon

Tuesday, October 8
12 pm – 1:30 pm ET

The Respiratory Care Interest Group luncheon is a collaborative venture between the CHEST Respiratory Care Interest Group and the National Board of Respiratory Care. The luncheon is a free event that is open to all meeting attendees. Advance registration is required (the link to register will open in August). The luncheon will focus on exploring the role of the respiratory care medical director from a variety of perspectives, including hospital program directors as well as academic programs.

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LGBTQ+ at CHEST Interest Group workshop

Details to come

The LGBTQ+ at CHEST Interest Group is excited to offer a 60-minute workshop on gender-affirming and inclusive language. Additional info to follow.

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Cultures and Communities Reception

Tuesday, October 8
7 pm – 8 pm ET

The Cultures and Communities Reception is the opportunity for CHEST 2024 attendees to meet the members of the Steering Committees of each Interest Group and learn more about what they do. This is a great opportunity to network with leaders, meet new colleagues, and sign up to be a member of one or more Interest Groups. This reception will immediately precede the CHEST Challenge Championship.