American Thoracic Society Holds Third Patient Event During International Meeting

Lung Disease Patient, Docs, Speak and Interact

Newswise — The American Thoracic Society (ATS) will hold its fourth annual patient-focused forum “Breathing Better with the ATS,” at the ATS International Conference in New Orleans this coming May. This event is free and open to the public. It organized and hosted by the ATS Public Advisory Roundtable (ATS PAR) and will be held on Saturday, May 15th from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Hilton Riverside Hotel in New Orleans, LA.The Breathing Better forum is open to lung patients and their families and will feature expert speakers as well as a mix-and-mingle reception to give patients and their families a chance to interact with prominent pulmonologists from around the globe. It is also an opportunity for patients to meet other individuals who share their experience with lung disease. This year there will also be a Meet the Expert segment where patients will have an opportunity to discuss the latest in research, clinical trials, and clinical care withexperts on many different lung diseases including: sarcoidosis, sleep apnea, pulmonary fibrosis, Hermansky-Pudlak, Alpha-1, ARDS, LAM and tuberous scleroris.

The topic for this year’s forum is entitled “Breathe Easy in the Big Easy” and the focus of the talks will be on lung and environmental health issues.

What: “Breathing Better with the ATS” (Forum followed by reception with hors d’oeuvres) When: Saturday, May 15, 2010, 11:00 a.m – 12:30 p.m. (Meet the Expert)Saturday, May 15, 2010 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Panelist presentations) Where: Hotel Hilton Riverside, Two Poydras St, New Orleans, LA, 70130 Who: Patients and leading medical experts to speak and mingle:* Featured patient-advocate speaker: Leon Zoller, (sever asthma patient)* Featured medical speakers: William J.Martin II, MD; Ken Paris, MD; Michael Busk, MD; David Schwartz, MD

The ATS annual conference is the premier, international forum for physicians and scientists who work in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine.

About the American Thoracic SocietyThe American Thoracic Society (ATS) is a non-profit, international, professional and scientific society for respiratory, critical care and sleep medicine. The ATS is committed globally to the prevention and treatment of respiratory disease through research, education, patient care and advocacy. The long-range goal of the ATS is to decrease morbidity and mortality from respiratory disorders and life threatening acute illnesses in people of all ages. In keeping with these goals, the American Thoracic Society interacts with both national and international organizations which have similar goals. For more information please visit www.thoracic.org.

About the ATS Public Advisory Roundtable The ATS Public Advisory Roundtable (ATS PAR) was started by ATS as a way to bring the clinical and scientific expertise of its members together with the people who are affected by the diseases they study and to advance the shared educational, research, patient care, and advocacy goals of ATS and PAR. ATS PAR brings the patient’s perspective to the Society and provides the Board of Directors with strategic guidance to keep patients and families as a central focus of all ATS activities and programs. For more information, please contact Courtney L. White at [email protected].