Newswise — Sept. 7, 2018 – NY, NY – Today, the American Thoracic Society joined U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Todd Young (R-IN) and other senators in calling on the Trump administration to show leadership in global TB elimination efforts. Senators Brown and Young sent a bipartisan letter to President Trump urging the Administration to provide robust commitments, including for TB control and research and development programs, during the United Nations General Assembly’s (UNGA) High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis.

American Thoracic Society Past President Philip Hopewell, MD, said, “The American Thoracic Society (ATS) commends Sens. Brown, Young, Cantwell and Sullivan and the 39 additional senators who signed this important letter for their efforts to ensure strong US leadership and engagement at the upcoming United Nations High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis. We look forward to working with them and USG agencies to secure ambitious political commitments, including funding for TB control programs and research and development to accelerate progress against TB at this historic event.”

The U.N. High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis will take place on Sept. 26, 2018 at the United Nations in New York. ATS President-elect James Beck, MD, and ATS Executive Director Karen Collishaw will attend the meeting.

This UNGA meeting will be the first-ever to address TB, a priority advocacy issue for the ATS, which was founded in 1905 as the American Sanitorium Association.

 

 About the American Thoracic Society

Founded in 1905, the American Thoracic Society is the world's leading medical association dedicated to advancing pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. The Society's 15,000 members prevent and fight respiratory disease around the globe through research, education, patient care and advocacy. The ATS publishes three journals, the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology and the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

The ATS will hold its 2019 International Conference, May 17-22, in Dallas, Texas, where world-renowned experts will share the latest scientific research and clinical advances in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine.