ATS Breathe Easy

 Vaccines are essential to public health, yet the current Department of Health and Human Service leadership has led changes in vaccine recommendations that are not grounded in scientific evidence. Experts Tina Hartert, MD, MPH, Vanderbilt University, and Ryan Maves, MD, Wake Forest University, discuss with host Patti Tripathi the multi-professional society effort to protect and promote a science-b...

Artificial intelligence is at the center of dozens of new tools and technological advances, but how should clinicians and researchers integrate them into their practice and research? The ATS AI Taskforce was formed to help answer this question, explore the latest innovations in the space, and how it fits into the needs of ATS members. Shirin Shafazand, MD, MS, FAASM, ATSF, University of Miami, and...

 April is Sarcoidosis Awareness Month! Host Patti Tripathi speaks with Mary McGowan, president and CEO of the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research, about the importance of continuing research on sarcoidosis, advocacy and policy efforts in the field, and fighting for paid leave for those participating in clinical trials. Learn more about the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research at https://www.stopsar...

  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) changed the dollar value of a statistical life in January 2026, essentially dropping it to zero. What does that mean for the average American? As Anthony Gerber, MD, PhD, University of Kentucky, explains to Air Health Our Health host Erika Moseson, MD, MA, this means the agency will no longer account for the healthcare costs of air pollution and los...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) changed the dollar value of a statistical life in January 2026, essentially dropping it to zero. What does that mean for the average American? As Anthony Gerber, MD, PhD, University of Kentucky, explains to Air Health Our Health host Erika Moseson, MD, MA, this means the agency will no longer account for the healthcare costs of air pollution and lost...

 How can peers help those in their field entering mid-career? Through the sharing of their successes and struggles. This was the solution Joshua Lee Denson, MD, MS, Tulane University, and colleagues came up with when asked for event ideas for the ATS International Conference. The ATS Storytelling Series has been a huge success, giving mid-career professionals a space to highlight wins, discuss iss...

 Immigrants make up a significant portion of the medical and scientific community at all levels, from students all the way to senior faculty. But the Trump administration’s new policies will make it hard for institutions to bring in new international talent and possibly retain the key contributors.  Host Patti Tripathi talks with medical historian Eram Alam, PhD, Harvard University, and ATS Past-P...

This is the second episode of our discussions on the experiences and challenges of transitioning into being a mid-career professional.  For many, mid-career brings a wave of financial and personal pressure, leaving them working out how to handle new milestones and systems while managing their careers. Last Zebra Podcast creator Ugo Ezema, MD, of Tulane University hosts this episode. He speaks with...

Are you looking for ways to grow your career and keep expanding your education as you transition out of your early-career days? Last Zebra Podcast creator Ugo Ezema, MD, of Tulane University, joins as this week’s host. He speaks with fellow Tulane University colleague Joshua Lee Denson, MD, MS, and Kristina Montemayor, MD, MHS, Johns Hopkins University, about opportunities for mid-career growth, i...

Biologics have changed how patients with asthma are able to handle their symptoms and prevent them from getting worse. Host Amy Attaway, MD, Cleveland Clinic, talks with Monica Kraft, MD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and De De Gardner, DrPh, Allergy and Asthma Network and member of PAR about depemokimab, the newest biologic for those with severe asthma. Learn how this novel treatment i...

ATS 2026 is right around the corner! Jennifer L. Taylor, MD, MSCS, ATSF –  ATS International Conference Committee chair, tenured Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics and medical director of Clinical Research Services at National Jewish Health – talks about the amazing keynote speakers for this year’s conference, how to get the most out of the conference’s many offerings, and a little look at how m...

Scientific research grants were abruptly terminated for hundreds of researchers including those in the ATS community in 2025. Many of these resulted in research that had already been done and was in final stages being discarded. Important studies done with community collaboration are at risk. Neeta Thakur, MD, of the University of California San Francisco, was one such researcher. Her EPA grant to...

 Interstitial Lung Abnormality (ILA) and Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) are often detected using CT scans and other imaging. But the definition of ILAs and how abnormalities are found throughout a patient's clinical journey continues to grow and improve. Host Eddie Qian, MD, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, discusses the importance of spotting ILAs and diagnosing ILDs earlier for better pati...

 We all know that sleep is important, but how much can eight hours really do for us? Turns out, a good night’s rest does more than restore our energy; restful sleep helps regulate weight, blood sugar, and even blood pressure. Ding Zou, MD, PhD, and Mio Kobayashi Frisk, MD, of the University of Gothenburg, studied how conditions like sleep apnea and insomnia affect hypertension, with those getting...

Apply to be featured at the 2026 Respiratory Innovation Summit. The deadline to apply is Feb. 13. The Respiratory Innovation Summit (RIS) is an event that unites the innovators, investors, clinicians and advocacy groups who are leading the charge to create powerful new treatments for diseases of the lungs and airways. This meeting historically attracts 400+ global leaders representing all facets o...

Regulation is key to keeping our air clean, which in turn keeps us healthy. But the Trump Administration has been cutting funding and attempting to slash important clean air rules that jeopardize the planet and our health. What do these policy changes mean, and how can organizations help fight back? Part of the answer is going to federal courts. Nicholas Nassikas, MD, Harvard Medical School, and A...

 The "One Big Beautiful Bill" passed as HR1 is projected to dramatically cut Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Host and Air Health Our Health podcast creator Erika Moseson, MD, MA, speaks with Texas-based pediatric pulmonologist Shade Afolabi, MD, about how these potential cuts could lead to devastating consequences, including children being unable to access medical care...

As 2025 comes to a close, the ATS Breathe Easy podcast is highlighting one of our most important episodes of the year on the importance of environmental justice, both for the quality of our air and for the quality of life of future generations.  Erika Moseson, MD, of the Air Health Our Heath podcast hosts this week's episode with guest Daniel Croft, MD, MPH, ATSF. Dr. Croft is associate professor...

 Endotrachael intubation is a highly important critical care procedure, and as such, clinicians are working to improve the procedure to ensure the best patient outcomes. As Stephanie DeMasi, MD, MS, assistant professor of emergency medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, goes through the detailed review she wrote, along with her colleagues, on different evidence-based decisions clinician...

 Lung cancer is commonly associated with smoking. However, among people diagnosed with lung cancer, the proportion who have never smoked has been increasing, and there are many reasons why a person who has never smoked may develop this disease. Lori Sakoda, PhD, MPH, ATSF, a research scientist and epidemiologist at Kaiser Permanente Northern California, explains what factors may come into play, wh...

The lung Composite Allocation Score (CAS) was implemented in 2023, and has shown to increase lung transplant rates and lower waitlist mortality. Host Alice Gallo de Moraes, MD, of the Mayo Clinic, interviews experts Mary Raddawi, MD, of Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and Amy Skiba, of the Lung Transplant Foundation, on the importance of CAS and how it has changed outcomes for lung tran...

 This Giving Tuesday, we have a special episode of the ATS Breathe Easy podcast. Wildfires are a destructive phenomenon that decimates communities, infrastructure, and wildlife. But wildfires and wildfire smoke are also severely damaging to human health, especially for those who have lung disease. Stacie Reveles, of the Cystic Fibrosis Research Institute, talks about her struggles living in wildfi...

 Smoking is the main risk factor for COPD in the United States and many other countries. However, it is important to recall that there are other causes of COPD, from birth experiences to environmental exposures. COPD expert Meilan K. Han MD, MS, University of Michigan Health, discusses non-smoking causes of COPD, what patients can do to manage their symptoms, and how clinicians and communities can...

Exercise is key for managing symptoms for COPD patients. On World COPD Day, host Amy Attaway, MD, Cleveland Clinic, talks to Rachel Evans, MD, University of Leicester, and Russell Winwood, a patient advocate known as the "COPD Athlete", about how exercise can improve patient outcomes. They also discuss the annual Big Baton Pass, an international COPD awareness event, the importance for pulmonary r...

As new studies uncover better treatments and practices, it is important to develop new clinical practice guidelines to ensure patients receive the best care. Julio A. Ramirez, MD, Norton Healthcare and University of Louisville, and co-lead of the guideline panel, dives into the process of creating an update clinical practice guideline for community-acquired pneumonia with host Eddie Qian, MD, Vand...