Each year, the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) honors the clinicians, researchers, and educators shaping the future of chest medicine. Among this year’s distinguished honorees are several faculty members from the Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine at Yale School of Medicine (Yale-PCCSM), recognized for their leadership, innovation, and dedication to the field. Their accomplishments will be celebrated on a national stage during the opening ceremony of the 2025 CHEST annual meeting, which takes place from Oct. 19–22 in Chicago, Ill.
Diffuse Lung Disease and Lung Transplant Network Rising Star Award
Fatima Zeba, MD, assistant professor of medicine, will receive the 2025 Network Rising Star Award in the field of diffuse lung disease and lung transplant. Established in 2024, the award recognizes the contributions of an early-career clinician practicing under CHEST’s Network structure. Diffuse Lung Disease and Transplant is the larger umbrella Network that houses the Pulmonary Physiology and Rehabilitation Section, of which Zeba is a part.
According to Zeba, who completed her fellowship in pulmonary disease and critical care medicine in 2023, this field has long been a source of inspiration. “I have been interested in physiology since medical school,” she says. “Members of this section lead pulmonary function and exercise testing labs, as well as pulmonary rehab programs around the country.”
Zeba has been actively involved with CHEST throughout her training and into her current role as an attending physician. She has presented research at multiple annual meetings, served on section steering committees, and contributed to the CHEST Journal and CHEST Physician. She has also developed educational materials and a simulation-based game for trainees at the annual conference.
“I enjoy working on talks and educational content about applied pulmonary physiology with like-minded individuals I have met through this section,” Zeba says.
While Zeba’s current career is focused on the clinical care of her patients, she also volunteers in the areas of trainee education and clinical research. She aims to build on these interests in the years to come.
“Looking ahead, I hope to carve out a career in pulmonary vascular disease and grow as a clinical researcher,” she says.
Distinguished CHEST Educator
Three Yale-PCCSM faculty members were named Distinguished CHEST Educators (DCEs): Sebastian Kurz, MD, PhD, associate professor; Margaret Pisani, MD, MPH, professor of medicine; and Lauren Tobias, MD, associate professor of medicine.
The DCE designation recognizes the top 3% of CHEST’s international faculty for their achievements and sustained contributions to the design and delivery of CHEST education. It is awarded annually based on an individual’s educational activities over the preceding three years and can be earned multiple times. Kurz, Pisani, and Tobias also received this distinction last year.
Kurz serves as clinical director of the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Program at the Yale Center for Asthma and Airway Disease. His clinical work centers on complex structural lung disease, inflammatory airway conditions, and complex pleuropulmonary and airway infections, including tuberculosis and nontuberculous mycobacteria. An active researcher, Kurz is advancing the field through recent studies on novel antibiotic combinations to combat drug-resistant mycobacterial disease.
Pisani is a clinician-investigator whose work centers on geriatric pulmonary and critical care medicine, with a focus on improving outcomes for older patients. She serves as vice chief of faculty mentoring and career development in Yale-PCCSM, guiding fellows and junior faculty as they launch their careers. A long-standing CHEST member, Pisani has contributed to community outreach at national meetings and currently leads the Council of Networks and the Women in Chest Medicine interest group. Her research explores ways to improve care for critically ill patients, with recent studies examining issues such as caregiver burnout and sleep disruptions following critical illness.
Tobias is a pulmonary physician specializing in sleep medicine and sleep disorders. She serves as the medical director for the Sleep Program at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System and the program director for the Sleep Medicine Fellowship at YSM. She has spearheaded initiatives like the Yale Sleep Seminar series. Tobias has been an active CHEST member since 2011, helping shape the organization’s educational mission through roles such as editor of the “Sleep Strategies” newsletter and chair of the Respiratory-Related Sleep Disorders Section of the CHEST Sleep Medicine Network. Passionate about medical education, she has curated national meeting content and fostered mentorship opportunities for fellows-in-training at Yale and nationally through CHEST.
New FCCP Designee
Sritka Thapa, MD, Yale-PCCSM assistant professor, will be named a fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians (FCCP). This designation is given to individuals who demonstrate excellence and commitment to leadership in chest medicine. Thapa has clinical interests in complex sleep disordered breathing, the overlap between sleep and obstructive lung disease, and non-invasive ventilators. She currently serves as the director of Yale-PCCSM’s sleep medicine grand rounds.
Celebrating PCCSM Excellence
Naftali Kaminski, MD, Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Endowed Professor of Medicine and chief of Yale-PCCSM expressed his pride in this year’s honorees.
“Our faculty’s dedication to advancing patient care, education, and research is truly inspiring,” says Kaminski. “It’s especially exciting to see early-career faculty like Dr. Zeba and Dr. Thapa recognized on a national stage alongside such accomplished educators as Drs. Pisani, Tobias, and Kurz. Their achievements reflect the collaborative and forward-thinking spirit of our section.”