With more than 20,000 members, the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) is one of the major professional organizations for pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine in the United States. The CHEST annual meeting occurred on October 6-9, 2024, in Boston, Mass. At the opening ceremony, several faculty from Yale School of Medicine’s Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine (Yale-PCCSM) were presented with awards and distinctions for their contributions to chest medicine and medical education.
Early Career Clinician Educator Award
Lauren Tobias, MD, assistant professor (pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine), received the Early Career Clinician Educator Award. Tobias was nominated for this award by several of her colleagues and was subsequently chosen by a CHEST selection committee. The award recognizes the achievements of a clinician-educator within 10 years of practice who has made significant contributions to CHEST through educational and leadership activities and has demonstrated commitment to medical education overall through their work or volunteer efforts.
Tobias has been involved with CHEST since 2011, when she attended her first conference as a pulmonary fellow. Since then, she has taken on various leadership positions within the organization, including serving as editor of the “Sleep Strategies” section of a monthly CHEST newsletter and as chair of the Respiratory-Related Sleep Disorders Section of the CHEST Sleep Medicine Network. In the latter role, she has played a large part in selecting sleep medicine content for national meetings and has hosted mentorship and educational sessions for fellows-in-training.
Reflecting on her work with CHEST, Tobias highlighted her and the organization’s shared commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion across all levels, ensuring broad representation across race, gender, institutions, and professional roles. “In every session selection meeting, it’s clear that diversity is at the heart of CHEST’s mission," Tobias remarked. Many of the sessions she has chaired and talks she’s given have focused on minoritized and underserved populations, including racial disparities in the management of obstructive sleep apnea, sleep disorders in women, and sleep disorders in older adults.
Tobias hopes to continue her work with CHEST and the advancement of medical education in the future: "My goal is to stay engaged with this fantastic organization and help broaden public awareness about healthy sleep and sleep disorders."
Distinguished CHEST Educator
Three Yale-PCCSM faculty were named Distinguished CHEST Educators: Sebastian Kurz, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine (pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine); Margaret Pisani, MD, MPH, professor of medicine (pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine); and Lauren Tobias, MD, assistant professor (pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine). Recipients of this distinction are recognized for their achievements and long-term contributions to the design and delivery of CHEST education and represent the top 3% of CHEST’s international faculty.
Kurz joined YSM’s faculty in July 2024 and is currently the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) clinic director and a member of the advanced airways disease program. His clinical focus is complex structural lung disease, inflammatory airway disease, and lung infections. He has experience treating mycobacterial lung infections, such as tuberculosis, and researches novel antibiotic combinations that treat complex and resistant mycobacterial disease.
Pisani is a clinician-investigator passionate about geriatric pulmonary and critical care medicine and treatment outcomes in older patients. She also researches the improvement of care in critically ill patients. Pisani currently serves as the vice chief for faculty mentoring and career development in pulmonary medicine at YSM and works to mentor fellows and junior faculty in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. She has been active in CHEST over the years and has been involved in community outreach programs at national meetings; she currently chairs the Council of Networks and the Women in Chest Medicine interest group.
Tobias is a pulmonary physician specializing in treating 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 also served as course director for the weekly Yale Sleep Seminar series and the sleep medicine elective for residents and fellows. She has also chaired different symposia at Yale on sleep-related topics, such as sleep in hospitalized patients.
New Fellows of the American College of Chest Physicians
Two Yale-PCCSM faculty, Melissa Knauert, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine (pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine), and Denyse Lutchmansingh, MBBS, assistant professor of medicine (pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine), were named fellows of the American College of Chest Physicians. This designation is given to individuals who demonstrate excellence and commitment to leadership in chest medicine.
Knauert treats critically ill patients in the medical intensive care unit at Yale New Haven Hospital and currently serves as the Critical Care Medicine Fellowship program director at YSM. She has particular research interests in sleep deprivation and circadian disruptions in critically ill patients.
Lutchmansingh is a general pulmonologist and currently serves as the associate director at the Winchester Center for Lung Disease at Yale New Haven Health. She works to treat a broad range of conditions, including asthma, COPD/emphysema, interstitial lung disease, and pulmonary complications after COVID-19.
Naftali Kaminski, MD, Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Professor of Medicine (Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine) and chief of the Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, expressed his pride and gratitude for the faculty honored at this year’s CHEST meeting. “We are grateful to CHEST for continuing to honor clinicians, educators, and researchers," he said. "I am very proud that Yale-PCCSM faculty are among those recognized—they definitely deserve the recognition.”
The Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine is one of the eleven sections within Yale School of Medicine’s Department of Internal Medicine. To learn more about Yale-PCCSM, visit PCCSM's website, or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.