Applications for the ATS Fellowship in Health Equity & Diversity are now open! This one-year fellowship provides up to $40,000 to support senior fellows, postdocs, or junior faculty advancing health equity in pulmonary, critical care, or sleep medicine. Apply by March 13: site.thoracic.org/clinicians… Check out the Q&A session on the fellowship application on Feb. 16: thoracic.zoom.us/meeting/reg…

“[Tear gas] is an indiscriminate weapon and a respiratory hazard, period,” Anthony Szema, MD, ATSF, chair of the Section on Terrorism and Inhalation Disasters told the New York Times. “If it wafts into an enclosed space, like a car or a housing development where children are, where pregnant women are, where elderly people are, that’s a setup for disaster.” Read more about Portland's lawsuit against ICE for the public health repercussions of their tear gas use: nytimes.com/2026/02/11/clima…

Apply for the ATS 2026 Underrepresented Trainee Development Scholarship! We are looking for inspiring new voices in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. Each awardee will receive a $1,000 travel scholarship, a certificate of achievement, complimentary conference registration, and one year’s ATS membership, along with recognition during the Diversity Forum and opportunities to connect with field leaders. Apply before March 9: site.thoracic.org/conference…

The American Thoracic Society joined numerous other health, community, and environmental groups in condemning the EPA's illegal action, when they failed to meet a Feb. 7 deadline to designate areas in violation of the strengthened 2024 national air quality standard for soot, as required under the Clean Air Act. “As physicians, nurses and respiratory therapists who treat patients with lung disease, we know air pollution kills,” said Dr. Alison Lee, MS, ATSF, chair of the ATS Environmental Health Policy Committee. “The EPA has a duty to protect the American public from the dangers of air pollution by ensuring all communities meet the existing pollution standards.” Read more: earthjustice.org/press/2026/…

What could cause lung cancer in people who have never smoked? As @LoriSakoda, PhD, MPH, ATSF, a research scientist and epidemiologist at @kpnorcal, explains, genetics and environment also play a big part. Listen to Dr. Sakoda and host @PattiTripathi discuss lung cancer in people who haven't smoked on the latest episode of the ATS Breathe Easy podcast. Watch the full episode or tune in wherever you listen to podcasts: youtu.be/hcERhV3fwa0