Ian Nathanson, MD, FCCP

In the year of COVID-19, we saw unprecedented changes in our environment and social interactions. Almost nothing was as it should be—sports championships in a “bubble,” social distancing, limited travel, economic hardships, and, of course, the devastating effects on the health of people all over the world. CHEST did not shy away from the challenges of COVID-19. Instead, we accelerated our focus on education, patient care, research, and advocacy to assist clinicians caring for affected patients. The CHEST Foundation, the philanthropic arm of CHEST, contributed to this effort by funding research and community service grants and distributing over 14,000 pieces of PPE to health workers and the public.

Amid social protests, CHEST issued statements supporting inclusion and diversity and called for improving health care disparities. To better understand how these important issues interact, the CHEST Foundation began conducting listening tours across the country

to learn what is important to patients and what barriers they face. These lessons will influence how the foundation implements its current programs and designs future programs. Over the next few months, the CHEST Foundation will set in motion a course of action to support valuable programs in these areas. We will focus on three main themes.

First, we will utilize the strength of CHEST by inviting fellows to participate in CHEST Foundation activities and serve on our committees. By creating an atmosphere of inclusion and collegiality, we believe that fellows will better understand the CHEST Foundation’s goals and commit themselves to strengthening the foundation for years to come.

Second, we want to establish relationships with organizations outside of CHEST. Although our partnerships with health care industry organizations are strong, we have few robust alliances in the non-endemic space. Corporations espouse wellness, and we have experts all over the world who can address the needs and concerns of these companies. Preliminary exploration tells us that non-endemic corporations have an interest in what we can offer.

Third, we want to grow the corpus of the CHEST Foundation. Dreams without funding become only aspirations, but dreams with funding become reality. Without a solid corpus, we operate on a short-term plan. CHEST has some of the most influential leaders in the fields of pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. Together, we can develop programs that can significantly impact the lives of the people we serve.

The CHEST Foundation looks forward to building on past successes and tackling new challenges. On behalf of CHEST’s Board of Trustees and the gifted staff, I invite you to join us to reach these goals.

In the year of COVID-19, we saw unprecedented changes in our environment and social interactions. Almost nothing was as it should be—sports championships in a “bubble,” social distancing, limited travel, economic hardships, and, of course, the devastating effects on the health of people all over the world. CHEST did not shy away from the challenges of COVID-19. Instead, we accelerated our focus on education, patient care, research, and advocacy to assist clinicians caring for affected patients. The CHEST Foundation, the philanthropic arm of CHEST, contributed to this effort by funding research and community service grants and distributing over 14,000 pieces of PPE to health workers and the public.

Amid social protests, CHEST issued statements supporting inclusion and diversity and called for improving health care disparities. To better understand how these important issues interact, the CHEST Foundation began conducting listening tours across the country

to learn what is important to patients and what barriers they face. These lessons will influence how the foundation implements its current programs and designs future programs. Over the next few months, the CHEST Foundation will set in motion a course of action to support valuable programs in these areas. We will focus on three main themes.

First, we will utilize the strength of CHEST by inviting fellows to participate in CHEST Foundation activities and serve on our committees. By creating an atmosphere of inclusion and collegiality, we believe that fellows will better understand the CHEST Foundation’s goals and commit themselves to strengthening the foundation for years to come.

Second, we want to establish relationships with organizations outside of CHEST. Although our partnerships with health care industry organizations are strong, we have few robust alliances in the non-endemic space. Corporations espouse wellness, and we have experts all over the world who can address the needs and concerns of these companies. Preliminary exploration tells us that non-endemic corporations have an interest in what we can offer.

Third, we want to grow the corpus of the CHEST Foundation. Dreams without funding become only aspirations, but dreams with funding become reality. Without a solid corpus, we operate on a short-term plan. CHEST has some of the most influential leaders in the fields of pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. Together, we can develop programs that can significantly impact the lives of the people we serve.

The CHEST Foundation looks forward to building on past successes and tackling new challenges. On behalf of CHEST’s Board of Trustees and the gifted staff, I invite you to join us to reach these goals.

In the year of COVID-19, we saw unprecedented changes in our environment and social interactions. Almost nothing was as it should be—sports championships in a “bubble,” social distancing, limited travel, economic hardships, and, of course, the devastating effects on the health of people all over the world. CHEST did not shy away from the challenges of COVID-19. Instead, we accelerated our focus on education, patient care, research, and advocacy to assist clinicians caring for affected patients. The CHEST Foundation, the philanthropic arm of CHEST, contributed to this effort by funding research and community service grants and distributing over 14,000 pieces of PPE to health workers and the public.

Amid social protests, CHEST issued statements supporting inclusion and diversity and called for improving health care disparities. To better understand how these important issues interact, the CHEST Foundation began conducting listening tours across the country

to learn what is important to patients and what barriers they face. These lessons will influence how the foundation implements its current programs and designs future programs. Over the next few months, the CHEST Foundation will set in motion a course of action to support valuable programs in these areas. We will focus on three main themes.

First, we will utilize the strength of CHEST by inviting fellows to participate in CHEST Foundation activities and serve on our committees. By creating an atmosphere of inclusion and collegiality, we believe that fellows will better understand the CHEST Foundation’s goals and commit themselves to strengthening the foundation for years to come.

Second, we want to establish relationships with organizations outside of CHEST. Although our partnerships with health care industry organizations are strong, we have few robust alliances in the non-endemic space. Corporations espouse wellness, and we have experts all over the world who can address the needs and concerns of these companies. Preliminary exploration tells us that non-endemic corporations have an interest in what we can offer.

Third, we want to grow the corpus of the CHEST Foundation. Dreams without funding become only aspirations, but dreams with funding become reality. Without a solid corpus, we operate on a short-term plan. CHEST has some of the most influential leaders in the fields of pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. Together, we can develop programs that can significantly impact the lives of the people we serve.

The CHEST Foundation looks forward to building on past successes and tackling new challenges. On behalf of CHEST’s Board of Trustees and the gifted staff, I invite you to join us to reach these goals.