May 23, 2023 – M. Patricia Rivera, MD, ATSF, a noted lung cancer researcher and chief, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center, today added president of the American Thoracic Society to her list of accomplishments. The announcement came on the heels of the Plenary Session at the ATS 2023 International Conference. The slate of officers to serve on the Society’s Executive Committee for the 2023-2024 term were approved by the membership. Effective immediately, the full make-up of the Executive Committee will consist of the following:
- Patricia Rivera, MD, ATSF, Incoming President
- Rivera is the C. Jane Davis & C. Robert Davis Distinguished Professor in Pulmonary Medicine, as well as chief, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center. She is also the Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Wilmot Cancer Center, adjunct professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the co-director of the North Carolina Lung Screening Registry. Dr. Rivera originally founded the Multidisciplinary Lung Cancer Screening Program at UNC.
- Irina Petrache, MD, ATSF, President-Elect
- Petrache is a professor of medicine at National Jewish Health, where she has served as the chief of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine since 2015. She also holds an appointment as professor in the Department of Medicine and the Pharmacology Graduate Program, University of Colorado, Denver.
- Gregory P. Downey, MD, ATSF, Immediate Past-President
- Downey is a professor of medicine, pediatrics, and biomedical research at National Jewish Health where he also serves as executive vice president of Academic Affairs, and provost. He is also professor of medicine and immunology and microbiology and associate dean of the School of Medicine, at the University of Colorado in Denver.
- Raed A. Dweik, MD, MBA, ATSF, Secretary
- Dweik currently holds the E. Tom and Erica Meyer Endowed Professorship and serves as chair of the Respiratory Institute (RI) at Cleveland Clinic Health System (CCHS). He will serve as secretary during the 2023-2024 term and as president for 2025-2026. At the ATS, he is a member of the Pulmonary Circulation Assembly, serving on the Finance (2022-curent) and Planning and Evaluation (2022-2023) Committees. Previously, he served on the Education (2010-2015), Ethics and Conflict of Interest (2015-2016), Quality Improvement and Implementation (2016-2017) Committees, and the Document Development and Implementation Committee (2013-2020, chair: 2016-2020).
- Jesse Roman, MD, ATSF, Treasurer
- Roman, elected in 2022, will serve as the ATS Treasurer through 2025. He has been a member of the ATS since 1988, and he is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, having served as a founding leader of the Health Equity Subcommittee within the Health Equity and Diversity Committee. He is currently with Jefferson Health in Philadelphia, PA, where he serves as the Ludwig Kind Professor of Medicine; enterprise division chief, Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine; and director of the Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship Program. Dr. Roman also serves as CEO of the Jane & Leonard Korman Respiratory Institute of Jefferson Health and National Jewish Health.
Karen Collishaw, MPP, CAE, the Society’s Chief Executive Officer, is the sixth member of the Executive Committee.
Each elected member of the Executive Committee, except for the Treasurer, currently serves a four-year term, culminating in their tenure as president in year three of their service. During their fourth year these individuals serve as immediate past-president. In addition to overseeing all aspects of ATS activities, the Executive Committee works collaboratively with the Board of Directors to formulate strategic priorities for the Society. The Executive Committee also represents the Society with peer organizations.
