After careful consideration, CHEST has decided to cancel the live, in-person CHEST Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois, this October and replace it with a 100% virtual event. The COVID-19 pandemic has provided the opportunity to look at different approaches for delivering education, and over the past several months, CHEST has done just that.
Due to the pandemic, we moved the CHEST Congress 2020, originally scheduled to take place in Bologna, Italy, to June 2021. On June 30, in partnership with the Italian Delegation, the CHEST Virtual Congress event took place with over 3,200 people registered, spanning over 100 countries. This event featured a robust program that included an international COVID panel, additional educational sessions, over 300 recorded poster presentations, and live, interactive games that kept attendees engaged throughout the day. There was also a surprise welcome message delivered by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. We are excited to use the success of this virtual event as an opportunity to expand our knowledge and expertise, and deliver a fun, memorable CHEST 2020.
This October, CHEST will bring you the premier virtual education event in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine, all from the comfort and safety of your home or institution. This year’s virtual Annual Meeting will include live, interactive education, including panel and case-based discussions, virtual networking opportunities, CHEST GAMES, and the space for you to connect, learn, and recharge with your peers…virtually.
Top faculty from across the field will bring you the latest in clinical developments related to the diagnosis, treatment, and management of pulmonary diseases, critical care complications, and sleep disorders. Nonclinical topics, like cultural diversity and burnout, that feature more prominently than ever in day-to-day practice, will be given equal weight. Sessions like, Being Me: Understanding ‘Otherness’ and Issues of Diversity, will rely on audience interaction to address scenarios involving bias and racism faced by the panel of presenters and members of the audience.
Crucial and quickly evolving information on COVID-19 will be front and center, including complications with COVID-19 recovery, COVID-19 management in complex situations, and additional discussions on updated drug trials, treatment plans, and practice management changes. We will focus on other challenges the pandemic has highlighted, helping educators with sessions such as APCCMPD: Education Lessons During a Pandemic and sharing key reminders to all on the fundamentals of pandemic preparation with When the Theoretical Becomes Real: Lessons from a Pandemic.
It is more important than ever to stay up to date on developments in health and medicine, but CHEST is putting equal weight on ensuring the experience of CHEST 2020 is a respite from the mental and physical exhaustion our community is experiencing during these unprecedented times. As ever, we will ensure you meet your educational needs. But together, we will also focus on supporting you in building resilience and giving you the tools to continue to find joy in medicine, even amidst the chaos of a pandemic. Thank you for your continued trust in CHEST, and we look forward to “seeing” you at CHEST 2020 October 18-21!