Growth and Impact

Growth and Impact in 2024

The American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) saw continued growth in 2024, including achieving indexation of the newest additions to the journal CHEST^® portfolio only one year after launch. Practice-defining guidelines were published for central airway obstruction, RBC transfusions, and more. CHEST also expanded its original initiatives, reaching new audiences and digging deeper into our commitment to diversity and inclusion.

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2024 Initiatives

DEIB

Advocacy

Philanthropy

Journal CHEST Portfolio

Expert Guidelines

Improving patient care

First 5 Minutes

The First 5 Minutes^® initiative focuses on building patient trust to improve outcomes through empathetic listening. The original course, Strategies for Building Patient Trust, was launched as an e-learning module in 2023, and the program expanded in 2024 to offer modules for compassionate COPD care.

Also in 2024, CHEST added a module to address racial issues. First 5 Minutes: Cultural Humility is a microlearning series that addresses implicit bias, antiracist communication, and cultural humility. By completing the module, learners will be able to understand and implement cultural humility skills to strengthen patient relationships.

Later in 2024, the First 5 Minutes approach was implemented as a tool for combatting vaccine hesitancy. With resources including a podcast and a webinar, clinicians learn how to foster open and empathetic conversations with patients who are hesitant about vaccines.

Bridging Specialties

2024 was a year of growth for Bridging Specialties^®. First launched to bring together pulmonary and primary care clinicians to shorten the time to diagnosis for interstitial lung disease (ILD), the initiative has expanded to an additional disease state and more planned for the future.

The new Bridging Specialties: Timely Diagnosis and Treatment for COPD program provides resources on how to administer appropriate diagnostic tests, determine the severity of disease, and proceed with next steps in the treatment and management of COPD. These resources include a podcast, e-learning modules, and more.

Coming soon: Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) Disease and Bronchiectasis and Pulmonary Hypertension-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease

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Increasing diversity and belonging

CHEST is committed to creating an inclusive environment where the diverse experiences and perspectives of all staff and members are amplified, affirmed, and valued. 2024 was a year of important growth as CHEST began exemplifying our newly cemented organizational values, including the commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) and the creation of the CHEST Health Equity Task Force.

What do you stand for?

CHEST’s organizational values guided the decisions of the Board of Regents throughout 2024. These are just a few examples of how CHEST demonstrated its values.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CHEST VALUES »

COMMUNITY

CHEST provided a second Community Impact grant to Philip Sheridan, MD, to expand his asthma van program. CHEST first supported Dr. Sheridan’s project with a grant in 2018, and his pediatric asthma van was able to reduce emergency department visits among Chicago youth. With the 2024 grant, he’ll expand the program from pediatric to adult patients.

INCLUSIVITY

CHEST launched the LGBTQ+ at CHEST Interest Group, which celebrates every member for exactly who they are. The goal of the Interest Group is to provide a space where CHEST members can exchange resources, seek support, provide mentorship, gain knowledge, and share perspectives related to LGBTQ+ identity.

Tamer Said Ahmed, MD, FCCP, and Adam Fox, MD, MS

INNOVATION

As part of a quality improvement demonstration project, CHEST awarded grants for biomarker testing in non-small cell lung cancer to Tamer Said Ahmed, MD, FCCP, and Adam Fox, MD, MS. Biomarker testing is the future of diagnostics and has the potential to drastically improve the survival of lung cancer.

ADVOCACY

Stephanie Maximous, MD, joined the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health as the CHEST representative. The consortium steadfastly believes that climate change is one of the most important issues of our time and has major health and health care implications. It brings together like-minded clinicians to advocate for climate health support.

Screenshots from the First 5 Minutes: Compassionate COPD Care modules

INTEGRITY

CHEST responded swiftly to the introduction of the EDUCATE Act in April, which would eliminate federal funding for medical schools and accrediting institutions that embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. CHEST’s response reiterated our firm commitment to health equity and the necessity of DEI efforts in health care research, education, and delivery. Read the full statement.

Actively including DEIB at CHEST 2024

In addition to CHEST’s commitment to ensure all annual meeting sessions are well-represented by a variety of genders, races, etc, DEIB had a presence throughout CHEST 2024 in Boston, including:

A new educational track dedicated to health equity
An educational session on navigating uncertain terrain regarding DEIB and medicine
Daily Friends of Bill W. meetings
A reception celebrating cultures and communities
A luncheon held by the Women in Chest Medicine Interest Group
A luncheon held by the Respiratory Care Interest Group in partnership with The National Board for Respiratory Care
A pronoun workshop with GLMA (Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality) led by the LGBTQ+ at CHEST Interest Group

CHEST staff and volunteers

Fueled by CHEST’s commitment to social responsibility, the annual meeting also placed an intentional focus on meaningful engagement with local communities. The cohort of aptly named CHEST Community Connections consisted of three Boston-based organizations: the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP), the We Got Us grassroots coalition, and a collaboration between the Tufts Community Health Workers Engaging in Integrated Care and Community Action Programs Inter-City.

CHEST volunteers spent the morning of Saturday, October 6, on-site with BHCHP engaging in health information resource distribution and education with BHCHP clients in programs including the HER Saturday Clinic and Medical Respite. BHCHP was also the recipient of the CHEST 2024 mural, which was installed the week following the meeting.

In the local community

Equity and inclusion played a prominent role in the reimagining of CHEST’s philanthropic goals. This transition included an effort to build intentional relationships with social impact organizations local to our Chicagoland headquarters. Throughout 2024, CHEST participated in events such as the Skokie United Juneteenth celebration, the American Lung Association LUNG FORCE Walk (pictured), and the Malcolm X College Respiratory Care Conference.

PHILANTHROPY AT CHEST »

Internal education and representation

CHEST hosted antiracism seminars led by Board of Regents member, Nneka Sederstrom, PhD, FCCP, and her colleague, Talee Vang, PsyD, LP. The seminars focused on tools to recognize racism and microaggressions and ways to be actively antiracist in the workplace and beyond.

Now in its second year, the CHEST staff DEIB Committee worked to plan educational and volunteer opportunities for their colleagues and hosted an ofrenda in recognition and celebration of Día de los Muertos. The 2024 Lunch and Learns covered a variety of topics, from feeding Chicago’s underserved population to celebrating LGBTQ+ pride with trivia.

CHEST also made strides in our commitment to vendor and supplier diversity. Our organizational values of Community, Integrity, Advocacy, Inclusion, and Innovation extend to our economic impact and motivate us to be intentional about how, where, and with whom we invest our resources. In 2024, CHEST conducted a full analysis of our spending and developed a taxonomy to calibrate economic opportunity. The organization also solicited responses to our vendor diversity survey to help learn more about the demographic composition of our current vendors and suppliers.

CHEST staff with staff from Dion’s Chicago Dream

Nneka Sederstrom, PhD, FCCP, Talee Vang, PsyD, LP and Elizabeth Stigler, PhD after the antiracism seminar

The CHEST ofrenda for Día de los Muertos

CHEST staff at a Pride celebration event

Amplifying voices

In recent years, CHEST reaffirmed its commitment as an advocacy voice, informing and shaping policy decisions, legislative action, and more. With a strong focus in 2024 on patient access to care and just rulings for clinicians, CHEST joined the conversations on topics such as:

CHEST also worked closely with sister societies to gain power in advocating for patients’ rights. Together with the American Lung Association, CHEST helped to introduce and continually support the Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform (SOAR) Act. Joining the American Heart Association, CHEST was proud to be part of a full-page advertisement in the Washington Post calling for the ban of flavored and menthol cigarettes. (Pictured to the right)

VISIT OUR ADVOCACY PAGE »

CELEBRATING THE FIGHTER AND THE FIGHT

CHEST Advocates

The all-digital CHEST Advocates publication offers readers the information and insights they need to champion important changes in respiratory health from those who are blazing the trail. Each issue features perspectives of frontline organizations, patients, clinicians, and community leaders, using words, images, and multimedia to tell the story.

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1: ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2: CLINICIAN WELLNESS
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 3: LIFE WITH DISABILITIES

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Making a meaningful difference

Thanks to the generosity of more than 900 donors, CHEST has been able to invest in transformative programs that empower the next generation of leaders in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. From travel grants and educational initiatives to groundbreaking community health projects, philanthropic gifts helped drive innovation, equity, and excellence across the field. These efforts are making tangible differences for clinicians, patients, and communities. Bob Musacchio, PhD, CEO of CHEST, and Bob De Marco, MD, FCCP, Chair of the CHEST Board of Advisors, reflected on CHEST philanthropy in 2024 in an article for the CHEST Physician.

READ THE CHEST PHILANTHROPY IMPACT REPORT 2024 »

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Sharing the latest research

journal CHEST | CHEST Critical Care | CHEST Pulmonary

The highly ranked journal CHEST advances patient care by publishing rigorous research, commentary, and clinical insights. The journal also houses CHEST’s multidisciplinary clinical practice guidelines and consensus statements and, in 2024, added ILD through a grant program administered by the Council of Medical Specialty Societies.

The newest additions to the journal CHEST portfolio, CHEST^® Critical Care and CHEST^® Pulmonary, which published their first research articles in 2023, received approval in 2024 for indexation with the Directory of Open Access Journals.

EXPLORE THE CHEST JOURNAL PORTFOLIO »

9.5
IMPACT
FACTOR

547
PUBLISHED
CONTENT PIECES

13,127
GLOBAL
CIRCULATION*

14,733
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EMAIL RECIPIENTS

156,916
AVERAGE MONTHLY
ONLINE VISITS

*As of October, 2024 and based on flagship CHEST journal.
**Based on a 12-month monthly average (July 2023-June 2024)

Journal multimedia in 2024

Each month, the journal offers an array of complementary multimedia activities to expand the reach of the most interesting, timely, and relevant research, including 37 podcasts and 88 visual abstracts. In 2024, the journal CHEST debuted a new approach to visual abstracts featuring a carousel of images, which has received strong engagement on social media.

3,785
JOURNAL SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS

52,961
CLICKS TO PUBLISHED RESEARCH

4,779,052
SOCIAL IMPRESSIONS

Follow the Journal CHEST on X (formerly Twitter) »

In the media

Through direct outreach and monthly releases to the press, research published in the journal CHEST appeared 176 times in the media in 2024.

Medscape: Vasculopathy Varies in Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Pulmonology Advisor: ETI May Improve Static Lung Volume and Airway Resistance in Cystic Fibrosis

Becker’s Hospital Review: 6 in 10 pulmonologists order biomarker testing for non-small cell lung cancer

VIEW ALL MEDIA PLACEMENTS »

Supporting transparency and inclusiveness in publishing

As open access journals, CHEST Pulmonary and CHEST Critical Care feature content that is freely available online. In 2024, both new journals received approval for indexation with the Directory of Open Access Journals.

CHEST Critical Care

CHEST Critical Care advances the care of patients served by critical care clinicians. Research published in this journal covers topics such as ARDS and acute respiratory failure, end-of-life care, ICU organization, injury, mechanical ventilation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, medical education, post-ICU syndrome, sepsis and infections, and shock.

CHEST CRITICAL CARE IN THE MEDIA | Healio Pulmonology - Q&A: More integration of social determinants of health needed in ICU

76
ARTICLES PUBLISHED

622
SOCIAL POSTS

718,961
SOCIAL IMPRESSIONS

CHEST Pulmonary

CHEST Pulmonary advances the care of patients served by multidisciplinary clinicians across pulmonary and sleep medicine. Research published in this journal covers topics such as asthma, chest infections, COPD, diffuse lung disease, education and clinical practice, pulmonary vascular disease, sleep, and thoracic oncology.

CHEST PULMONARY IN THE MEDIA | Pulmonary Hypertension News - Amount of normal lung volume linked to PH prognosis in study

71
ARTICLES PUBLISHED

540
SOCIAL POSTS

515,047
SOCIAL IMPRESSIONS

Awards and recognition

In 2024, the journal CHEST was recognized at the CHEST Annual Meeting in Boston when Fabien Maldonado, MD, FCCP, received the Alfred Soffer Award for Editorial Excellence. The award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the CHEST journal.

Dr. Maldonado is the incoming Vice-Chair of the Interventional Procedures Section and serves as an associate editor of the Humanities section in the journal CHEST. In February 2025, the journal CHEST will debut a new Humanities podcast hosted by Abhishek Bhardwaj, MD.

Defining and standardizing best care practices

CHEST’s multidisciplinary guidelines help translate quality evidence into applicable recommendations that enrich patient care and improve health outcomes. Clinicians around the world turn to CHEST clinical practice guidelines for the most relevant interventions in chest medicine. In 2024, CHEST added infographic elements to convey key points from each new guideline.

CHEST continued its annual call for guideline topic submissions in 2024, encouraging all members of the chest medicine community to submit their ideas for new clinical practice guidelines, and received more than 70 submissions. Preliminary topic proposal submissions are open now through March 24.

SUBMIT A PROPOSAL »

Published in 2024

LOOKING AHEAD

In 2025, the Guidelines Oversight Committee is anticipating the publication of up to eight new guidelines, with topics including bronchiectasis, non-small cell lung cancer, tobacco cessation, and more.

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Growth and Impact

Growth and Impact in 2024

Improving patient care

First 5 Minutes

Bridging Specialties

Increasing diversity and belonging

What do you stand for?

Actively including DEIB at CHEST 2024

In the local community

Internal education and representation

Amplifying voices

CHEST Advocates

Making a meaningful difference

Sharing the latest research

Journal multimedia in 2024

Top posts

In the media

Supporting transparency and inclusiveness in publishing

CHEST Critical Care

CHEST Pulmonary

Awards and recognition

Defining and standardizing best care practices

Published in 2024