GET TO KNOW YOUR LEADERSHIP
Q&A With Fabien Maldonado, MD, FCCP
Interventional Procedures Section Vice-Chair
CHEST member since 2006
April 1, 2025
Where do you work?
Vanderbilt University.
What are your research interests?
Lung cancer biomarkers and clinical trials.
What led you to join your Network?
CHEST has been instrumental in launching my research career—supporting my first major biomarker project through a CHEST Foundation grant and helping me build a collaborative network of colleagues I’ve worked with for nearly two decades. Serving as a Network member now gives me the opportunity to give back to early career colleagues while continuing to learn from them.
What achievements are you most proud of contributing to within your Network?
We have two projects in early stages of development which are most exciting to me: One project aims to produce short teaching videos for patients undergoing common pulmonary procedures, and the other is a manuscript describing the experience of early career interventional pulmonologists as they enter the workforce. These areas are underexplored and much needed.
How has being in a Network benefited your career and your experience as a CHEST member?
The ability to interact with colleagues at different stages of their careers is invaluable. I became a CHEST member almost 20 years ago, and my Network grew old with me! Through the Network, I have direct and friendly interactions with the new generation of interventional pulmonologists, which is both stimulating and exciting!
What are your hobbies?
I love my job, and I love doing research, so spending free time revising, reviewing, and writing papers and grants is actually enjoyable to me. But just to look a little less nerdy, I love running and playing the guitar. Oh, also, I love Legos and am currently working on a 6,000+ piece Lego set of Hogwarts.
What is something you cannot live without (after family and friends)?
My dog Bentley, though he arguably is part of the family too. I definitely cannot live without chocolate. I tried.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with your Network peers?
Keep getting involved. CHEST is an amazing society. Your society. It needs you as much as you need it!
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