The American Thoracic Society is one of seven health specialty societies to be awarded a grant from the Council of Medical Specialty Societies and the CDC to increase national COVID-19, influenza, and routine vaccination rates among high-risk adult patients. As part of this initiative, the ATS is partnering with and funding eight health care systems to test and implement strategies to improve vaccine uptake by utilizing a quality improvement approach.

The ATS 2025 International Conference will feature numerous educational opportunities that examine and expound upon strategies to improve patient health through increasing vaccine adoption rates.

From 9:15 – 10:45 a.m. PT on Sunday, May 18, the scientific symposium, “Implementing Preventative and Behavioral Health Interventions in Pulmonary Medicine” will discuss the role of the interprofessional pulmonary specialty team in providing evidence-based behavioral interventions that can be integrated into pulmonary specialty care to improve patient-centered outcomes for patients with lung disease. One of the presentations during this symposium will delve into increasing vaccination rates among patients with lung disease.

“Vaccines in the Crosshairs: Facing Contemporary Challenges in Immunization Science” is another symposium that will be hosted from 9:15 – 10:45 a.m. on Sunday. Presenters will speak to the challenges of strengthening the impact of immunization science in an era where vaccine skepticism is a crucial barrier that must be overcome.

The mid-day symposium, “How do Short-lived Lung Infections Lead to Long-lasting Lung Damage and Chronic Diseases?” from noon – 1 p.m. on Monday, May 19, will explore the potential long-term consequences of short-lived viral lung infections, including respiratory syncytial virus, influenza, and SARS-CoV-2 infections. Experts from multiple disciplines, including basic science, prevention, public health, and clinical pulmonology, will discuss the underlying mechanisms implicated in these illnesses and the clinical implications of prevention on lung health. One of the primary topics of this session is to analyze what the literature can (and can’t) tell health specialists about the potential of vaccines to prevent long-term respiratory morbidity.

The final vaccine-related symposium of the International Conference, “Long-term Consequences of Respiratory Viral Infections and Chronic Pulmonary Diseases: Long-COVID, Asthma, ILD, and Lung Transplant” from 8:15 – 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday, May 21, will focus on the long-term sequelae of viral respiratory infections by reviewing the literature and gaps in current knowledge, as well as the impact of infection prevention on these outcomes. The session will utilize current evidence to examine whether the respiratory syncytial virus vaccine could be used to prevent asthma.

ATS 2025 San Francisco will also feature the following vaccine-related poster sessions:

Sunday, May 18

A35. Thematic Poster Session. VACCINATIONS, COVID AND OTHER TOPICS IN RESPIRATORY INFECTIOUS DISEASE
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. 

Engaging with Patients Who are Vaccine-hesitant with the HEAR Technique

Author: George Su, MD

Assessing Concordance Between a Large Health System Electronic Health Record and State Immunization Information System for Respiratory Vaccines: A 2-year Study

Author: Saedie Hawbaker, MPH

Poor Asthma Control Correlates with Lower Rates of Influenza and COVID-19 Vaccination in Adults with Asthma

Author: Mark Sippel, BS

Rooting Out Barriers to Vaccination in a Safety-net Hospital Pulmonary Clinic – A Summary of Mini Focus Group Findings

Author: Divya Verma, MD

An Immunization Preventative Initiative in Our Underserved Population

Author: Eman El Sawalhy, MBBCH

The Design of a Vaccine Probe Study to Demonstrate the Causality and Contribution of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Lower Respiratory Tract Infection on Recurrent Wheezing Illness and Asthma in Children

Author: Allison Larocco, MD

Factors Influencing Patients’ Receptivity to Influenza, Pneumonia, and COVID-19 Vaccinations at a Specialty Pulmonary Clinic Serving Rural Appalachians

Author: Nawaf Al-Saeed, MBBS

Tuesday, May 20

C22. Poster Discussion Session. BIG DATA AND TECHNOLOGY IN RESPIRATORY MEDICINE   
Time: 9:15 – 11:15 a.m.

Addition of a Vaccine Reminder in Note Template Improves Immunization Rates in a Pulmonary Clinic

Author: Michael Root, MD, MBA

C101. Poster Discussion Session. ASTHMA AND COPD EPIDEMIOLOGY, MANAGEMENT AND POLICY
Time: 2:15 – 4:15 p.m.

Higher Environmental Injustice Correlates with Worse Asthma Control Test Scores in Adults with Asthma

Author: Mark Sippel, BS

Wednesday, May 21

D22. Poster Discussion Session. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANT RESEARCH IN COVID, INFECTIOUS DISEASE, LUNG CANCER SCREENING, AND OTHER AREAS
Time: 8:15 – 10:15 a.m.

Thematic Analysis of Clinician Experiences in Vaccine Services Delivery

Author: Fernando Picazo, MD

To learn more about the ATS Vaccine Initiative, contact Amy F. Stern, managing director of evidence dissemination & intervention, at [email protected].