The American Thoracic Society Public Advisory Roundtable celebrates 25 years in May 2026 with a series of discussions and special events at the ATS 2026 International Conference aimed to bolster its goal of bringing patient perspectives to the Society’s deliberations, policies, and activities.

CEOs and other executive staff from 16 respiratory-related, patient-interest organizations serve on the Public Advisory Roundtable, also known as PAR. They have designed the conference events to share insights from scientific research and the lived experience and expertise of the partner groups and their members. (Some locations are still to be determined.)

Patients & Experts Forum 

During the 2026 conference in Orlando, Fla., the Public Advisory Roundtable will also mark 20 years of hosting a signature conference event, the Patients & Experts Forum.  

Siri Vaeth, MSW, chair of the ATS Public Advisory Roundtable (2025–2027), and executive director of the national nonprofit Cystic Fibrosis Research Institute, said the forum will showcase key goals of the group:

• to facilitate engagement between patients and clinicians
• to provide a patient-focused educational forum accessible to those unable to attend the event in person
• to acknowledge and draw upon the reservoir of professional and organizational expertise that patients and patient groups provide, in addition to their lived experience
• to create an event for young professionals that allows for direct conversations with leading experts within the context of patient-centered health care.

The free event starts at 10 a.m. ET, Saturday, May 16, with the panel session, “Drug Repurposing and Complementary Therapies for Lung Health.”  

Gustavo Matute-Bello, MD, the acting director of the Division of Lung Diseases, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, will begin the session with a presentation on how his organization is applying artificial intelligence to create improved maps and advance the understanding of lung structures. Later, two other experts will join him to discuss drug repurposing and complementary therapies for lung health.  

Steve Park, a patient advocate diagnosed more than 20 years ago with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) and vice-president of the nonprofit PAP Foundation, will present his perspective on the past decades of evolution in diagnosis and treatment of this rare autoimmune disorder. 

A 20-minute, interactive discussion period begins immediately after the presentations. Questions and comments are encouraged from in-person attendees and digital audience members, who can join the forum through a free livestream. 

“We value patient voices, particularly for this forum. And because we know that it is not feasible for many patients to attend the conference, we are providing the live transmission to ensure that as many people as possible can learn from one another and share their experience at this event,” said ATS Manager of Patient Engagement and Public Advisory Roundtable Nusrat Aparna, MPH. 

After the Q&A session, speakers and other experts will continue the discussion at luncheon tables with members of the ATS Student Scholars Program and session attendees. There is no cost to attend the Public Advisory Roundtable, either in person or through digital access, but an RSVP is required by emailing [email protected] or [email protected]. 

“We know patients are also experts, and the magic of this event is that it does not artificially silo our community members into being either a patient or an expert. The forum recognizes that we all have much to learn from one another and our own areas of expertise,” Vaeth said. “Every aspect of that is critical to create the best plan for research, critical care, and a future that keeps patient experience at the center of everything.”

Additional Events at ATS 2026 Orlando 

The Public Advisory Roundtable will also present these events during the conference:

PAR in the Exhibit Hall: The Public Advisory Roundtable hosts a celebratory anniversary booth in the Exhibit Hall to facilitate interactions among patients, clinicians, and industry professionals. PAR also hosts the PAR PATH, staffed by volunteer members from various patient organizations during Exhibit Hall hours, May 17–19, 10:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. ET. 

PAR Abstract Scholarships: With support from ATS assemblies and affiliated organizations, ATS annually funds Abstract Scholarships to individuals based on the quality of abstracts submitted as reviewed by the ATS Assembly Program Committees. On May 17, 6–9 p.m. ET, the Public Advisory Roundtable will recognize the scholarship recipients the organization supported this year via donations from PAR members. 

PAR Symposium: ATS Past President Irene Petrache, MD, ATSF, opens the PAR Symposium, “New Approaches to the Patient with Chronic Cough,” on May 19 at 9:15 a.m. ET. In this symposium, attendees will learn about the diverse causes of a chronic cough, as well as strategies and emerging therapies to address it, from a panel of experts representing clinical, research, and patient experience.  

PAR awards: The Public Advisory Roundtable annually presents two named awards — the John W. Walsh PAR Award for Excellence and the William J. Martin, II Distinguished Achievement Award. This year’s award presentations take place on May 19, at the beginning of the PAR Symposium.

Beyond the Conference 

The Public Advisory Roundtable will commemorate its quarter-century anniversary by working with the editors of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine to contribute material about the anniversary. Volunteers and staff are releasing a series of videos on the ATS YouTube channel about the group’s history and accomplishments.   

The ATS thanks Genentech, Inc., Insmed Incorporated, and United Therapeutics for their generous support of the ATS 2026 Patients & Experts Forum.