The ATS Research Program Benefit is an annual fundraising event at the ATS 2025 International Conference. The event is an opportunity to contribute to and celebrate the Research Program’s support of early-career investigators who are dedicated to advancing lung health and improving the lives of patients.
This year’s Benefit will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. PT, Saturday, May 17, at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis. Tickets include a tax-deductible donation to the ATS Research Program and may be purchased on their own or as part of ATS 2025 San Francisco registration. Hors d’oeuvres, beer, and wine will be served at the event, and business attire is recommended.
In its first 20 years, the ATS Research Program has invested approximately $25 million to support 427 research grants led by early-career investigators in the United States and abroad.
“The ATS prioritizes supporting research and future generations of leaders investigating a wide range of respiratory conditions. The ATS Research Program Benefit is a much-anticipated opportunity each year to reconnect with other International Conference attendees and support a critical organizational initiative,” said ATS President Irina Petrache, MD, ATSF.
2025 Research Program Grant Recipients
ATS Diversity Grant
Gonzalo Labarca, MD
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Sleep Apnea Physiological Burdens and Pulmonary Function in the Hispanic/Latino Community
ATS Unrestricted Research Grants
Chaofan Li, PhD
University of Virginia
Molecular Regulation of Respiratory Immune Response Driving Lung Sequelae Post COVID-19
Monica Liu, MD, PhD, MS
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Validating Patient-Derived Organoid Models of Acute Lung Transplant Rejection
Luciana Padua Tavares, PhD
Brigham and Women’s Hospital-Harvard Medical School
15-Lipoxygenase-Expressing Neutrophils Reprogram Macrophages to Promote Resolution Of ARDS
Richard Ramonell, MD
University of Pittsburgh
Pathogenic Potential of CD8+ Effector Memory T Cells Re-Expressing CD45RA in Severe Asthma
B. Shoshana Zha, MD, PhD
The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco
MAC-BeNTM: Macrophage Response in Bronchiectasis and Pulmonary NTM Disease
Partner Grants
Henry Brems, MD, MBE
Johns Hopkins University
ALA/ATS/CHEST Respiratory Health Equity Research Award
Addressing Inequities from Before Medically Advised Discharges after Asthma Exacerbation
Martin Kang, PhD
Medical University of South Carolina
ATS/ALA Commemorative 120th Anniversary Joint Research Award
Redosing AAV Gene Therapy in The Lungs of a Pediatric Mouse Model of Surfactant Protein-B Deficiency
Shah Hussain, PhD
University of Alabama at Birmingham
ATS/Alpha-1 Foundation Young Investigator Grant in Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency
Characterizing RASCs in AAT-Deficient Ferrets: Implications for COPD and Distal Airway Remodeling
Sergio Pereira, PhD
University of Toronto/St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto
ATS/Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Research Grant in Nasal High Flow
Asymmetrical High-Flow Oxygen vs. Noninvasive Ventilation in Acute Hypercapnic Respiratory Failure
Mark Mallozzi, MD, MPH
National Jewish Health
ATS/Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research Grant
Association of PM2.5 Exposure with Sarcoidosis Outcomes at Baseline and Longitudinal Follow-Up
Robert Reklow, PhD
University of British Columbia
ATS/Margaret W. Leigh/PCD Foundation Early Career Investigator Award
AID-PCD: Assessing Immunofluorescence for Diagnosis of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia
Early Career Investigator Award in Pulmonary Vascular Disease
Sponsored by Johnson & Johnson
Gabriel Altit, MD
McGill University Health Centre-Research Institute/Montreal Children’s Hospital
NORDIC-FU: Neonatal Outcomes Related to Early Discovery of Impaired Cardiac Function at Follow-Up
John Park, MD, PhD
The Regents of the University of California, Los Angeles
Emerging Role of LOXL2 in Right Heart Failure Due to Pulmonary Hypertension: Novel Druggable Target
Michael Smith, MD
University of California, San Francisco
Adaptive Right Ventricular Development in Congenital Heart Disease-Pulmonary Hypertension
Bingqiang Wen, PhD
The Regents of the University of Arizona
Identify Mouse Lung Endothelial Cell Specific DNA Regulatory Regions in the Foxf1 Enhancer
“Supporter” tickets are $350 ($200 tax-deductible), while “Founder” ticket packages are $1,000 ($700 tax-deductible) and include two tickets to the benefit, an invitation to the VIP Donor Reception, and access to the Donor Cafe.
Institutional sponsorship packages, which include logo recognition and other benefits, can be purchased through ATS 2025 International Conference registration or by contacting ATS Philanthropy Director, Delia Naughton, LMSW, at [email protected].
The ATS also invites its industry friends to sponsor and attend this important event. For questions, please email Meredith Smalstig, associate director, Sponsorships and Industry Programs, at [email protected].
Purchase tickets and learn about sponsorship opportunities at https://conference.thoracic.org/program/events/research-program-benefit.php.
The ATS thanks Chiesi USA, GSK, Insmed Incorporated, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Genentech, Inc., Sanofi | Regeneron, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and United Therapeutics for their support of the ATS 2025 Research Program Benefit.
A Message from ATS President Irina Petrache, MD, ATSF, on the Importance of Supporting Respiratory Research
Dear ATS 2025 Guest,
I hope this message finds you well. As President of the American Thoracic Society, I write to you with a sense of urgency and resolve.
The future of respiratory research is in peril. New cuts to funding, which have always been scarce, are threatening the vital pipeline of discovery that fuels progress in preventing, diagnosing, and treating pulmonary, critical care, and sleep diseases. Without decisive action, we risk losing a generation of promising scientists and the breakthroughs their work could bring.
The ATS has long been a champion of early-stage investigators and innovative science. The ATS Research Program has launched the careers of hundreds of scientists, many of whom have gone on to secure major NIH funding and lead transformative studies in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. But, with increasing funding gaps and rising costs, we can no longer rely on sources to support junior investigators.
Donations to the ATS Research Program can have an immediate and lasting impact. Your gift goes directly to supporting early-career researchers who will become the future leaders and innovators in respiratory medicine. They are in need of our support, now more than ever.
Together, we can:
- Help preserve and grow the research pipeline
- Empower the next generation of clinician-scientists
- Ensure that life-saving innovations reach the patients who need them most.
If you’ve ever been inspired by a groundbreaking study or seen a patient’s life improved by new therapies, then you’ve seen the power of research in action. Let’s make sure that power endures.
Your support will make a difference – for science, for patients, and for the future of respiratory medicine.
Please consider making a tax-deductible gift today to the ATS Research Program.
Thank you,
Irina Petrache, MD, ATSF
President, American Thoracic Society
Extend Your Learning Beyond San Francisco with ATS 2025 Conference Highlights
With so many valuable educational opportunities offered during the ATS 2025 International Conference, attendees are often forced to decide which sessions to prioritize. That’s why the Society is offering three ATS 2025 Conference Highlights packages for those unable to attend ATS 2025 San Francisco or attendees interested in continuing their education after the conference. Check out the packages and pick the one that’s right for you. Learn at your own pace, whenever and wherever you are!