Incoming ATS president emphasizes team efforts, helping early career medical professionals

Preparing for her 2023-2024 term as American Thoracic Society president, M. Patricia Rivera, MD, ATSF, will continue working closely with the ATS executive committee and board of directors to evolve the organization’s strategic framework.

“My goal is to continue to work collectively with my colleagues to continue developing the pillars of research, education, career enhancement, global initiatives and advocacy to improve patient care under the organization’s strategic framework,” Rivera, C. Jane Davis & C. Robert Davis Distinguished Professor in pulmonary medicine and chief of the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center, told Healio.

Although Rivera will serve as president of the ATS from 2023 to 2024, she said leadership under the organization is a team effort comprised of the executive committee: president, president-elect, secretary, treasurer, immediate past-president, CEO, the board of directors and the staff chiefs of the different sectors of the organization.

“A shared approach to leadership at the executive committee level was done in order to create a more cohesive body of governing where the goal is to promote the strategic framework of the organization, rather than an individual’s view for what the organization should be doing,” Rivera, also co-director of the North Carolina Lung Screening Registry, said.

“Leadership is not something that we do by ourselves, it is something that we do as a team,” she added.

Prior leadership experience

Before being elected to the ATS president position, Rivera held several leadership positions and was a part of professional organizations throughout her career.

One notable position she held was chair of the ATS Thoracic Oncology Assembly, which she credits as a role that prepared her for her larger, upcoming leadership position.

“As chair of the assembly and a board of directors member, I learned a great deal about the organization,” Rivera told Healio.

After almost 30 years of being a member, Rivera was elected to the leadership position.

“I was very fortunate that the membership elected me,” she told Healio. “I have served on the executive committee already for 3 years and spent that time watching, listening and learning from my executive committee members to see what the job entails.”

The international conference

As a longtime member of ATS, Rivera has attended the international conference over the years. With all these past meetings in mind, she told Healio that networking opportunities are one of her favorite parts about the meeting, especially when she connects with individuals just starting their careers.

“It is a great opportunity to network with colleagues and friends but also an opportunity to meet early and mid-career faculty and fellows in training and get them enthusiastic about engaging in ATS,” Rivera said. “For me, being involved in professional organizations, especially ATS, has been incredibly rewarding for my own personal career. It is important to encourage early career members to get involved, and join committees and assemblies because a lot can be gained from that experience.”

As a current leader of the ATS, Rivera wants to help the next generation of respiratory disease caregivers and inspire those with passion, skills and a desire to give back, to look toward leadership.

"It is a big commitment and a lot of work, my leadership positions have always been very rewarding,” she said.

At this year’s meeting, in particular, Rivera is looking forward to a keynote lecture on minority health disparities, noting that it speaks to the advocacy work conducted by the ATS.

“Mitigating health disparities is something that ATS is very passionate about,” she told Healio. “How do we improve access to health care and allow people to get the best, state-of-the-art, guideline-based care not just here but globally? Further, what initiatives do we take to keep this dialogue active and going? ATS has a strong advocacy group, and we are very proud of our work to ensure that we always address these issues.”

Another important topic at this year’s meeting is tobacco control, Rivera told Healio.

“Advocacy on tobacco, electronic cigarettes and menthol have been very important for ATS,” Rivera said. “The organization has been a leader in terms of advocacy pertaining to tobacco products and curtailing the sale of these products to young individuals, particularly underrepresented minorities. ATS is very passionate about efforts to continue our fight against tobacco products to prevent all the diseases that are associated with this exposure.”

ATS 2024

Looking ahead to next year’s conference, where she will hold the president position, Rivera already has a topic in mind for the president’s symposium.

“The conference is multidisciplinary, but I am thinking about having a presidential symposium focusing on all of the advances that have been made in the last 25 years in lung cancer, especially early detection with lung cancer screening, which we as pulmonologists are passionate about,” Rivera told Healio. “There have been major leaps that have changed the landscape of lung cancer care, which is very exciting for me as a pulmonologist specializing in lung cancer. I have been caring for lung cancer patients for more than 27 years, so seeing so much progress and so many more lives being saved is wonderful.”

In addition to highlighting lung cancer at next year’s meeting, Rivera is excited to represent the organization.

“I cherish the honor to represent this organization as president,” she told Healio. “We have worked very hard to shepherd the organization through ups and downs. COVID-19 was very difficult for all professional organizations, but it is important to continue working together as a group of individuals striving for the same framework. I believe that is how the organization will continue to evolve.”

Ultimately, Rivera hopes that she can inspire others through her position and steer hopeful individuals into pursuing leadership opportunities.

“I really want people to be passionate about joining and serving in leadership roles and to get them thinking, ‘Hey, I would be good at this,’ because that is how it was for me,” she said. “You really get to know the organization and all the amazing things that it does when you become more involved.”