ATS Membership Brochure

ENHANCING PUBLIC HEALTH Advocacy is a priority for the ATS, and the Society maintains a Government Relations Office inWashington, D.C. to represent the needs of ATS members and their patients. It advocates on a wide range of issues that impact the fields of pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. PROMOTING GLOBAL HEALTH The Society advocates for the international dissemination of research and the development of related skills in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep to health care professionals working around the world. Related activities include: • The Society is a founding member and a leader in the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), which is comprised of the world’s leading international respiratory societies. The goal of FIRS is to unify and enhance efforts to improve lung health throughout the world. • The Society’s Methods in Epidemiologic, Clinical and Operations Research (MECOR) courses offer physicians working in South America, Asia, and Africa the opportunity to learn about research techniques they can use to study health issues in their own countries. • ATS provides International Trainee Scholarships to support international trainees to attend the International Conference where they will be exposed to the state-of-the-art in basic and clinical research and the practice of pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. In addition to the personal benefits realized by membership in ATS, becoming a member also helps the Society pursue its larger mission through the following activities: Advancing the ATSMission