Throughout my professional life, the ATS has been a central, foundational anchor in my career. It has supported me as a fellow, providing me with opportunities to present my research, as well as opportunities for my mentees and fellows. As my career developed, I sought to contribute back to the ATS by serving on its Critical Care Programming Committee and Planning Committee, before being chair of the Programming Committee (2017-2018); a role in which I was able to promote diversity among the speakers and facilitators of the Critical Care Programs. This was then followed by my tenure as chair-elect and then chair of the Critical Care Assembly (2021-2023).
Aside from my roles within the ATS, I have other leadership positions and skills that have prepared me to be an effective ATS Secretary. I was on the Executive Committee of the NHLBI PETAL Network, where I have also chaired several committees that designed and implemented trials and provided guidance and support to sites that were running into challenges. In addition, I served as the PETAL Network lead on the executive committee for the NHLBI ACTIV-4 platform trial for hospitalized COVID-19 patients. In these roles, I have worked collaboratively with diverse, multidisciplinary leaders from different trial networks and disciplines to build consensus on trial design, development, and execution. I did this all while motivating my colleagues to take on and enroll COVID-19 trials when they, themselves, were also stressed clinically, personally, and operationally by the pandemic. My experience taught me both the importance of listening to and appreciating different points of view, as well as how to efficiently integrate them into an effective plan based on consensus.
I am also currently the chief of the Division of Pulmonary Division and chief of the Division of Critical Care Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Critical Care Medicine is a critical care organization with its own budget and administrative operation separate from the Department of Medicine and answers directly to the hospital leadership. As such, I have gained insight into the financial and clinical operation of the Department of Medicine and the larger hospital system. Finally, I have collaborated with other professional societies such as SCCM, ISICEM, and ESICM; leading domains for ESICM clinical practice guidelines in ARDS and the Surviving Sepsis Campaign for COVID-19. In this capacity, I have gained skills in clinical, research, and administration leadership, as well as developed collaborative relationships with other professional societies in the U.S. and Europe.
As I look ahead, I think of how the ATS can serve a pulmonary and critical care community that is younger and more diverse than ever before. The ATS has been and will continue to serve as the premier professional society for the most important scientific research in pulmonary and critical care. The support and nurturing of early-career investigators will be key to that. However, I also recognized the opportunity for the ATS to better meet the needs of mid-career professionals. While the ATS has always attracted many early-career members, we lose engagement with some of them as they move further on in their careers. Mid-career is a period of transition in their personal and professional lives. Some are looking for – or being asked to take on – more leadership positions at a time when their families and personal lives are also getting bigger and/or busier. These leadership positions may be in research, clinical operations, administrative, quality, or educational. Others may be considering transitioning from one professional track to another. Some are wondering how to grow beyond their current roles. Growing to support leadership in all aspects of a professional career in the field of pulmonary and critical care medicine is essential to meeting the needs of our diverse community. For those who are in underrepresented groups, this may be an even more challenging time as they are sometimes asked to mentor younger members when they themselves could still benefit from additional mentorship and guidance. Leadership opportunities have always been an important part of the ATS, but these skills are often developed on the job. More formal chances to develop leadership skills in clinical, operational, administrative, and scientific arena could benefit more ATS members in different phases of their career. Broadening these opportunities from the national to regional stage also provides more opportunities for our members to learn from each other and to lead within the Society.
Beyond this, a key element of my leadership style is listening to the diverse voices of those who I work with, looking for consensus, and translating those voices into initiatives that will serve the larger community. One series of voices that I would like to hear more from are those in the mid-career stage of their professional lives, who have unique needs and contributions that could benefit more from the ATS as it continues to grow to support its members.
The ATS has always been more than just my professional Society. It has been an essential part of my professional and vocational identity and I aim to help it continue to support the global community of pulmonary and critical care colleagues throughout their entire career.
What qualifies you to be an ATS officer and what personal leadership qualities would you bring to this role?
I have served as chair on multiple committees within the ATS as well as chair of the Critical Care Assembly, one of the largest assemblies in the Society. As such, I have some understanding of the infrastructure and operation of the ATS. My leadership roles in large national and international research consortia and networks have taught me how to appreciate varied voices and perspectives and learn how to integrate those views into a course of action that represents the larger consensus.
My role as chief of two divisions in a medical system have given me skills in clinical and operational management and in fostering career development for faculty with diverse interests, including clinical excellence, quality, research, education, and administration. My experience in leading the critical care response at the height of the pandemic in one of the most devasted areas of the country gave me experience in responding and leading in a crisis. While it is possible to be paralyzed by divergent views, which is inevitable in a large and diverse community, I am also pragmatic and experienced in the implementation of large efforts with a longer view that balances what is feasible to do in the present with what can be created to allow for future opportunities of growth and innovation. I believe these leadership qualities will help me lead the ATS as it navigates upcoming challenges.
The ATS Executive Committee works collaboratively to direct the ATS. Could you describe how you have worked collaboratively to accomplish leadership?
One of the key tenets in my approach to leadership is recognizing that I do not know everything, and am not the smartest person in the room. This means I appreciate the input and voices of others. This is especially important in a large, diverse organization like the ATS, with its long history. This was important in the large research networks of PETAL and ACTIV-4 during the pandemic, where I learned how to balance decisive decision making with collaborative discussion and consensus-building among experts from different disciplines with various expertise. We were once again under a tight timeline for developing a protocol when I was chair of the NIH APS Consortium, but building consensus was even more crucial there as there was less urgency relative to the pandemic. Having patience for the process while balancing priorities and deadlines and aligning everyone to the same priorities were key to meeting our goals.
What would you identify as strengths of the ATS?
One of the core strengths of the ATS is that it is the preeminent forum for research in pulmonary and critical care. The ATS is where groundbreaking research is presented, but perhaps more importantly it is where research germinates and grows. The ATS is also very strong in promoting early career professionals in pulmonary and critical care. Perhaps the biggest strength to the ATS is the diversity of fields within pulmonary and critical care from adults to pediatrics, basic science to clinical trials, sleep to critical care. The 14 assemblies within the ATS are a key strength that allows its varied members to each find a home within it. Needless to say, management of such an enterprise can easily be chaotic, therefore another major strength of the ATS is its staff – who provide the structure, coordination, and momentum to keep all the parts moving in unison toward strategic goals.
What are the biggest challenges you see for the ATS? How do you envision addressing these challenges?
Ironically some of the Society’s strengths also translate into challenges. Because the ATS is so large and diverse, communication from the ATS to its members can be extremely challenging. Some of the efforts more recently to conduct town halls within assemblies have helped, which can be extended to virtual assembly meetings or town halls between annual International Conferences. Even though there are many resources within the ATS, many of our members do not know of them or how to access them. While the ATS is strong in research, we are also heavily involved in clinical excellence, advocacy, quality, education, and policy. However, many pulmonary and critical care physicians with interests in those areas gravitate to other societies like CHEST or SCCM, as they do not recognize ATS leadership in those particular fields. These two challenges could be addressed with a reorganization and updating of its website. Moving forward, I would like to consider the feasibility and receptivity to virtual or regional meetings that focus on specific themes highlighting some of the less well-recognized efforts of the Society.
What should the ATS do to address the needs of its heterogenous members? Please provide an example of your commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB).
While ATS members have always been diverse in terms of interests and expertise, we are still working on making sure our leadership is similarly diverse. As chief of my divisions, I have actively recruited and promoted underrepresented faculty into leadership positions. In clinical trials networks, I advocated to include Spanish instruments into long-term outcome assessments and consent forms in multiple languages. As chair of the ATS Programming Committee, we reviewed all proposals for representation and helped find qualified female and minority speakers. Similarly, as chair of Critical Care Assembly and the Nominating Committee, I continued to sponsor underrepresented talented ATS members and promoted their opportunities to lead and serve within the ATS. The Society should consider leadership training tracks or apprenticeships designed for underrepresented members at different stages of their careers to provide more formalized sponsorships and training for members who may not have benefited from such opportunities before.
How can the ATS promote engagement and opportunities on an international scale?
With virtual meetings, the ATS has an opportunity to engage with our international colleagues more. For every document, workshop, clinical practice guidelines, there should be representation from Europe and Asia and lower-income countries. When the ATS international meetings are on the west coast, there should be targeted efforts to publicize the conference in Asia and invite our Asian colleagues and similar efforts with Europe when the conference is on the east coast. The ATS can create a travel award to pay for the travel expenditures and attendance fees at the International Conference for low-income countries for each assembly.
What could the ATS do to become nimbler?
Given its size and diversity, the ATS has not been known to be very nimble. Having the different assemblies and sections helps greatly in allowing members to find a home with their interests. Having biannual meetings of the assembly either virtually or regionally would allow for more engagement and the ability to communicate and respond to events or needs as they arise. This could also be used to provide updates and keep ongoing initiatives moving forward.
Could you give an example of a leadership accomplishment that you are particularly proud of?
With less than one year as chief of Critical Care and less than one month as chief of Pulmonary, I was charged with the critical care response to the COVID-19 pandemic at the three main hospitals within Montefiore. Within three weeks, while sick with COVID that I had caught treating patients that first week, I tripled the number of ICU beds and mobilized and organized staffing for them. I built a central command center to provide remote monitoring, tele-ICU support to expanded ICUs, and doubled my rapid response teams to cover emergencies outside of the ICUs while still providing support for and transfers of patients from our affiliates that were overwhelmed. In addition, I also launched several clinical trials on COVID-19. During that time, I learned how to manage limited resources, to organize people, space, and time to prioritize responses, and to respond to changing priorities. I learned how to support my faculty and staff through fear and misinformation and unfortunately, occasional harassment. I learned that communication is key, and it is never enough. However, I am most proud of my faculty and staff in how they responded and how they always advocated for patients during that time. After that initial wave, I am also glad that I was able to help the divisions to continue to grow despite the challenges presented by the pandemic and the debt faced by the hospital.
Looking at the ATS strategic framework (Leading Scientific Discoveries; Advancing Professional Development; Impacting Global Health; Transforming Patient Care; and Strengthening the Community), what areas do you see as your strengths and weaknesses?
Building and aligning community towards a common goal is essential in my role as chief of two divisions in a hospital where resources are limited. I could not have led the critical care response during the COVID-19 pandemic without making sure that everyone feels valued, appreciated, and unified in their goals to help our patients. My research has been continuously funded by the NIH and published in major journals. However, I consider my passion for transforming patient care to be my greatest strength. I believe the best way to transform patient care is with innovative research to generate evidence for better outcomes and effective implementation of evidence-based medicine in our everyday practice. My service on panels for Clinical Practice Guidelines for ATS/CHEST and ESICM is another example of my passion for translating research to transform clinical care. My biggest weakness is in Impacting Global Health, even as I am passionate about health disparities. I am grateful for my many colleagues at the ATS with strengths in Global Health and advocacy, and I plan to lean heavily on them.
How do you envision making time for this new leadership role?
Fortunately, my position as chief requires limited clinical time and includes sufficient administrative and professional development effort that will allow me to invest the time needed for the ATS.
View Dr. Michelle Ng Gong's CV
