American College of Chest Physicians

ABOUT The American College of Chest Physicians is the global leader in advancing best patient outcomes through innovative chest medicine education, clinical research, and team-based care. With more than 19,000 members representing 100+ countries around the world, our mission is to champion the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of chest diseases through education, communication, and research. This includes connecting health-care professionals to the latest clinical research and a wide array of evidence-based guidelines through the CHEST Journal, while also serving as a total education resource for clinicians through year-round meetings, books, mobile apps, and live courses in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. The first medical association with a clinical simulation program accredited by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, the American College of Chest Physicians also provides hands-on training through innovative simulation education. The CHEST Foundation, our philanthropic arm, provides members with grants, patient education tools, and other resources to help their patients live and breathe easier. HISTORY CHEST History In 1935, Murray Kornfeld was a young man recuperating from tuberculosis when he conceived of CHEST’s mission: education, medical and lay, in tuberculosis and diseases of the chest. He envisioned a society of professionals with the knowledge and zeal to teach thoracic medicine to each other and their peers, and to create a journal devoted to diseases of the chest. To achieve that goal, Murray Kornfeld crisscrossed America and the world with his wife, sharing knowledge gleaned from his sanatorium days with thousands, one community at a time, and sold advertising to support his fledgling monthly journal. Today, we are proud that the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) has transformed Murray Kornfeld’s dream into reality, building on his rich legacy of education, while continuing to publish the journal, now simply known as CHEST. First Education Event The first education event for the new society was held August 9 to 10, 1935, in Albuquerque, NM, and attracted 38 registrants. Problems dealing with sanatoriums in the United States were discussed, and the keynote presenter, from London, England, presented the social and economic problems of tuberculosis in the United Kingdom. By 1937, the society had grown to become the American College of Chest Physicians, holding annual meetings as part of its an educational focus, which by 1945 expanded to include postgraduate courses offered throughout the year. CHEST Today From the first meeting in 1935 to today, the CHEST Annual Meeting now attracts about 5,000 chest medicine professionals from around the world for clinical education in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. The event, held each October, offers an innovative and diverse program that leverages state-of-the-art technology, case-based interactive discussions with topic experts, and a variety of hands-on and simulation-based learning activities for the entire chest medicine team. Additional year-round clinical education is offered in a variety of locations worldwide, from live learning sessions at the Innovation, Simulation, and Training Center located at CHEST Global Headquarters in Glenview, IL, to CHEST World Congress events held in locations like Madrid, Spain, and Shanghai, China. Meanwhile, the journal CHEST continues to grow in prestige, with an Impact Factor that ranks second among journals in Critical Care Medicine and third among Respiratory Systems journals. With more than 20,000 subscribers and 300,000-plus monthly online views, CHEST has an international reach, including editions published in regions ranging from Italy to China.