| Chair | Richard N. Van Zyl Smit, MBChB, PhD, ATSF | Cape Town, western Cape, South Africa |
| Vice Chair | Mark Cohen-Todd, MD | Guatemala, Guatemala, Guatemala |
| Committee Member | Andrej Michalsen, MD, MPH | Ueberlingen, Germany, Germany |
| Committee Member | Bulent T. Karadag, MD | Istanbul, -- Select --, Türkiye |
| Committee Member | Engi F. Attia, MD, MPH, ATSF | Seattle, WA |
| Committee Member | Fernando L. Holguin, MD | Aurora, CO |
| Committee Member | Joy N. Eze, MBBS, ATSF | Enugu, Enugu, Nigeria |
| Committee Member | Kaharu Sumino, MD, MPH, ATSF | Saint Louis, MO |
| Committee Member | Kevin I. Duan, MD, MS | Vancouver, BC, Canada |
| Committee Member | Kiyoyasu Kurahashi, MD, PhD, ATSF | Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan |
| Committee Member | Laura Nicolaou, PhD | Baltimore, MD |
| Committee Member | Lisa L. Chen, MD | San Francisco, CA |
| Committee Member | Luciano F. Drager, MD | Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil |
| Committee Member | Ozge Yilmaz, MD, ATSF | Manisa, Manisa, Türkiye |
| Committee Member | Sabiha Hussain, MD, MPH | New Brunswick, NJ |
| Committee Member - Immediate Past Chair | Samya Z. Nasr, MD, ATSF | Ann Arbor, MI |
| Committee Member | Satoshi Konno | Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan |
| Committee Member | Trishul Siddharthan, MD, ATSF | Miami, FL |
| Committee Member | Wilfredo De Jesus-Rojas, MD, FAAP, MSc, ATSF | San Juan, PR |
| Committee Member | Yet H. Khor, MBBS, PhD | Heidelberg, VIC, Australia |
| Observer - Senior Advisor | Uma Maheswari Krishnaswamy, DM, MD | Bangalore, Karnataka, India |
| Observer - Senior Advisor | William Checkley, MD, PhD | Baltimore, MD |
| Observer - Senior Advisor | William O. Worodria, MBChB | Kampala, UGANDA, Uganda |
| Staff | Cristina Braz | New York, NY |
| Staff | Jadir Oliveira |
The International Health Committee develops strategies to promote the global mission of the ATS to improve the health of patients worldwide with pulmonary and sleep‐related conditions and critical illnesses. It recommends to the Board policies, guidelines, and programs that promote lung health worldwide as well as enhance care of the critically ill and those with sleep disorders worldwide. The Committee coordinates and facilitates the interactions of the Society with professional organizations based outside of the United States. It also provides oversight for programs and partnerships co‐ sponsored or endorsed by the ATS but initiated or managed by international, governmental, and non‐ governmental organizations and agencies. The Committee also advises the Executive Committee regarding participation of ATS officers in programs sponsored by international organizations and works in collaboration with the Research Advocacy Committee to advocate for international research funding. It will review, revise, and implement an annual plan for the promotion of the Society’s Strategic Directions for Global Health that describes the activities and programs to achieve the aims of the Society in global health.
Benchmarks, 2025-2026:
- Conduct a comprehensive survey to benchmark the proportion of international members across committees and assess representation balance. Additionally, develop metrics to evaluate inclusion and belonging within the International Health Committee. Use the findings to identify gaps and implement strategies to enhance diversity and foster a more inclusive environment for international members.
- Explore opportunities for collaboration between the IHC and other ATS committees, such as SCALe, to combine resources and expertise in support of international health initiatives, including IHC webinars and other educational projects.
- Design and implement comprehensive initiatives to enhance engagement with international members, focusing on diverse strategies such as tailored communication approaches, collaborative networking opportunities, professional development activities, and measurable goals to support inclusion and growth.
- Continue regular meetings of the ATS IHC International Health Forum and identify themes and deliverables for each meeting.
- Continue to evaluate and strengthen existing relationships with peer organizations to create meaningful value for international members.
- Continue to organize and implement the ATS International Scholarship Program and the MECOR Scholarship Program. Additionally, continue to host the International Scholars Poster Colloquium at the ATS International Conference, working closely with the International Conference Committee to ensure alignment with their recommendations.
- Organize the Respiratory Societies of the Americas program, bringing together key organizations such as ATS, CHEST, ALAT, the Brazilian Thoracic Society, and the Canadian Thoracic Society. The program will focus on fostering regional collaboration and will include an in-person meeting during the ATS Conference, followed by the development of a written manuscript summarizing the outcomes and initiatives.
- This committee is responsible for reviewing content it has previously posted to the ATS website to determine if it should be updated and moved to the new site or archived/deleted. Using parameters established by the ATS Digital Content Committee as a guideline, committee members will make necessary modifications to ensure the content is accurate and conforms with established ATS standards.
