About Us

ACCP Vision: As the global leader in providing education in cardiopulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine, the ACCP will promote diversity to optimize health, advance patient care, and support research while fostering health equity.

ACCP Mission: To promote the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of chest diseases through education, communication, and research.

Founded in 1935 by Murray Kornfeld, the ACCP has always been in the forefront of cardiopulmonary medicine. In the early years, the main focus of the College was to treat and prevent tuberculosis. As the ACCP membership grew in size and diversity of specialty, the ACCP broadened its focus to include the treatment and prevention of all diseases of the chest. The ACCP was one of the first medical organizations to recognize the dangers of cigarette smoking and was instrumental in helping pass the legislation requiring the printing of the Surgeon General's warning on cigarette packages. Later, the College successfully effected the passage of legislation banning smoking on airplanes.

In the early years, the ACCP began publishing its flagship journal, CHEST, to disseminate knowledge relating to chest diseases. Still published today, CHEST is considered the leading journal in the respiratory field and is an essential resource for specialists in pulmonology, critical care, sleep medicine, thoracic surgery, cardiorespiratory interactions, and related disciplines. It is now available in print, online, and as a downloadable app.

In 1996, the ACCP founded The CHEST Foundation, its philanthropic arm. The CHEST Foundation creates educational programs, supports research, and raises public awareness about diseases of the chest and prevention. By giving life to projects in local communities and across the world, The CHEST Foundation enables the ACCP to realize its vision of being the leading resource for the improvement in cardiopulmonary health and critical care worldwide.

In 2010, The CHEST Foundation created the OneBreath™ campaign as a key strategy to share its breadth of resources with the public and to generate funding to support its mission. The main message of the OneBreath campaign is that living well means breathing well. With a focus on prevention, OneBreath creates an urgency to make the most of each breath when life is good, rather than waiting for disease to strike. Drawing from the professional expertise of the ACCP and its members, OneBreath translates this knowledge into accessible prevention tools, tips, and community-based activities

Presently, the College maintains a close relationship with various government agencies that affect many areas of chest medicine, such as the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the US Food and Drug Administration. The ACCP also maintains contact with members of Congress to discuss topics including smoking cessation and prevention, regulation of tobacco products, federal funding for research, and other proposed health-care reform initiatives.