At CHEST 2025, October 19 to 22 in Chicago, you’ll have your choice of 300+ educational sessions covering every aspect of clinical chest medicine. Learn more.
From October 19 to 22, pulmonary and critical care clinicians and researchers will gather in Chicago for CHEST 2025, an immersive experience featuring cutting-edge educational sessions focused on interstitial lung disease (ILD) and lung transplant.
“Chicago is not only a beautiful city but also home to institutions that have made major contributions to interstitial lung disease,” said Said Chaaban, MD, FCCP, who leads the CHEST 2025 Interstitial Lung Disease and Transplant Curriculum Group. “We’ve curated sessions specifically designed for trainees, community and academic physicians, and advanced practice providers.”
Said Chaaban, MD, FCCP
Said Chaaban, MD, FCCP
Sarcoidosis takes center stage in this year’s programming, with offerings ranging from introductory overviews to high-level debates. One highlight, Sarcoidosis Management: A Case-Based Approach From Diagnosis to Transplant, will walk attendees through critical decision points, backed by the latest evidence-based guidelines. Another session, Pulmonary Sarcoidosis: What Is the Gold Standard in Treatment Outcomes?, will explore emerging metrics such as biomarkers, lung function tests, imaging, and patient-reported outcomes to guide treatment goals.
“Transplant sessions will address both controversies and opportunities,” said Dr. Chaaban. Among them, the panel Pardon the Disruption: Lung Transplant promises a dynamic debate on 12 to 15 hot-button topics. Experts will weigh in on donor lung allocation, perioperative technologies like extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and ex vivo lung perfusion, and even the future of xenotransplantation.
As lung transplant access and patient survival continue to improve, the session The Pulmonologist's Role in Lung Transplant: Referral, Optimization, and Posttransplant Care aims to empower referring clinicians. “This session covers transplant from A to Z,” said Dr. Chaaban. “It's designed to help community pulmonologists understand how to prepare patients for referral and manage their care after transplant—real-world, full-spectrum guidance.”
Several sessions will tackle timely topics at the intersection of science and clinical practice. “We’ll cover the role of telomeres in ILD, the importance of frailty in transplant candidate assessment, and how ECMO can serve as a bridge from the ICU to transplant,” Dr. Chaaban noted. “Very exciting developments in each of these areas.”
Environmental impacts on pulmonary health will also be a focus. The session Climate Change and the Rising Burden of Pulmonary Disease will examine how global environmental shifts are changing disease patterns. Climate and Clean Air Action Local Approaches: From Schools to Statehouses and Indoor Air Quality: Heating, Cooking, Homes, and Health will offer practical tools for clinicians to advocate for clean air and counsel patients on healthy indoor environments.
The curriculum also features insights into lung toxicity from chemotherapeutic agents, with discussions on how these therapies affect lung parenchyma and the pleura.
Advanced practice providers are not just welcome—they're essential to CHEST 2025. “We deeply value our advanced practitioners and have incorporated their input into our sessions,” said Dr. Chaaban. “We want them to attend, participate, and help shape the future of patient care.”
But the value of attending CHEST 2025 extends beyond the academic enrichment.
“In the past, I was more of a nerd—I just went to the sessions,” Dr. Chaaban joked. “But I’ve come to see CHEST as a place to meet, connect, and grow. The Opening Ceremony is a must—with inspiring speakers and insights from CHEST leadership.”
Dr. Chaaban also encourages program directors and trainees to attend the Trainee Mixer, a key venue for mentorship and career development. And no CHEST experience is complete without CHEST Challenge—the popular trivia showdown. “I try to answer the questions in my head,” he said with a smile, “but the fellows always outperform me.”
“I’ve never felt like a stranger at the CHEST Annual Meeting,” Dr. Chaaban reflected. “The organization has always welcomed me with mentorship and support. It feels like home.”