The American Thoracic Society (ATS) has named two Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) clinician-scientists as the first recipients of its new Research Career Development Award, one of six grants established in a newly created ATS Research Program.
As an international professional society devoted to treating, preventing and curing lung disease globally, the ATS established its new Research Program in the fall of 2002 to provide research grants to investigators working to understand and ultimately cure respiratory diseases. By co-funding the research of two VA investigators, the ATS is fulfilling a critical goal of its new Research Program: to achieve maximal progress by working in harmony with other organizations also focusing on the diagnosis, pathogenesis and treatment of lung disease.
The ATS has selected Rabih I. Bechara, M.D., of the Atlanta VA Medical Center (VAMC) and Pierre P. Massion, M.D., of the Nashville VAMC as recipients of its first Research Career Development Awards. These joint ATS/VA awards will provide $20,000 per year for three years to each investigator from the ATS, with the VA providing the salary support.
Bechara, is a staff physician at the Emory VA Medical Center and an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine. His research will focus on the role of the renin-angiotensin system, which helps regulate the heart and blood flow to the lungs. He will explore the system's effect on lung performance in patients who use alcohol.
"I believe this partnership says a lot about previous VA investigators – they helped build a very strong reputation," said Bechara. He added that because many VA researchers are also ATS members, like his mentor David Guidot, M.D., the ATS-VA partnership will be a synergistic success.
Massion is a staff physician at the Nashville VA Medical Center and an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Vanderbilt University. He is interested in developing innovative methods for the early detection of lung cancer. Cigarette smoking is especially prevalent among veterans, putting them at a high risk for lung cancer.
"I'm very proud to be a part of the new ATS Research Program," said Massion. "At a time when one of four people in America smokes, examining the benefits of early lung cancer diagnosis and its effect on saving lives is a very important and exciting area of study. I am grateful for this grant support, which will assist me in continuing this critical research."
The VA's network of medical centers and clinics provides an ideal environment for medical and health care research. VA research projects focus directly on diseases that affect the approximately 3.5 million patients the VA treats each year.
"By creating partnerships with other organizations that already have established research programs, like the VA, the ATS is able to leverage its resources and ultimately increase the amount of lung disease research being completed by physicians and scientists worldwide," said ATS President Thomas R. Martin, M.D. "Our new Research Program and the partnerships it will generate, will enhance the ability of the ATS to carry out its mission to understand and overcome lung disease."
The American Thoracic Society, founded in 1905, is an independently incorporated, international, educational and scientific society which focuses on respiratory and critical care medicine. Today, the Society has approximately 13,500 members, 25 percent of whom are from outside of the U.S. The Society's members help prevent and fight respiratory disease around the globe through research, education, patient care and advocacy. The Society's long-range goal is to reduce morbidity and mortality from respiratory disorders and life-threatening acute illnesses.