Overview

The ATS ASPIRE Fellowship is an exciting and novel training program to develop the next generation of pulmonary & sleep physician-scientists and leaders.

The program includes a collaboration between ATS and several outstanding institutions that have strong Pulmonary/Critical Care/Sleep training programs. These include the University of Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh, Harvard University, Case Western Reserve University, and UC San Diego Health System. Eligible fellows do not need to come from a primary ASPIRE institution, but the institution/department needs a T32 grant or RO1 funded faculty, or international equivalent. Note that acceptance to the ATS ASPIRE fellowship is independent of acceptance into the Sleep and Pulmonary Training programs which follow routine fellowship pathways.

Benefits for trainees include:

  • shared resources and collaboration across all six academic medical centers

  • research mentorship by a committee comprised of faculty from various institutions

  • an annual stipend increase

  • the opportunity to visit other training sites

Curriculum:

Fellows will be required to do pulmonary/sleep research. Training would align with the ACGME guidelines, but the order of training and the time slots for clinical sleep training during the research portions of the program would be flexible at each institution

Fellows would complete:

  • 12 months of pulmonary or ORL

  • 6 months of critical care (optional)

  • 1 year of clinical sleep (optional)

  • 1.5 - 2 years of research training

Funding

ATS ASPIRE fellows receive stipends to help support training and research needs and also benefit from shared mentorship from leaders across the US.  The stipend can be used for conferences, courses or research endeavors. A financial report will be required at the end of each year. Funding will be administered by the American Thoracic Society with generous support from premiere sponsors ResMed and Philips Respironics with additional support from Fisher & Paykel.

Diversity and Inclusion

A core value of the ATS is to attain the highest level of respiratory health for all people. Achieving health equality requires placing equal value on all people, as well as implementing and maintaining focused societal efforts to address avoidable inequalities, along with historical and contemporary injustices. Diversity and inclusion are critical to achieving health equality.

American Thoracic Society Diversity and Inclusion Policy