These conferences are delivered in August and September and are designed to give the foundation of Pulmonary and Critical Care medicine upon which our fellows will develop deeper understanding during their 3 years of training. They will learn the basics of asthma, COPD, ILD, respiratory failure, sepsis, and the full breadth of Pulmonary and Critical Care medicine.

Every other year, this includes an in-depth physiology series given by Dr. Jim Johnson:

#1 - Introduction, Lung Structure, Gas Behavior

#2 - Pulmonary Mechanics I

#3 - Pulmonary Mechanics II

#4 - Gas Exchange in the Alveolus

#5 - Gas Diffusion into the Blood

#6 - Pulmonary Circulation

#7 - Ventilation-Perfusion Relationships in the Lung

#8 - Gas Transport by Blood

#9 - Control of Ventilation

#10 - Respiratory Physiology: Formulas and Abbreviations

#11 - Respiratory Physiology Problems/Cases

This conference series is held every Thursday at 12 PM. UAB Faculty and visiting professors from institutions across the world present on topics of clinical relevance and cutting edge research. Attendance for this conference is mandatory for Pulmonary Fellows and Faculty. Third-year Fellows, especially those in the Physician Scientist Track, are expected to present their research results in a one-hour session towards the second half of their third year. This conference is CME accredited.

This conference’s main objective is as a forum for dynamic interaction of pulmonologists, thoracic radiologists and lung pathologists. PCCM fellows select recent cases and present those to faculty and other fellows from all three departments in a format that encourages faculty participation and discussion. In these conferences we get an in-depth understanding of the nuances of diagnoses in this our broad field.

These lectures are given by Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine Faculty as well as Faculty from other Departments and Divisions across UAB Medicine. They take a deep dive into the current state of diagnosis, management and investigation in multiple topics that are covered on the ACGME Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Certification Exams, and that are important in the practice of Pulmonary and Critical Care medicine.

Every year, our second- and third-year fellows give a lecture that involves an in-depth exploration of a clinical question. This is often in their area of research investigation and is designed to give our fellows the opportunity to develop and hone an expert lecture with feedback from our faculty that they can use as they move forward in their careers.

Our first year fellows each year present in this conference where they present interesting radiology and ultrasound images from cases they have seen. The other fellows then read the films with guidance from our faculty on recognizing patterns. There is significant discussion on appropriate utilization of imaging, anatomy, and clinical pearls for recognizing pulmonary disease in imaging.

Each of our second- and third-year fellows present their research project, hypothesis, scientific plan and any data collected to our faculty and other fellows. This is designed to be a working conference to give our fellows guidance on research design, data interpretation, trouble-shooting, and future directions.

This conference is presented monthly and designed to update our fellows and faculty on outcomes data from our inpatient services. Unexpected or procedural related complications and deaths are also presented at this conference. Patterns or concerns in patient safety are also discussed.

Under the guidance of an assigned faculty mentor, Pulmonary Fellows present pertinent research articles from the current literature preceded by a brief overview of the field to put the article in perspective. Interaction between presenter and audience (Fellows and faculty) are strongly encouraged. Discussion emphasizes methodological aspects of these papers (design, analysis, interpretation of the data) and implications for clinical care including the practice of cost-effective care.

Fellows assigned to the UAB MICU service are responsible for presenting cases to the faculty and other fellows. The presentation is followed by an open discussion as cases usually represent common or uncommon ICU problems with diagnostic and management dilemmas. Attending physicians from other critical care services (i.e., Neuron ICU, CCU, Trauma/Burn, etc) and partical expertise are periodically invited to contribute to the discussion and education around these cases.

This weekly conference covers all core topics in Interventional Pulmonology, with focus on lung cancer, pleural diseases and complex airway diseases. In addition, interesting case discussions, M&M, and journal club are also done during this conference. This academic year, this conference will be a joint effort between UAB and Vanderbilt IP programs.

Through a multidisciplinary discussion and live review of radiology and pathology images, this weekly conference aims to answer clinical questions regarding diagnosis and management of patients with thoracic malignancies. The tumor board is led by our IP team and attended by thoracic surgeons, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, radiologists and pathologists.  All pulmonary faculty and fellows are welcome to present cases at this conference.

This weekly conference is attended by the pulmonary fellows and faculty from the Interstitial Lung Disease Program (Drs. Joseph Barney, Tracy Luckhardt, Victor Thannickal, Teja Kulkarni, Pilar Acosta), and, thoracic radiologists and pathologists. This is a working conference where cases are presented for diagnostic and management considerations. VATS biopsies and cryobiopsies are reviewed and consensus diagnosis and management decisions are made. Fellows are encouraged to bring their own ILD cases from clinic or inpatient rotations for discussion.