ATS Breathe Easy

 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a group of lung diseases that cause airflow obstruction and other respiratory problems. There are various options for treating COPD, including the highly effective controller medication that helps improve a patient's lung function in the long-term. But as Antonio R. Anzueto, MD, professor of pulmonary and critical care at the University of Texas Health, San Antonio, explains, it is not easy for patients to use these medications. Listen as Dr. Anzueto and host Amy Attaway, MD, Cleveland Clinic, discuss the effectiveness of different COPD treatments, how COPD can affect other organs, and how AI might play into diagnosing COPD as technology advances. Support for this podcast is brought to you by Viatris and Theravance BioPharma. 

Vaping and e-cigarettes are often incorrectly thought of as thought of as safe, but research has proven this to be untrue. They are particularly unsafe for the developing brain of children and adolescents. Laura Crotty Alexander, MD, from the University of California, San Diego, explains to host Erika Moseson, MD, MA, that not only does vaping often lead to users moving on to traditional tobacco products, but it also has a major impact on mental health and mood that could be deadly. Check out the ATS Clinical Practice Guideline on treating smoking in adolescents: https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/full/10.1164/rccm.202507-1577ST 

Learning how to perform procedures on patients is an important part of medical training, but how do programs decide what to teach? And how do they integrate the latest technology? Host Eddie Qian, MD, from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, talks to Meredith Pugh, MD, MSCI, and Kaele Leonard, MD, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Together, they discuss how they think about working with trainees and fellows when it comes to teaching important procedures. 

On this episode of the ATS Breathe Easy podcast, host Amy Attaway, MD, of Cleveland Clinic, continues her discussion with asthma expert Njira Lugogo, MD, of University of Michigan. They talk about collaborations in the pulmonary field, the importance of clinical trials, and career advice for those looking to join the field of pulmonology. In case you missed it, check out part one here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ubMlFuqsVI 

Federal cuts to the the NIH and other key research organizations have left both researchers and patients paying the price. Erika Moseson, MD, of the Air Health Our Heath podcast, talks with Mary Rice, MD, MPH, of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, about how these cuts have not only hurt her research on helping patients with respiratory illnesses, but the larger impact they have on science now and for future generations. Read the article in STAT News about Dr. Rice's study: https://www.statnews.com/2025/08/08/trump-cuts-include-cost-saving-research/ 

In light of the news of Paul Offit, MD, being fired from the FDA’s advisory committee on vaccines by Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr., as well as Florida’s decision to end school vaccine mandates, we are re-releasing this vital episode on the importance of vaccines.On this episode of ATS Breathe Easy, host Patti Tripathi welcomes two leading experts to discuss the critical role of vaccines in protecting children and high-risk populations. Dr. Offit, renowned scientist and vaccine advocate, and Tina Hartert, MD, MPH, professor of medicine and director of the Center for Asthma Research, provide an in-depth look at vaccine policies, hesitancy, and the consequences of declining immunization rates, including a measles outbreak.Check out the ATS Vaccine Resource Center for more information: https://site.thoracic.org/clinicians-researchers/vaccine-resource-center

 On this week's episode of the ATS Breathe Easy podcast, host Amy Attaway, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic, talks with Reynold Panettieri, MD, from Rutgers University on the BATURA trial, an at-home trial for those with moderate-to-severe asthma which ended early due to its highly successful results. Asthma patient Heather also talks about how the medication tested in the study, known as AIRSUPRA, has helped her manage her asthma better than ever before. The BATURA Trial: https://www.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1056/NEJMoa2504544 

As anti-inflammatory rescue therapies begin making their way to patients with asthma, new questions about implementation of this life-saving therapy are emerging, prompting more exciting research from scientists and clinicians. In the first part of this mini-series on anti-inflammatory rescue therapies, host Amy Attaway, MD, of Cleveland Clinic, discusses these questions and more with asthma expert Njira Lugogo, MD, of University of Michigan. This episode of the ATS Breathe Easy podcast is supported in part by AstraZeneca. 

Artificial intelligence is a tool that clinicians and researchers are implementing in their practices and research, but what about its use in teaching the newest generation of doctors? Richard M. Schwartzstein, MD, of Harvard Medical School, discusses using AI for diagnostic education and developing cases, how it can work as a physician-support tool, and more with host Eddie Qian, MD, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center. 

We're taking a breather this August as we work on bringing you more great episodes of the ATS Breathe Easy podcast. But we're not going off the air - instead, we're bringing back some of our best episodes of the last season. See you in September for season two! Amy Attaway, MD, hosts the latest ATS Breathe Easy episode with former ATS President Monica Kraft, MD, and Asthma and Allergy Network's Chief Research Officer, De De Gardner, DrPH, discuss the benefits and challenges of biologics for asthma. What factors guide selection of a specific biologic for asthma? When should a patient transition from one biologic to another? This episode of the ATS Breathe Easy podcast is supported in part by AstraZeneca.