by Brian Carlin, MD, FCCP, Chair, COPD Alliance
September marked the first in a series of interactive COPD education programs for trainees in internal medicine, family practice, and pulmonary /critical care medicine provided by the COPD Alliance. The sessions, which will be piloted at five leading medical residency programs, have been developed to fill an existing gap in residency training programs for COPD, the fourth leading cause of death in the United States.
These informative sessions are designed to provide education in the field of COPD, including recognition of the disease, appropriate steps toward the diagnosis, and management strategies. This will be accomplished through didactic, simulation (including hands-on spirometry instruction and correct use of inhalers), and case-based presentations in a 1-day seminar held at one of five training programs throughout the country. The first program will take place at the West Penn Allegheny Health Consortium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the second program will take place in November at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. During the early part of 2012, the education sessions will be conducted at three other medical residency programs in the United States. The goal is to develop a replicable curriculum on COPD that can be used at training programs for physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners throughout the country. If you are interested in learning more about this initiative, or you would like to have your training program involved, please contact Michael Bourisaw, Director, Business Development, at mbourisaw@chestnet.org.