26th Annual Pulmonary Evening Grand Rounds: Treatment of COPD in the Era of Precision Medicine

About this event

This conference is designed for all physician specialties, nurses, respiratory care practitioners and other allied health professionals.

Approximately 10% of individuals 40 years or older have COPD and the prevalence rises with age. Before COVID, it was the 3rd leading cause of death in the US, killing more than 120,000 individuals each year.

COPD is a heterogenous disease that is often undiagnosed and mismanaged, which may lead to frequent exacerbations, hospitalizations and declining lung function that can occur despite what appears to be optimal treatment.

While there has been significant growth in our understanding of the pathophysiology of COPD, the pace of innovation in therapeutics has been slow. Traditionally, COPD has been treated as a one size fits all disease, lumping most patients into the same therapeutic basket.

Precision medicine refers to treatments that target the unique needs of individual patients based on multiple intrinsic factors. From genes to biomes to biomarkers to biologics, precision medicine takes advantage of the unique characteristics that distinguish a given patient with COPD from another.

In this year’s Pulmonary Evening Grand Rounds, we will examine the role of precision medicine in the treatment of COPD and review the role of biomarkers, biologics, transplantation and advanced bronchoscopic techniques in its management.

For the past 26 years, Neil A. Ettinger, MD, has organized a citywide pulmonary conference to provide an educational experience on important pulmonary topics as well as foster relationships among area pulmonologists, pulmonary fellows, respiratory care practitioners and others involved in chest medicine.

Conference Credit

For Physicians: St. Luke’s Hospital designates this live activity for a maximum of 2.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

For Non-Physicians: Non-physician healthcare professionals will receive a credit certificate stating this conference was certified for 2.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.

For Respiratory Care Practitioners: An application for 2.5 continuing education hours for respiratory care practitioners has been submitted to the Missouri Board for Respiratory Care. Approval is pending.