The ATS Assemblies Teaching Competition

As part of our continuing efforts to highlight our amazing junior members, the Assemblies Early Career Professionals (ECP) Working Groups host their annual multi-Assembly teaching competition at the ATS International Conference.

Whether you are a clinician, scientist, epidemiologist, nurse, respiratory therapist, or pharmacist, if you are known in your institution as an excellent educator, why keep yourself a secret from the rest of the world? This program is open to US and international applicants attending the conference who are members of the following Assemblies:

• Allergy, Immunology and Inflammation (AII)
• Behavioral Science and Health Services Research (BSHSR)
• Critical Care (CC)
• Clinical Problems (CP)
• Environmental, Occupational and Population Health (EOPH)
• Pediatrics (PEDS)
• Pulmonary Circulation (PC)
• Pulmonary Infections and Tuberculosis (PI-TB)
• Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR)
• Respiratory Cell & Molecular Biology (RCMB)
• Respiratory Structure and Function (RSF)
• Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology (SRN)
• Thoracic Oncology (TO)

Applicant requirements

• Be a primary member of one of the participating Assemblies
• Must be in the early career stage (either in training or within 3 years of completing terminal training program)
• Submit a brief application that consists of your CV, proposed objectives for your presentation, a statement of your teaching philosophy (~ 300 words), and a video presentation (< 8 minutes)
• If selected as the assembly rep, be available to present live at the ATS International Conference 

Presentation criteria at the ATS Conference

• Cover a topic of your choice that pertains to your Assembly's focus
• Run for a maximum of eight minutes
• Include goals and/or objectives
• Cannot use the audience response system
• Also due to time constraints, you will not be able to take questions from the audience

Click here to view a draft judging rubric that will be used at the conference.

Each Assembly's ECP Working Group reviews the applications and selects one applicant to represent their assembly. The assembly rep will be assisted with improving their presentation including feedback and mentoring from their home assembly. At the final competition, selected Assembly reps will present live at the ATS International Conference. 1^st place is awarded $750 and a feature article and second place wins $250.

2026 Assemblies Teaching Competition

Diane Wag, MD
1st place (RSF)
University of Maryland School of Medicine

Swetha Balaji
2nd place (CP)
St. Mary's General

For more information contact Tiana Lino, Assembly Programs Manager, or Bashar Staitieh and Janae Heath the Teaching Competition Organizers.