June 3, 2020 -Today, the American Thoracic Society (ATS) announced a $500,000 donation from AstraZeneca to the ATS COVID-19 Crisis Fund, launched to support the Society’s all-encompassing efforts to fight COVID-19. The Crisis Fund will help clinicians and scientists develop and disseminate research, education and scientific recommendations to providers in the pulmonary and critical care communities, as well as to support other clinicians in need of expanding their skill set during this emergency.
As a membership society of leading pulmonary and critical care doctors, the ATS has held a critical role in the discourse on initiatives to counter the spread of the coronavirus and provide support to pulmonary and critical care specialists on the frontlines, who are treating patients diagnosed with COVID-19. As COVID-19 ravages individuals and medical infrastructures worldwide, the ATS is seeking industry support to fulfill its mission to the greatest extent possible.
“We are extremely grateful for AstraZeneca’s generosity,” said ATS President Juan C. Celedón, MD, DrPH. “The COVID-19 Crisis Fund gives our members access to resources to help them collaborate, develop, and share the most up-to-date findings and treatments, to the benefit of patients worldwide. AstraZeneca’s commitment to our community is greatly appreciated during this critical fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“AstraZeneca believes in the important role that ATS plays in helping to educate and support healthcare providers, and as a long-standing partner remains committed to putting patients first,” said Mina Makar, Senior Vice President, US Respiratory and Immunology, AstraZeneca. “The direct, immediate support we are providing to ATS will ensure that the pulmonary and critical care community has the resources, education and support it needs to battle COVID-19 – at a time when there is a significant burden on the healthcare community.”
It is the ATS’s hope that donations to the fund will motivate other industry groups to share their resources in helping to address the significant needs arising from the COVID-19 crisis.
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For more information about making a donation to the ATS COVID-19 Crisis Fund, please contact the ATS Office of Development at dev@thoracic.org
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