TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 28, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Society for Advanced Bronchoscopy announced its inception and plans for its first annual meeting today, citing the need to “promote and support excellence in interpretive skills and technical knowledge of those involved in advanced bronchoscopy and to help maintain professional practice integrity.”
Society President and Program Chair Dr. Kyle Hogarth describes a field with growing demand that relies on complex technology and medical practitioners who must have advanced skills to offer the best possible patient management and care. “The whole field of flexible and advanced bronchoscopy is growing rapidly, and it hasn’t had a focused, strong enough voice to promote quality, particularly in cancer staging and management. If we want to see growth in R&D in this field, the number and quality of users has to rise in order to justify continued investment. We need academics, physicians in private practice as well as industry working together to further the field.”
The society will provide experience-based, quality education for physicians and technologists. Among the issues the society will address are overall reimbursement of bronchoscopy, professional standards, and encouraging growth of the field to meet the growing demand. Rising numbers of lung cancer and emphysema cases in the US are among the factors that have driven steady growth for the field.
David Brunel, CEO of founding partner Biodesix, Inc, said that supporting the society “reflects our appreciation of the growing role of advanced bronchoscopy in the management of lung cancer, and our commitment to working with pulmonologists, who are a critical part of a successful multi-disciplinary approach to patient management in lung cancer.” Biodesix, a maker of diagnostic tests for patients with lung cancer, is the society’s founding industry supporter; Merit Medical Endotek and Philips Medical have also joined as a supporting members.
The Society for Advanced Bronchoscopy is an international organization with a growing membership of physicians, fellows, residents, allied-health professionals, and students as well as industry partners, and is welcoming new member applications. The program agenda and registration link for the inaugural meeting can be found at http://www.sabronchoscopy.org/meetings .
SAB Contact: D. Beth Lewis
813-388-6044 Email: dbethlewis@gmail.com
