November 5, 2025

The PACCM division is thrilled to announce that Dr. Michelle Cao has been appointed the inaugural Director of the new PACCM Adult Home Ventilation Program at the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine.

This program is a cornerstone of our division's goal to enhance care for our most complex patients. As we all know, patients with high-acuity conditions like chronic respiratory disorders face significant challenges, including quality of life, mortality, and health care resource utilization, including high rates of readmission and ICU utilization. The program has assisted neuromuscular patients through a partnership with the Department of Neurology and Dr. John Day, along with Neurocritical Care intensivists, collaborated with ENT, maintains a close collaboration with the Division of Sleep Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry (led by Dr. Clete Kushida), and works closely with Dr. Gaurav Singh at the VA Palo Alto, which includes fellowship training. Dr. Cao has been the central figure in starting the program four years ago when she joined our division.

The Adult Home Ventilation Program will create pathways for patients, bridging the gap between inpatient and outpatient care with our foundational respiratory therapy colleagues led by Kristin Merriman. Dr. Cao's leadership and expertise in pulmonary medicine and home ventilation have been instrumental in developing this program from a concept into a practical and actionable strategy. Her leadership is also recognized nationally, which brings significant visibility to our division. She serves the American College of Chest Physicians as Chair of the Scientific Presentation Awards Committee and Vice Chair of the Sleep Medicine Board Review Course. Dr. Cao was also awarded 'Woman of the Year' by the California Thoracic Society in 2024, with her persistent leadership at the CTS.

We are confident her vision and dedication will ensure the program's success.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Cao on this well-deserved appointment. We look forward to supporting her and the entire team—including our faculty leads and dedicated Respiratory Therapists—as they launch this critical new service for our division and our patient

October 29, 2025

The PACCM Division is pleased to share another successful year at the CHEST Conference with continued growth and strong representation from Stanford faculty and fellows!  The 3rd Annual Stanford CHEST reception gave us a chance to connect as faculty, current trainees, and our alumni throughout the country. 

Several of our faculty serve in major leadership roles and as invited speakers:

Deborah Levine delivered the Edward C. Rosenow Honor Lecture and serves as Chair of the CHEST Council of Networks.

Michelle Cao is Chair of the Scientific Presentation Awards Committee and Vice Chair of the Sleep Medicine Board Review Course.

Meghan Ramsey is the rising Chair of the Fellows’ Course, and a member of the Training and Transitions Committee and Critical Care Network

Deborah, Michelle, and Meghan were all recognized with the Distinguished CHEST Educator Award, an honor given to the top 3% of CHEST’s international faculty.

Additional invited presentations were given by Julie Lai, Krystle Leung, Meghan Marmor, Alicia Mirza, David Epstein, and Melissa Vogelsong, with fellows Erica Mascarenhas and Tsion Abraham presenting posters.

Please join us in congratulating and commending all of these individuals for their outstanding contributions and for representing Stanford so well at CHEST!

October 9, 2025

Please join the PACCM division in congratulating Andrew Moore, Joe Levitt, and Angela Rogers for their publication in Nature Medicine: “A consensus immune dysregulation framework for sepsis and critical illnesses”

Some of you may have seen this story featured already in the Stanford Medicine Magazine, but we wanted to make sure all of you in the community caught this!

https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2025/09/immune-cell-signature.html?mkt_tok=ODg0LUZTQi0zMDcAAAGdY8OuxPHOHMbdVeF5_6lveJJmM4QrLdY0IH_efKropLvX0NfqvJQD9DdaOYxxie3yiWVxP6WY_BBNs5JF13XkT9QXzqZDo7PStfGzMdE8XeiU

This work was the culmination of a 5-year international collaboration across 9 sites, analyzing over 7,000 samples from patients with sepsis, working to evaluate sepsis and critical care endotypes along biologic axes. This effort was led by Dr. Rogers alongside Dr. Purvesh Khatri in the Institute of Immunity, Transplant and Infection and Dr. Timothy Sweeney at Inflammatix, Inc, highlighting the power of team science at Stanford. 

On a related note, please also join us in congratulating Andrew on his acceptance to the Stanford K12 Mentored Career Scientist Program. As part of this program, Andrew will be co-mentored by Angela Rogers and Purvesh Khatri, working to expand and translate these endotypes to the bedside.

Congratulations Andrew, Joe, and Angela!

October 7, 2025

The PACCM division has received the sad (for us) but entirely understandable message from our beloved Susan Jacobs - who after nearly three decades of work for our division, is going to begin a well-deserved retirement.

"I wanted to let all of you know that I will be leaving my position at Stanford, with my last day being January 15, 2026.  After 28 years in this great division, I am looking forward to more time with friends and family, including my 5 (soon to be 6!) grandchildren. I remain committed to my advocacy work with the Pulmonary Fibrosis and LAM Foundations, and the ATS Oxygen Special Interest Group.  

Over the next few months, I will work closely with all PIs to ensure a smooth transition for coverage of my current 0.5 FTE.   Emerald Mann CRM will be the lead contact for Lung Transplant studies, and Mohamed Abdelnabi CRM the lead contact for ILD, asthma, NTM and COPD studies. 

My time in PACCM has been an extraordinary journey! I am deeply grateful for all the collegial support and the many friendships formed over these years."

We want to take this opportunity to send Susan's message along and publicly thank Susan! 

It is with the deepest gratitude that we bid Susan farewell. She was a founding member of Stanford’s Interstitial Lung Disease program, Susan helped establish and mature its patient-centered focus, multidisciplinary care pathways, clinical research, and teaching. She served as ILD Nurse Coordinator within the Advanced Lung Disease Program since 1998, and has been Research Nurse Manager since 2016, roles through which she mentored teams and collaborated with investigators across clinical care and research.

Susan has been instrumental in creating and running the division’s clinical research programs. What began with Susan as the sole research coordinator has grown under her leadership and example, into a team of more than 20 clinical research coordinators and managers supporting a broad portfolio of studies across ILD, lung transplantation, COPD, asthma, and NTM. She also created, maintains, and runs the Stanford ILD patient support group, which has become a trusted community for patients and families and a model for integrating education, navigation, and advocacy into clinical care. Over the years, she has single-handedly organized and run multiple ILD symposia, bringing together clinicians, researchers, patients, and industry partners to advance best practices and foster collaboration.

Susan’s academic and professional leadership extends nationally. Within the American Thoracic Society, she has chaired the Oxygen Special Interest Group, served on Nursing Assembly leadership, led the clinical practice guideline effort on home oxygen therapy, and co-chaired national workshops on optimizing outpatient oxygen care. Her recognitions reflect sustained contributions to patient care, education, and advocacy, including the American Thoracic Society Public Service Award, the ATS John W. Walsh PAR Award for Excellence, the California Thoracic Society Outstanding Clinician Award, and election as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.

Her publications and educational work have shaped oxygen policy and practice as well as ILD care. Representative peer-reviewed work includes the ATS Official Clinical Practice Guideline on Home Oxygen Therapy for Adults with Chronic Lung Disease, a person-centered review of outpatient oxygen therapy, and related summaries and implementation pieces. In total, her body of work includes more than twenty peer-reviewed publications, three book chapters, two invited editorials, over fifteen scientific abstracts, and dozens of invited presentations at international, national, and regional meetings (including repeated roles at the ATS International Conference, Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation summits, and LAMposium), along with Stanford ILD symposia and grand rounds.

True to form, Susan is ensuring a thoughtful transition. Emerald Mann, CRM will serve as the lead contact for Lung Transplant studies, and Mohamed Abdelnabi, CRM will serve as the lead contact for ILD, asthma, NTM, and COPD studies, while Susan partners with PIs over the coming months to support continuity of her current responsibilities.

Please join us in thanking Susan for the program she helped build, the standards she set, and the many colleagues and patients she has lifted through her scholarship, mentorship, advocacy, and community-building. We wish her a joyful next chapter with family and friends and look forward to her continued national voice in oxygen policy and ILD care.  Susan was featured in 2023 DOM highlight https://domannualreports.stanford.edu/driving-medical-progress/.

September 25, 2025

On September 12, faculty from across the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care Medicine (PACCM) gathered at the Stanford Hacienda Lakes Campus in Pleasanton for the inaugural PACCM Clinical Scholarship Seminar. Co-chaired by Dr. Alicia Mirza and Dr. Anna Arroyo, the event provided a dedicated forum to celebrate clinical scholarship and to support professional growth through meaningful dialogue, shared learning, and reflection.

A highlight of the morning was the Expert Faculty Panel Discussion facilitated by Dr. Mirza, where Drs. Jennifer Camacho, Joon Chang, Deborah Levine, Paul Mohabir, and Yon Sung shared expertise across key clinical scholarship themes: Research and Innovation, Partnerships and Program Development, and Clinical Expertise & Teaching. Their insights offered valuable guidance for faculty at all career stages and highlighted the diverse pathways to academic professional growth for clinical faculty. 

The session also included updates from the PACCM Clinical Research Initiative for Clinician Educator Faculty Task Force led by Dr. Arroyo, further underscoring the division’s commitment to supporting clinical faculty research efforts.

In the afternoon, faculty participated in facilitated small-group sessions led by Cindy Ho and Annie Han from the Office of Academic Affairs. These sessions encouraged reflection and discussion around the strengths, challenges, opportunities, and barriers that shape the academic careers of clinical faculty. The day closed with shared reflections on a commitment to support academic advancement in the division followed by a relaxed gathering at a local winery, a fitting end to a day of connection and inspiration.

This seminar marked an important step in supporting and elevating clinical faculty scholarship in PACCM. Thank you to everyone who contributed to its success!

September 3, 2025

The PACCM division is delighted to announce that Dr. Michelle Huffaker will be joining the PACCM division as Clinical Assistant Professor and will be practicing at the Allergy, Asthma, & Immunodeficiency Clinic in Emeryville.

After earning her undergraduate degree from Princeton University and medical degree from Harvard Medical School, Dr. Huffaker completed Internal Medicine residency at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston before coming to Stanford for fellowship training in Allergy Immunology.  Dr. Huffaker then joined a private practice in the East Bay, the Allergy & Asthma Medical Group of the Bay Area, and in 2020, she joined the Immune Tolerance Network (ITN), an NIH/NIAID-funded clinical trial research consortium focused on achieving immune tolerance in immune-mediated diseases. 

Dr. Huffaker now serves as the Director of Clinical Translational Medicine in the Allergy Portfolio at the ITN, and is responsible for the development, conduct, and analysis of ITN clinical trials. She will be helping to develop the Emeryville allergy clinical site in the East Bay, engaging with trainees,  continuing research with the ITN, and collaborating with colleagues across disciplines.

August 26, 2025

Please join the PACCM division in congratulating Husham Sharifi, MD, MS who was selected by the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine as a “Emerging Investigator” in the recently published August issue of the journal. This is a distinction given by the ATS for rising physician-scientists in the field. We would also like to acknowledge the significant contribution that the Stanford Lung Graft-Versus-Host-Disease (GVHD) team has played in a consensus statement entitled “Addressing Knowledge Gaps in the Early Detection of Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome after Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation” published in the same issue of the journal.

 The Stanford Lung GVHD group under the direction of Joe Hsu MD, MPH has had a productive year publishing manuscripts in Blood, Blood Advances, and Transplantation and Cellular Therapy and presenting multiple abstracts at this year’s ATS conference. Joe, Husham, and Julie Lai have also been invited by an international group of pulmonologists and transplant physicians to play key leadership roles in the development of a joint NIH-ATS-ERS workshop to take place in Gevena in 2026 for non-infectious pulmonary complications after hematopoietic cell transplantation. This effort will not only develop new definitions for these pulmonary diseases but also create a collaborative research infrastructure and direction for the years ahead. 

 There is increasing attention being given to the issues surrounding GVHD as significant progress is being made in the cell transplant field, and we salute the dedication of PACCM's GVHD program in combating the pulmonary complications of this therapy.

August 26, 2025

The PACCM division is very pleased to announce that the NIH/NHLBI has awarded Stanford Professors Roham Zamanian and Marlene Rabinovitch a 5-year, US$ 12.5 million grant for their proposal for “A Phase 2 Study of Elafin (Tiprelestat) for the Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH)”. The Data Coordinating Center for the trial, led by Dr. Cathie Spino at the SABER unit at the University of Michigan, was funded by a companion application.

PAH is a disease of progressive obliteration of the lung vasculature that results from elastase mediated degradation of elastin, endothelial dysfunction, smooth muscle cell proliferation and chronic peri- and intravascular inflammation. There is an unmet need to find a therapy that is disease modifying in that it addresses these underlying cellular and molecular features of PAH. This proposal tests the safety and efficacy of human recombinant Elafin (tiprelestat) as a treatment for PAH in a randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial across 10 centers.  Elafin is ideally suited for this role as it inhibits neutrophil elastase, suppresses cytokine mediated inflammation, and activates BMPR2 receptor signaling resulting in favorable profile of gene expression in hereditary and other forms of PAH.  Beyond the primary endpoint of pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and numerous secondary endpoints, the study will evaluate the potential for disease modification – a “first-ever” in the field in PAH Clinical Trials.  Beyond the clinical study enrolling centers, the study involves collaborations with three major cores: Harvard University for non-invasive pulmonary vascular imaging and blood volume quantification, UCSF for PK/PD modeling & assessments, and Temple University as the investigational pharmacy.  

What makes this proposal even more special is that it is based on the life-long work of Dr. Marlene Rabinovitch and her leadership in investigating the role of elastase inhibitors in vascular diseases and their pleotropic impact on beneficial BMPR2 mediated gene regulation, combined with the leadership of Dr. Roham Zamanian in clinical investigation and clinical trials for new and promising PAH therapies.

July 21, 2025

Dear Members of the Pulmonary Biology Community, Colleagues, and Friends,

As directors of the National Institutes of Health funded Stanford Pulmonary Biology Training Program, we are delighted to announce that Caitlin Contag, MD, Spoorthi Davala, MD, and Joseph Kim Rathkey, MD, PhD, will be joining the program.

Dr. Contag, a fellow in Critical Care Medicine will be joining the training program and working under the guidance of Angela J Rogers, MD, MPH. Dr. Contag came to Stanford after an undergraduate degree from University of Southern California (USC) and received her medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Caitlin completed her Infectious Diseases and Critical Care Medicine fellowship training at Stanford.

Dr. Davala, a fellow in Pediatric Pulmonology, will be joining the training program and working under the guidance of Erik Allen Jensen, MD, MSCE. Dr. Davala came to Stanford after an undergraduate degree at Boston University as well as a medical degree from their School of Medicine. She completed her training in Pediatrics at the University of California San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland.

Dr. Rathkey, a Postdoctoral Researcher will be joining the training program and working under the guidance of Calvin J. Kuo, MD, PhD. Dr. Rathkey came to Stanford after an undergraduate degree at Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA and received a PhD as well as an MD from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH. Joseph completed his Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine fellowship training at Stanford.

The addition of Drs. Contag, Davala, and Rathkey further enhances and strengthens our community of invested, intellectually engaged, discovery-driven pulmonary physician-scientists.  The training grant, which to this point has provided funding and a training experience for 20 people over the past 9 years, has played a central role in fostering the growth and development of the community.

We are delighted to welcome these new scholars and their mentors into the Stanford Pulmonary Biology Training community! 

July 9, 2025

The PACCM division is delighted to announce six new faculty members to PACCM: Drs. Samridha Amba, Adam Andruska, Shirley Jiang,  Krystle Leung, Achyut Patil, and Andrew Sweat.

Dr. Samridha Amba obtained her MD in Nepal, Internal Medicine training at Seton Hall University, PCCM fellowship at USC, and Lung Transplant Fellowship at Stanford.  Beyond attending on the Lung Transplant service,  Sami will be key to South Bay Stanford efforts for ICU and community-based pulmonary medicine. 

Dr. Adam Andruska completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue, MD from Southern Illinois University, Internal Medicine Residency at Washington University, and PCCM Fellowship at Stanford. Adam won a national UML Search and will be establishing a wet lab at Stanford Research Park focusing on pulmonary hypertension.

Dr. Shirley Jiang obtained her undergraduate degree at Stanford University, medical degree at UCLA,  Internal Medicine residency at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, and Allergy & Immunology Fellowship at Stanford. She is interested in food and drug allergies and will continue studying food allergy-associated quality of life among underserved populations, as well as helping to develop the Stanford Chemotherapy Desensitization program. She will be practicing at the Atherton Allergy, Asthma, & Immunodeficiency Clinic.

Dr. Krystle Leung completed her undergraduate and medical degrees at Harvard University, MGH for Internal Medicine residency, and Stanford for PCCM fellowship, also completing the AIRE (Advancing Innovation in Residency Education) fellowship during her PACCM training.  She will be joining us as part of the developing NIV (non-invasive ventilation) and Home Vent programs. Krystle has focused academic interests in NIV care. She will also join Good Samaritan/TV ICUs and the East Bay and Tri-Valley region to provide specialty services. 

Dr. Achyut Patil completed an undergraduate degree at Yale University, medical degree at Harvard University, an Internal Medicine residency at Stanford (completing a Chief Resident year), and remained here for PCCM fellowship.  Achyut will provide care in the South Bay and in Palo Alto attending in the critical care units at Good Sam and Tri-Valley Hospitals.

Dr. Andrew Sweatt obtained his undergraduate degree at the University of Connecticut, medical degree at Georgetown, Internal Medicine residency at Colorado, and PCCM fellowship at Stanford (with a Chief Fellow year). Andrew won a national UML Search and will be establishing a dry lab at the VA Palo Alto applying machine learning/AI to study pulmonary hypertension.

Please congratulate and welcome our talented new faculty when you see them!

July 8, 2025

The PACCM division presents two important new leadership announcements for our Division and the PACCM Service Line. Drs. Meghan Ramsey and Rishi Raj have been longstanding and respected faculty in our division. We look forward to working with both of them to help with our divisional alignment with SHC. 

Dr. Meghan Ramsey: Associate Chief of Strategy and Critical Care Networks

·                Our division portfolio has grown significantly since 2017. One key growth area has been the integration of faculty practicing critical care medicine within our local and community sites. While each ICU domain has inherent similarities and differences, both in opportunities and challenges, we are now committed to continuing to ensure faculty work-life balance even as we improve the quality of care across networks.

·                Working directly with Arthur and I, Meghan will help oversee our divisional strategy and operations across all ICUs in which we participate.

·                She will work with other Department/Division/SHC leaders including Anesthesiology-Critical Care, Cardiac Anesthesia-Critical Care, Emergency Medicine Critical Care, Neurology Critical Care,  and UBMDs to ensure effective PACCM collaboration with committed partners and contributors for Stanford's three-fold mission (patient care, education, & research).

·                Meghan will continue her role as PD for the IM-Critical Care Medicine Fellowship

Dr. Rishi Raj: Medical Director – Ambulatory Chest Clinic Network (PACCM Service Line).

·                This position will have medical director oversight of all SHC clinics across the enterprise (Pleasanton, Emeryville, Cancer Center South Bay (CCSB),  & Stanford). 

·                Rishi will work with our dyad lead and director of the service line, Anita Majabo, and VP Aimee Walters, to implement and operationalize initiatives to improve quality, patient access and experiences across our enterprise in Palo Alto, South Bay, Alameda and Tri-Valley regions

·                He will also work in partnership with our UMG colleagues with the SMP-operated clinic in Campbell (target date for patient day 1 is11/17/2025) to coordinate access to community pulmonary care and post-ICU discharge pathways among main campus and South Bay patients.

·                This new role will help oversee Palo Alto Chest Clinic operations, working closely with Stanford Clinic Chief, Steve Ruoss and Clinic Manager, Sara Munk 

·                Partner with Emily Casabar, Lead APP for Chest Clinics, to develop roles and career growth pathways for pulmonary focused APPs across our sites

·                Dr. Raj will also work with Meghan Marmor in her role as Quality Director for the Chest Clinic (supported by the Department of Medicine).

·                He will be engaging our Emeryville operation through Kristi Carnahan, the Assistant Chest Clinic Manager at Emeryville 

·                Work with Yvonne Ruathaiwat, Chest Clinic Manager in Pleasanton 

·                He will work with our other medical directors: Anna Arroyo (Section Chief for Allergy),  Roham Zamanian (PH), Paul Mohabir (CF), Harmeet Bedi (IP), Joe Hsu ( GvHD), Meghan M/Steve (bronchiectasis) and our developing home ventilation group, as well as other faculty leads.

·                Finally, Rishi will participate and join committees related to ambulatory clinics' efficiency and capacity.

We believe that our clinical operation will benefit greatly from Meghan and Rishi's leadership. 

July 8, 2025

The PACCM division is thrilled to announce that Andrew Moore, MD has been appointed as the new Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Critical Care Fellowship.

Dr. Moore earned his medical degree at the University of Virginia before coming to Stanford for his Internal Medicine residency, where he distinguished himself as a Chief Resident. He then completed his fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Stanford and subsequently joined our faculty.

Dr. Moore is a dedicated clinician-scientist whose research focuses on the host response to infections, gene expression profiles in sepsis and ARDS, and the development of critical care research datasets leveraging EHR data and machine learning tools. 

As Associate Program Director, Dr. Moore will bring a deep commitment to education, mentorship, and academic development. His experience and insight will be a tremendous asset to the fellowship leadership team and to the professional growth of our fellows.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Moore to this new role!

June 25, 2025

Clinical Scholar in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine at Stanford, Andrew Moore, MD, provides a foundation in medical terminology.  

Medical Terminology and Common Medical Acronyms with Andrew Moore, MD

June 18, 2025

A Day in the Life of an ICU Physician

June 13, 2025. The only thing predictable in a hospital intensive care unit (ICU) is its unpredictability, says Jennifer Williams, MD.Clinical assistant professor in the Department of Medicine’s Division of Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care Medicine, Williams is a critical care physician, also known as an intensivist, who works in ICUs on the Main Campus and at Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley.

https://medicine.stanford.edu/news/current-news/standard-news/ICU-physician.html

May 22, 2025

The PACCM division is proud to relay that our own Susan Jacobs was the recipient of the 2025 ATS Respiratory Health Award. She was presented with ATS’s Public Service Award for her exemplary achievements in respiratory health based on her work at Stanford Medicine.

This award recognizes and celebrates "an individual who has made substantial contributions to public and population health equity related to, for example, improvement of air quality, eradication of tobacco usage, prevention of lung disease, advocacy, improved management of communicable respiratory diseases, or improvement in the ethical delivery, and access to health care in areas related to lung diseases, sleep health, or critical care."

Susan is a true trailblazer in clinical research! When she began, our division had no clinical trial program. Today, thanks to her leadership and vision, the program has grown to include over 30 groundbreaking projects.

Learn more about her journey in the DOM and the impact she is making on pulmonary medicine:
https://stanford.io/3N13MY2

Here is a link to the ATS Press Release:

https://site.thoracic.org/press-releases/susan-jacobs-rn-ms-to-receive-a-2025-american-thoracic-society-respiratory-health-award

May 22, 2025

Please check out a great story on all the work being accomplished by Dr. Anna Arroyo and her team in our Allergy Section featured in the Stanford DOM News!

https://medicine.stanford.edu/news/current-news/standard-news/allergy-research.html

Taking Allergy Research Further | Department of Medicine News | Stanford Medicine

Shining a Light on Allergies in Different Communities. With support from the Stanford Center for Asian Health Research and Education (CARE), Arroyo is investigating allergic disease patterns in Asian American populations. She recently published several studies (see sidebar) examining allergy trends among Asian American children, and the findings are striking.

medicine.stanford.edu

May 5, 2025

A big congratulations to three authors from our division who authored a high-impact perspective, just published in JAMA.

As part of the JAMA Climate Change and Health series, Mansour Alkhunaizi, MD, Lauren Eggert, MD, and Jyothi Tirumalasetty, MD discuss the environmental impact of inhaler-related greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, provide guidance on specific steps health systems can take to safely reduce emissions related to inhalers, and provide an evidence-based discussion on clinical aspects that require careful consideration such as inhaler selection. The authors hope that this Perspective paper will raise awareness about the environmental impact of inhaler prescribing and encourage providers to consider environmentally sustainable solutions without compromising health outcomes. Here is the link: https://jamanetwork-com.laneproxy.stanford.edu/journals/jama/fullarticle/2833427

April 18, 2025

A big congratulations to Dr. Dongeon Kim, an Instructor in PACCM, recipient of the American Heart Association (AHA) Career Development for his proposal to study how abnormal bone morphogenetic protein receptor type 2 (BMPR2) signaling can contribute to the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) through regulatory T cell (Treg) dysfunction. BMPR2 mutations are the most common genetic abnormalities linked to PAH.  While abnormal BMPR2 function is usually associated with abnormal functioning of the cells of the pulmonary vasculature, Dr. Kim is finding that these mutations, present throughout the body, may also interfere with the normal functioning of anti-inflammatory Tregs; a finding that may help explain the pulmonary vascular inflammation associated with this disease. He conducts his research in the Nicolls laboratory.

April 18, 2025

The PACCM division is thrilled to announce the promotion of Dr. Kristina Kudelko from Associate Chair to Vice Chair of Academic Affairs.

Dr. Kudelko is a clinical professor of pulmonary, allergy, and critical care medicine with a focus on pulmonary hypertension. She is also the fellowship and education director at the Vera Moulton Wall Center for Pulmonary Vascular Disease. Her research focuses on drugs and toxins-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension and clinical outcomes research.

As vice chair for academic affairs, Dr. Kudelko will continue to work with Senior Vice Chair Sean Wu to support all aspects of clinician educator (CE) appointments and advancement for the more than 500 members of the department CE community. Dr. Kudelko will also advise and lead efforts to recruit, retain, and promote clinician educators. The new leadership team in the Chair's Office is detailed this morning on the DOM  website. 

March 27, 2025

It is with great pleasure and anticipation that the PCCM Fellowship Program Leadership announces the selection of our Chief fellows for PCCM for 2025-2026.  Congratulations to Stephanie Chen and Mansour Alkhuzani! Thank you to everyone who provided feedback in the selection process.  It’s hard to believe that it has already been (almost) 2 years since Mansour made the move North from Baylor and Stephanie made the short trip South from UCSF to join our program.  Stephanie and Mansour have already demonstrated great commitment to our program and to their co-fellows, and Andrea, Angela, Lauren, Gaurav and I look forward to the opportunity to work with them more closely next year. 

While it is not quite time to pass the baton and say goodbye to our current Chiefs, I want to take this opportunity to extend a heartfelt thank you to Krystle Leung and Kevin Correa for all their hard work and professionalism over the past year.  Our program has truly benefitted from their leadership.

So please join me in thanking Krystle and Kevin, and welcoming Stephanie and Mansour.

March 26, 2025

It is with great excitement that the CCM Program Leadership announces the 2025-2026 Chief Fellows, Dr. Pranjal Gupta and Dr. Derek Wu for the Critical Care Fellowship Program at Stanford University. We are thrilled to partner with them to lead an excellent group of fellows through the next academic year! 

We would also like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our outstanding outgoing chief fellows, Dr. David Li and Dr. Will Gibb, for their hard work and dedication to the CCM Fellowship Program and its fellows. Their professionalism and thoughtfulness have been truly inspiring. This year, their extraordinary leadership and service have ensured that the fellowship program has operated seamlessly. We feel fortunate to have had the privilege of working closely with them throughout the year and are extremely grateful for all they have done for their fellow colleagues and the fellowship program.

Please join us in congratulating Drs. Gupta and Wu, and thanking Drs. Gibb and Li! 

March 25, 2025

The PACCM division is pleased to announce another successful California Thoracic Society meeting with the involvement of several Stanford PACCM faculty and fellows!

Foremost, Lauren Eggert served as co-chair of the conference and organized a truly successful meeting with over 400 registrants. Thanks to Lauren, faculty throughout California as well as nationally renowned speakers such as Dr. Mary Rice joined the conference and provided impactful presentations. Kirat Gill organized and facilitated the popular trainee poster session. Solmaz Ehteshami Afshar and Lauren Glassman from SCVMC co-organized and ran the Career Development session for residents and fellows.

Speakers for the meeting included Rachel Hopper (Pediatric PH talk), Gaurav Singh (NIV hands-on), Jyothi Tirumalasetty (Allergens, Climate Change, and Environmental Exposures talk), Reika Miyokawa (Gina Guidelines talk), Emily Casabar (Respiratory/Face Masks hands-on), Joon Chang (Cryobiopsy Tools hands-on), Stephanie Chen (fellow-facilitated Multidisciplinary ILD Case Presentations), Angela Rogers (Manuscript Acceptance talk for career development session), and Michelle Cao (Making Most of Mentorship talk for career development session).

Posters were presented by Audrey Chai, Ben Berger, and Erica Mascarenhas. Ben was awarded second place in the pulmonary case report competition for his poster on solitary fibrous tumor!

Finally, Gaurav Singh was presented with the Clinician of the Year Award!

Please join us in congratulating and commending all of these individuals for representing Stanford and contributing to the great success of the Annual CTS Conference!

March 5, 2025

We are very pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Alicia Mirza to Wellness Co-Director in the Division of PACCM.

Clinically, Alicia, who is both internal medicine and pediatrics-trained and certified, helps lead the CF program here at Stanford. She also attends in the ICU at TriValley. She has first-hand experience in the challenges our PCCM faculty face in both the outpatient/inpatient and acute/chronic care settings, both on and off main campus. Two years into her faculty tenure here, she is very familiar with the onboarding process and the struggle to balance a steep clinical load with scholarly pursuits, career development, and family life.

Alicia looks forward to working on “actionable and sustainable” wellness initiatives on your behalf and alongside her equally impressive and eager Co-Director, Dr. Linda Zhu.

February 28, 2025

The PACCM Division is excited to announce that Dr. Hallie Brown will join the Critical Care Medicine Fellowship leadership team as an Associate Program Director.

Dr. Brown completed her undergraduate studies at UC Santa Barbara before earning her medical degree from the University of New Mexico and pursuing Emergency Medicine residency training at Indiana University, where she was also selected as Chief Resident. Following residency, she joined Stanford for her Critical Care Medicine Fellowship during which she served as Chief Fellow and was instrumental in the fellowship operations.  

Dr. Brown joined the Emergency Critical Care (ECC) group in 2023, immediately serving as a mentor and advisor for our fellows. She has additionally been a clinical leader in the TriValley ICU bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to the mixed patient population.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Brown to this new leadership role. We look forward to her contributions in shaping the future of our fellowship program.

December 5, 2024

Please join the PACCM division in welcoming Justine Ko as our incoming IP fellow!

Justine completed her IM residency at USC and is currently the PCCM chief fellow at UCSF-Fresno. When Justine joined us for an away elective earlier in 2024 we were immediately impressed with her fund of knowledge, superior procedural skills, and outstanding candor with patients and their families.

We feel very fortunate to have Justine joining our group next year, and we look forward to welcoming her (back) to the Stanford PACCM community.

December 5, 2024

<sup>The PACCM division is thrilled to announce the results of the IM-CCM fellowship match. It was a very competitive year, and we’ve recruited a great class of incoming fellows. Thank you so much for all your efforts and support in recruitment. We truly appreciate the time and dedication you spent to interview our applicants and discuss our program. It is a testament to the strength of our entire CCM program and multidisciplinary ICU that we can announce such a strong, diverse incoming class.

Meghan, June, and Leslie

2025 IM-CCM Incoming Fellows:</sup>

^{Cresencio Adama (EM Duke)
Mohanad Almahmoud (IM/NCC UCLA)
Scott Arno (Cardiology Henry Ford)
Carlos Enciso Lopez (EM Michigan)
Ziad Faramand (EM NE Georgia)
Kevin Ghaffari (EM Buffalo)
Nick Hall (EM Stanford)
Farah Mechref (EM UNC)
Chelsey Miller (EM Yale)
Renee Newby (Infectious Disease U of Washington)
Sukhjot Sander (Cardiology NYU Long Island)
Sinan Sayood (Cardiology Iowa)
Natasha Trainer (EM Davis)}

December 5, 2024

Please join the PACCM division on our newest class of fellows for the Stanford PCCM Fellowship!

Welcoming the class of 2028:

Dr. Shannen Kim, UCSF
Dr. Albert Liu, UCLA
Dr. John Rose, UT Southwestern
Dr. Samuel "Yoni" Rubin, Stanford
Dr. Adrienne Strait, UCSF
Dr. Natalie Stumpf, UCSF
Dr. Sangeetha Thevuthasan, Columbia
Dr. Jonathan Tiao, Columbia

Our division is thrilled to be growing and welcoming the next generation of academic leaders in pulmonary and critical care medicine. We look forward to supporting their careers and seeing the many incredible things they will accomplish!
 

November 19, 2024

The PACCM division congratulates Dr. Raquel Lyn, recipient of the Team Science Award from the Department of Medicine to study the impact of race and ethnicity in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) for patients exposed to methamphetamine. PAH is a rare and fatal disease often affecting young women. Methamphetamine associated PAH (Meth-APAH) is a subtype of the disease with rising prevalence in disadvantaged populations. While recent studies have characterized Meth-APAH's clinical phenotype and outcomes, no studies to date have evaluated impact of such social drivers of health in Meth-APAH. In her proposal, Raquel will seek to evaluate the impact of race/ethnicity in patients with longstanding history of methamphetamine use, focusing on determinants of health disparities in under-represented minorities.

Dr. Lyn will use the NIH infrastructure provided by Drs. Roham Zamanian and Steven Kawut (University of Pennsylvania) to evaluate the prevalence, attitudes, patterns, and impact of substance abuse in under-represented minorities using a novel PH substance use questionnaire.

October 23, 2024

The PACCM division congratulates Dr. Matthew McCarra, who has been selected as this year's recipient of the 2025 Stanford Cancer Institute (SCI) Fellowship Award! The fellowship is part of the Stanford Cancer Institute's commitment to nurturing the next generation of cancer researchers. This funding is awarded to researchers engaged in basic or translational cancer research, with a focus on projects that advance understanding or treatment of cancer. The program provides vital support to enable promising researchers to secure future faculty positions and career development awards.

Working in the laboratory of Dr. Tushar Desai, Matt's research focuses on lung epithelial and stem cell biology, specifically the role of telomerase-expressing alveolar type 2 (AT2) cells in lung regeneration and cancer. He has discovered a novel population of TERT expressing AT2 cells that act as unipotent progenitors important for lung homeostasis and injury repair. Notably, these cells exhibit a unique regulatory mechanism, producing smaller tumors when driven by mutant Kras, compared to other AT2 stem cells. Through sequencing and chromatin studies, he aims to unravel key molecular distinctions that may explain their differential tumorigenic potential and identify markers for human lung studies. This work aims to advance understanding of lung cancer and stem cell biology and pave the way for targeted therapies.

October 2, 2024

Please join the PACCM division in congratulating Drs. Lauren Eggert and Gaurav Singh in their new roles as Associate Program Directors for the Pulmonary & Critical Care Fellowship! Lauren and Gaurav are emerging leaders in our field and have been lauded for their many contributions to medical education at Stanford and beyond. We are delighted to have them step into this important leadership role within our Division where they will continue to foster academic excellence in our trainees. They will be joining Joe, Andrea, and Angela in the ongoing important work of recruiting, training, and shaping careers for the future leaders in PCCM academic medicine. 

Dr. Gaurav Singh completed his MD at the University of California San Francisco and his internal medicine residency at Stanford University. He completed a Master of Public Health at UC Berkeley and then returned to Stanford to complete fellowship training in both pulmonary and critical care as well as sleep medicine. Gaurav joined the Stanford faculty before he was recruited to the VA Palo Alto in 2018, where he has served as a PCCM Fellowship Site Director. Gaurav has been instrumental in the development of the AIRE Sleep Training Program within our fellowship and has served as a mentor and educator to many of our fellows through his many clinical and educational responsibilities at the VA. His superlative teaching was recognized when he was the 2018 recipient of the PCCM Division Teaching Award. He has authored multiple systemic reviews and is regarded as a leader in the intersection of sleep medicine and critical care. Gaurav's impact has been significant at a national level: he was recently elected as the California Thoracic Society Treasurer and serves as a leader in the VA Sierra Pacific Network overseeing pulmonary care throughout the Pacific Coast and Islands. We are delighted to have him joining the Stanford PCCM Fellowship Leadership where he will continue to expand on the clinical and educational offerings for fellows at our multiple affiliated sites. 

Dr. Lauren Eggert completed her MD at Albert Einstein College of Medicine before her residency training at Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai. She completed her Pulmonary & Critical Care Fellowship at Stanford. Since joining the faculty here in 2020, she has emerged as a leader in severe airways disease and is the Director of the Airways Disease Program. She has authored multiple pieces establishing her expertise in biologics, severe airway disease management, and ABPA. Lauren serves as the pulmonary representative for the SHC Value Based Care initiative and has overseen multiple QI initiatives including modernizing PFT interpretation, expanding pulmonary rehab access, and decreasing ED utilization among patients. Her impact has been seen at both the regional and national levels: she serves as a co-chair of the CTS annual conference and runs the Apprenticeship program for the ATS Early Career Working Group AII assembly. She serves on the ATS AII program committee and post-graduate course selection committee. She has experience with curriculum development and developing early-career physicians. We are delighted that Lauren will bring these tremendous skills to the Stanford PCCM fellowship program.  She will be leading the growth of our outpatient pulmonary curriculum and expanding fellow education and mentorship efforts around quality improvement. 

Please join us in congratulating these two very accomplished physicians as they embark on this exciting next chapter in their careers!

September 10, 2024

The PACCM Division is pleased to announce that Dr. Jennifer Camacho, from our Allergy Section, will become the inaugural Director of Community Partnership for the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine!

In 2022, the Department of Medicine launched the Community Partnership Program as an organized approach to community engagement. This program includes faculty from all divisions to support divisional-level efforts to build academic-community partnerships that span clinical care, research, and education. These bi-directional partnerships are key to our departmental health equity and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion missions.

As the PACCM Director of Community Partnership, Dr. Camacho will continue to be an active member of the DOM Community Partnership Council and help the division and its faculty in nurturing existing collaborations with local community organizations and explore new community partnerships with local community health centers, public health departments, advocacy groups, educational partners, and community-based organizations. As Dr. Camacho’s clinical and research interests focus on allergen immunotherapy, aerobiology, and access to allergy and asthma care in underserved populations, she will focus on developing community partnerships in these areas, especially improving access to allergy and asthma subspecialty care.

August 29, 2024

A big congratulations to Dr. Jyothi Tirumalsetty from our talented PACCM Adult Allergy team who has published a landmark study with collaborators today in JAMA.

The article examines the greenhouse gas emissions and costs of medical inhalers on the US market. The work is the result of a collaboration between colleagues at the Stanford University,  University of Michigan, and the National Health Service of England. They take stock of the US inhaler market, calculate how much inhalers contribute to healthcare system emissions, and compare emissions and costs between metered-dose inhalers and their less-polluting cousins, dry-powder and soft-mist inhalers. They describe how less environmentally damaging inhalers are disproportionately more expensive in the US, making an ecological transition challenging. The authors are hopeful that this work will spur further discussion about the importance of reducing the global warming effect of inhaled medications. But more broadly, the article speaks to the trade-offs required within healthcare to weigh clinical efficacy vs. environmental impact vs. cost.

Here is a link to the study:

 https://jamanetwork-com.laneproxy.stanford.edu/journals/jama/fullarticle/2822997

July 8, 2024

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Meghan Ramsey has been named the Associate Chief of Strategy and Development for the division.

Meghan's dedication to the division and her professionalism is well recognized.  She graduated from Stanford Medical School, completing both her internal medicine residency and PCCM fellowship here. She served as chief resident and chief fellow respectively. She joined the PACCM faculty in 2015, with a career focus and clinical interests in critical care medicine and education. 

During the early phase of her career at Stanford, she joined our interventional pulmonology group and trained in advance bronchoscopies and lung cancer management.  One year later, the division expanded our presence at the Tri-Valley (TV) ICU (then named ValleyCare), and she was the first PACCM faculty member who traveled to the East Bay, often spending nights and entire weekends there to help our patients there. She was instrumental in the strategy and operation for TV-ICU when it expanded to 24/7/365 coverage. Her work enables the division to grow with recruitment of more than 16 new faculty since 2017.  Meghan was named the interim medical director in 2021 and the position was changed to being permanent in 2022. 

Meghan became the IM-CCM fellowship Program Director in 2021, and began working alongside Dr. June Gordon, Associate Program Director of the fellowship. Together, they fostered an excellent culture, improved education, and expanded operational scope. 

Nationally, Meghan has contributed significantly to the American College of Chest Physicians. She participates often in educational workshops for PCCM nationwide and is a valued member of the foundation.

Last year, our division expanded further to Good Samaritan Hospital ICU with 44 beds. Meghan provided a central role in the programmatic planning for more than 12 community ICU physicians and faculty working together in a critical location in the South Bay to provide complex care. Her work and the important partnership with SHC administrative leaders, allows Stanford Medicine to be integrated into communities and at the same time provides a needed mechanism to recruit talented faculty for our division to continue its growth for years to come. 

All of these activities revealed Meghan's significant talent for talent and program development. She is a well-respected physician-leader in the division, department, and the hospital.

Please join us in congratulating Meghan on this important new role.

Sincerely,

Dr. Mark Nicolls, Dr. Arthur Sung, and Benita Kaeding

June 21, 2024

Dear Members of the Pulmonary Biology Community, Colleagues, and Friends,

As directors of the National Institutes of Health funded Stanford Pulmonary Biology Training Program, we are delighted to announce that Dr. Kalen Hendra, M.D. and Dr. Shaun Pienkos, M.D. will be joining the program.

Dr. Hendra, a fellow in Pediatric Pulmonology will be joining the training program and working under the guidance of Jochen Profit, MD, MPH. Dr. Hendra came to Stanford after an undergraduate degree at University of Richmond, a medical degree from Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine in Roanoke and completing training in Pediatrics at the University of California San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland. Kalen chose to join us at Stanford for fellowship training.

Dr. Pienkos is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and working with Catherine Blish PhD, M.D. Dr Pienkos joined the Blish laboratory after receiving an undergraduate and doctoral degrees from Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia. Shawn completed his Internal Medicine and Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine fellowship training at Stanford.

The addition of Drs. Hendra & Pienkos further enhances and strengthens our community of invested, intellectually engaged, discovery-driven pulmonary physician-scientists.  The training grant, which to this point has provided funding and a training experience for 18 people over the past 8 years, has played a central role in fostering the growth and development of the community.

We are delighted to welcome these new scholars and their mentors into the Stanford Pulmonary Biology Training community! 

Sincerely,

Mark Nicolls M.D.
Angela Rogers M.D.
David Cornfield M.D.
 

May 23, 2024

Please join the PACCM division in congratulating Benita Kaeding on her 30th Anniversary at Stanford University today!

Benita has been the PACCM Division Manager since 2008, when she stepped up as the interim DM, while also being the DM for Endocrinology. There is no one else we would want as our Division Manager, leading us through all the highs and lows. Her experience, knowledge, and determination has helped the division change, grow, and has fostered the very best for our faculty, staff, and trainees. We are extremely grateful that Benita has chosen to spend half her Stanford career supporting our division.  

Benita – truly, thank you for everything you have done for our division and all of us. PACCM and DoM would, without a doubt, not be the same without you. 30 years at Stanford is an incredible milestone, and we are proud of everything you have accomplished!

March 13, 2024

The PACCM division is happy to announce that several of our talented young researchers from Drs. Desai and de Jesus Perez's laboratories have been awarded new grant funding.  

Dr. Nicholas Juul is a recipient of the Parker B. Francis Award, a highly competitive grant in pulmonary biology; receiving this distinction has proven to be highly predictive of academic success in our field.  Nick will study methylation to determine the cellular origins of lung adenocarcinoma in humans as well as define epigenetic determinants of the response to Wnt signaling in lung adenocarcinoma. Dr. Tushar Desai is mentor and Prof. Roel Nusse, co-mentor, on this grant.  

Dr. Stuti Agarwal has received a similarly competitive American Heart Association (AHA) Career Development Award. Stuti will study how insufficiency of carboxylesterase 1 (Ces1) plays a role in metabolic reprogramming and endothelial dysfunction in the pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension.  Dr. Vinicio de Jesus Perez is Stuti's mentor for this award.

Dr. Eleana Guardado received the UCSF Pediatric Pulmonary T32 award. Eleana will be studying pediatric right ventricular failure; she is also mentored by Vinicio.

Congratulations to our talented PACCM scientists for these fantastic new awards!

March 12, 2024

Clinical Professor Michelle Cao was awarded 'Woman of the Year' by the California Thoracic Society at their annual meeting held in Monterey from March 7th-10th. Michelle is a leader in the field of respiratory care for patients with neuromuscular disease. Please see her recent publication in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society (aka The White Journal) entitled "Roadmap for Advancing a New Subspecialty in Pulmonary Medicine Devoted to Chronic Respiratory Failure" DOI: https://doi.org/10.1513/AnnalsATS.202309-810IP. The Stanford PACCM Division has made great strides in the ranks of the CTS leadership under Michelle's stewardship (and past-Presidency).

Clinical Assistant Professor Gaurav Singh was elected as CTS Treasurer in January meaning he is on the path for being the future CTS President. Congratulations to both Michelle and Gaurav for their outstanding work! Both Michelle and Gaurav have also been instrumental in the ongoing development of our sleep-related training program in collaboration with our Sleep Medicine colleagues in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

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