Ottawa, ON – The Canadian Lung Association and the Canadian Thoracic Society (CTS) congratulate Dr. Darcy Marciniuk, a leading respirologist and CTS member who was named yesterday as the new president of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) at the annual CHEST Conference held in Atlanta, Georgia.
This marks the first time in the 77-year history of this prestigious organization that a non-American has been named as the president.
"We are very proud and pleased that a former CTS President will now be serving at the international level with the ACCP", said Dr. Robin McFadden, President of the Canadian Thoracic Society.
"The Lung Association is very proud of Dr. Marciniuk’s amazing achievements," said Dr. Brian Graham, CEO, Lung Association of Saskatchewan."
Dr. Marciniuk is a strong contributor to lung health and has provided national and international leadership in the field of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – the new name for emphysema and chronic bronchitis).
He is a former president of the CTS and the Saskatchewan Thoracic Society, a founding member of the National Lung Health Framework Steering Committee and a former member of the Canadian Respiratory Guidelines Committee. He is also a past-chair of the CTS COPD Clinical Assembly, the CTS Long-Term Planning Committee and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada National Examination Board in Respirology
Dr. Marciniuk is the lead author of the Canadian Thoracic Society’s guidelines on the management of dyspnea in patients with advanced COPD, on Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency targeted testing and augmentation therapy, and on optimizing pulmonary rehabilitation in COPD. He has conducted extensive research on COPD and developed the COPD rehabilitation program in Saskatchewan.
"For Dr. Marciniuk, this is a special week in a sparkling career," said Dr. Vern Hoeppner, Head of the Department of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan. "He has surmounted considerable adversity to be the only Canadian among few Americans ever to be chosen. He is an example for us all. It is with affection and esteem that we in the Department of Medicine and the College of Medicine say how proud we are to stand with him," added Dr. Hoeppner.
"This achievement arises from the shoulders of my colleagues at the University of Saskatchewan and the Lung Association of Saskatchewan," said Dr. Marciniuk. "I am very cognizant of the training, and the guidance and support I’ve received over the years, right here in Saskatchewan, which now enables me to assume the leadership of the largest pulmonary specialty society in the world," added Dr. Marciniuk.
Dr. Marciniuk is the Head of the Division of Respirology Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. Dr. Marciniuk was raised in Hafford, SK and obtained his medical degree from the University of Saskatchewan. He then completed internal medicine training at the University of Western Ontario and respiratory training in at the University of Manitoba. He returned to Saskatchewan in 1990 to join the Respiratory Division. He became Head of the Division in 2006.
COPD is fourth leading cause of death in Canada and will soon be the third. It kills more Canadian women annually than breast cancer. COPD affects the airways of the lung, making it very difficult to breathe. COPD can also destroy the tiny air sacs in the lung which impairs the ability of the lung to bring life-giving oxygen into the body. For more information about COPD, visit www.lung.ca
About The Lung Association
Established in 1900, The Lung Association is one of Canada’s oldest and most respected health charities, and the leading organization for science-based information, research, education, support programs, and advocacy on lung health issues.
About the Canadian Thoracic Society
The Canadian Thoracic Society (CTS) is Canada’s national specialty society and the medical section of the Canadian Lung Association. The CTS promotes lung health by supporting the respiratory community through leadership, collaboration, research, education and advocacy, and promoting the best respiratory practices in Canada. Over 600 respirologists, researchers and other physicians working in respiratory health are members of the CTS.
