Keynote Addresses By Respected Experts In Patient Care Among Upcoming Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation International Conference Program Highlights

PFF Summit 2015 agenda includes patient panelists and advocacy workshops

News provided by

Oct 08, 2015, 11:08 ET

CHICAGO, Oct. 8, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) today announced additional program details regarding the upcoming PFF Summit 2015: From Bench to Bedside, which will take place November 12-14 in Washington D.C. The Summit is an international conference focused on pulmonary fibrosis (PF), a devastating and deadly disease resulting from progressive scarring of the lungs.

"The PFF Summit 2015 is a unique event that provides a forum for both health care providers and patients to engage and collaborate," said Harold R. Collard, MD, Chair of the Summit Education and Organizing Committee. Dr. Collard is also a PFF Senior Medical Advisor and Chair of the Research Advisory Forum. "We are thrilled by the incredible group of speakers who have agreed to share their expertise with us and by the strong support that the PFF Summit 2015 is receiving from our community."

Highlights of the upcoming PFF Summit 2015 program include:

Two keynote addresses by respected experts in patient care:

"The Future of Drug Development in PF" – November 13, 8:15 a.m. ET
Janet Woodcock, MD, director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration

"Collaborative Networks as Tools for Improving Clinical Care" – November 14, 8:15 a.m. ET
Pat Furlong, president and chief executive officer, Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy
Patients participating in both plenary sessions and the patient and caregiver sessions, on panels addressing topics such as clinical trials and the PFF Care Center Network as well as sharing their perspectives on living well with pulmonary fibrosis:

"The Future of Clinical Trials in Pulmonary Fibrosis"
R. Bruce Snyder
Doug Jones, PFF Ambassador

"Leveraging the PFF Care Center Network"
Dave Sherry, PFF Ambassador, Support Group Leader Network Steering Committee Co-Chair
John Morthanos, PFF Ambassador, support group leader

"Patient Perspective: Living Well with Pulmonary Fibrosis"
Pete Mulliner, PFF Ambassador
Charolette Saunders, PFF Ambassador
A pre-conference patient and caregiver session, engaging participants in a discussion about the importance of active participation by patients and caregivers in the management of pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary rehab, and oxygen therapy, followed by interactive small group sessions on patient and caregiver coping skills:

"Taking Care of Yourself: Shared Health Care Decision Making" – November 12, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET
Two new luncheons; one designed to help participants learn the tools to effective advocacy and the next where participants will learn the results of a new survey on managing and living with PF:

Pulmonary Fibrosis Advocacy Workshop – November 13, 12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. ET

Pulmonary Fibrosis Survey Session – November 14, 12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. ET

The PFF thanks the PFF Summit 2015 Everest sponsors: Boehringer Ingelheim and Genentech; McKinley sponsor: The Edmunds, Esernia and Steffy Families; Shasta sponsors: Bayer Pharma AG, Biogen, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Inspire; Grand Teton sponsors: Veracyte, Promedior and PatientsLikeMe; and Partner sponsors: InspiRx, Inova, Spectrum Health and Fibrogen; Summit Circle for Individuals and Families: The Strickland Family and Chuck and Monica McQuaid. The Welcome Reception and Poster Presentation are made possible by our presenting sponsors and the Pete DeVito Memorial Foundation. The CME/CE program is supported by an educational grant from Gilead Sciences. Additional support is provided by Novartis and The France Foundation.

To register for the PFF Summit 2015 and learn more about the full event program, please visit www.pffsummit.org or call 888.733.6741. For sponsorship opportunities, please visit http://www.pffsummit.org/sponsors.html.

About the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation
The mission of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) is to serve as the trusted resource for the pulmonary fibrosis (PF) community by raising awareness, providing disease education, advancing care and funding research. The PFF collaborates with physicians, organizations, people with PF and caregivers worldwide. The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation has a four-star rating from Charity Navigator and is a Better Business Bureau accredited charity. The PFF Summit 2015: From Bench to Bedside, its third biennial international health care conference, will be held November 12-14, 2015 in Washington, D.C. For more information visit www.pulmonaryfibrosis.org or call 844.TalkPFF (844.825.5733) or +1 312.587.9272 from outside of the U.S.

About Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a condition in which, over a period of time, lung tissue becomes thickened, stiff and scarred. The development of the scar tissue is called fibrosis. As the lung tissue becomes scarred and grows thicker, the lungs lose their ability to transfer oxygen into the bloodstream. As a result, the brain and other organs don't receive enough oxygen. In some cases, doctors can determine the cause of the fibrosis, but in many cases, there is no known cause. When the cause of the fibrosis is unknown (and certain pathologic or radiographic criteria are met), the disease is called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis or IPF. There is no cure for IPF. Presently, there are two FDA-approved treatments for IPF in the U.S.

About PFF Summit 2015: From Bench to Bedside
PFF Summit 2015: From Bench to Bedside is the PFF's third biennial international health care conference on pulmonary fibrosis (PF). The goal of the Summit is to foster a collaborative environment to improve education and awareness of PF and to identify new approaches to treat, and ultimately cure, this devastating disease. The Summit will feature an innovative continuing medical education (CME) program for health professionals as well as provide sessions for PF patients and caregivers that address their growing educational needs. Plenary sessions for professionals, patients, and caregivers will also be presented during PFF Summit 2015, further fostering dialogue among the PF community. Conference registration is currently open. The Summit will be conducted in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). CME certification will be provided by the France Foundation, and CE credits for nurses will be provided by the Postgraduate Institute for Medicine. For more information, please visit www.pffsummit.org or call 844.TalkPFF (844.825.5733).

For Media Inquiries:
Michelle Michael
Vice President, Marketing and Communications
312.239.6628
[email protected]

SOURCE The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation