ALAT: Asociación Latinoamericana de Tórax
españolThe Latin-American Thoracic Society, ALAT, is the novel respiratory society founded in 1996. It is an international medical association with over 6,000 members from all LA and other countries , including Spain and Portugal, Spanish and Portuguese language doctors and allied health professionals.
Latin America with a surface of 21.069.501 Km2 has a population of 549 million inhabitants, covering an area as huge as Western Europe or USA and Canada together.
ALAT has been committed to the prevention and management of diseases of the chest, affiliates continuous education, communication and research, advocacy to reduce risk factors and promote public health initiatives to improve Respiratory Health. Emphasis is made towards Tuberculosis control, a remaining prevalent disease in large areas of LA.
In the last years , as a member of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), ALAT has strengthened relationship with allied societies: American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), American Thoracic Society (ATS), Asia Pacific Society of Respirology (APSR), European Respiratory Society (ERS), International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), Pan African Thoracic Society (PATS), Sociedad Española de Neumologia y Cirugia Torácica (SEPAR) and Pulmonology Portuguese Society (SPP).
ALAT two major commitments for LA:
- Advocacy towards TB and Tobacco Control
- Awareness and Management of COPD
Congress
- ALAT congress gathers every 2 years, 3000-4000 participants from all LA countries including Mexico, Caribbean, Spanish and Portuguese speakers.
- Symposium are being now organized, altogether with all allied respiratory societies as a new modality of cooperation, already running with ACCP, ATS and ERS for next ALAT Congress in Lima, Peru, from 2nd to 6th October 2010. (www.alatorax.org)
Continuing Medical Education
- To provide education in the areas of pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine, ALAT is organized in 14 Scientific Assemblies.
- Itinerant educational courses are dictated at every LA regional Congress and posted at the website to me locally reproduced.
- The website www.alatorax.org offers besides the presentations and educational material from the courses, an electronic journal ¨ RESPIRAR¨ with the latest publications in the different respiratory areas, interactive, with experts comments.
- A discussion forum is opened to all society members.
Research
- ALAT has conducted a major Epidemiologic Study on Respiratory Health to acknowledge the Epidemiology of COPD in Latinamerica: PLATINO, all information available is in: www.platino-alat.org
Publications
- ¨Archivos de Bronconeumologia ¨ is the official journal of the Latin American Thoracic Society (ALAT) and Spanish Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR), a peer-reviewed monthly publication,(impact-factor, 1.624) leader resource in pulmonary medicine and thoracic surgery for spanish spoken respiratory health professionals. An english version of the journal is available.
Special activities in 2010, the Year of the Lung
- From January onwards: Every congress organization in a Latinamerican country is receiving the YOL declaration to be posted at the program
- Monthly ALAT delegates to sponsored Congresses will post a short form declaration on every presentation
- March to December Scheduled countries delegates advocacy with representatives of Health Ministries.
- 2-5 October, ALAT Annual Meeting ,VII Congress Lima, Peru
- 14 October: World spirometry day, all around Latinamerican countries. ALAT coordinated
