07:30-08:00

Registration, Continental Breakfast, Exhibit Fair

Session 1: Lung Cancer Screening and Early Detection

07:45- 08:00

Welcome and Introduction
Essam Mekhaiel MD
Medical Director, Interventional Pulmonology, Advocate Health Care

8:00-8:20

Updates in Lung Cancer Screening
Neeraj Desai, MD, MBA, FACP, FCCP, D-AABIP
Medical Director, Bronchoscopy & Interventional Pulmonology – Endeavor Health
UIC Interventional Pulmonology Fellowship Director
Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine- University of Illinois at Chicago  

08:20 – 08:40

Building an Incidental Lung Nodule Program
Carla Lamb, MD, FACP, FCCP
Director of Interventional Pulmonary Medicine
Director of Interventional Pulmonary Fellowship Program 
Director of Bronchoscopy
Diplomate of AABIP 
President of American Association for Bronchology & Interventional Pulmonology (AABIP)

08:40– 09:00

Lung Nodule Risk Stratification and Biomarker  Classifiers
Kevin Haas, MD
Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Allergy - University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)
Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine
Associate Program Director - Pulmonary & Critical Care Fellowship
Director, Interventional Pulmonary – Jesse Brown VA Chicago

9:00-9:20

Artificial Intelligence in Lung Nodule Imaging
Christopher Kapp, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Associate Program Director for IP Fellowship – Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

9:20-9:40

rEBUS & Ultrathin Bronchoscopy
 Alexander Chen, MD
Director, Interventional Pulmonology
Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Associate Professor of Surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine

9:40-10:00

Cone-Beam CT and Augmented Fluoroscopy 
Wolfgang Hohenforst-Schmidt, MD
Germany

10:00– 10:20

Coffee Break / Exhibit Fair

Session 2: Optimizing Diagnosis

10:20– 10:40

Pathology Updates in Lung Nodule Evaluation
Imran Uraizee, MD
Associate Pathologist and Cytopathologist – Midwest Diagnostic Pathology, SC
Department of Pathology – Advocate Christ Medical Center

10:40– 11:00

The Impact of Cone-Beam CT in Peripheral Bronchoscopy
Essam Mekhaiel, MD, FCCP, DAABIP
Interventional Pulmonologist & Pulmonary Critical Care Physician, Director of Interventional Pulmonology,
Advocate Christ Medical Center

11:00– 11:20

Breath Hold & Apneic Oxygenation During Robotic Bronchoscopy
Ali Jiwani, MD, MCs
Director of Interventional Pulmonology – Orlando Health Care Institute

11:20– 11:40

The Novel UCP-EBUS in Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Staging
Mohammed Munavvar, MD, DNB, FRCP (Lon), FRCP (Edin)
Consultant Chest Physician/Interventional Pulmonologist , Lancashire Teaching Hospitals
Honorary Clinical Professor, University of Central Lancashire
Honorary Visiting Professor, University of Greater Manchester
Honorary Senior Lecturer, University of Manchester
Head, Assembly 14, European Respiratory Society

11:40-12:00

Never Lose the Target: Real-Time Radial EBUS-Guided Cryobiopsy
Miguel Ariza, MD
Interventional Pulmonologist - Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias (HUCA)
Vice President - Spanish Association of Respiratory Endoscopy (AEER)

12:00 – 12:45

Lunch Break / Exhibit Fair

Session 3: Management of Early Lung Cancer

12:45-1:05

Cryoablation: Treat and Resect
Jennifer Duke, MD, MSCI
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Thoracic Surgery - Vanderbilt University Medical Center  

1:05-1:25

Surgery in Early Stage Lung Cancer
Paul J. Gordon, MD
Thoracic Surgeon, Director Thoracic Oncology - Advocate Christ Medical Center

1:25-1:45

From Procedure to Payment: Navigating Billing and Coding in Interventional Pulmonology
Kim French

1:45- 2:05

Lung Nodule Year-in-Review: Key Studies and Updates from 2026
Sonali Sethi, MD, FCCP
Director, Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Staging Program
Program Director for Interventional Pulmonary Fellowship & Fellows Procedural Training
President-Elect American Association of Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology, Respiratory Institute - Department of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine & Transplant Center - Cleveland Clinic

2:05-2:20

Point-Counterpoint Debate: Should All High-Risk Pulmonary Nodules Be Biopsied?
Paul Gordon, MD vs. Essam Mekhaiel

2:20-2:45

Break/Exhibit Fair

Session 4: Rapid-Fire Clinical Pearls

2:45-3:00

Sybil and AI: Redefining Lung Cancer Risk Prediction
Mary Pasquinelli, DNP, FNP-BC, CTTS
Director, Lung Screening Program - University of Illinois at Chicago

3:00-3:20

Point Counterpoint Debate—When Technology Changes the Equation: Should We Biopsy Sub-8 mm Pulmonary Nodules?
Essam Mekhaiel, MD, FCCP, DAABIP
Interventional Pulmonologist & Pulmonary Critical Care Physician, Director of Interventional Pulmonology - Advocate Christ Medical Center

Mounir Ghali, MD, DAABIP
Director, Interventional Pulmonology Division
Vice Section Chief, Pulmonology
Chief of Thoracic Division for the Cancer Network of West Michigan

3:20-3:35

The Non-Diagnostic Bronchoscopy: What Happens Next?
Christopher Kapp, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Associate Program Director for IP Fellowship – Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

3:35-3:50

Beyond Diagnostic Yield: Molecular Adequacy in Peripheral Bronchoscopy
Mahir Khan, MD
Hematology/Oncology Physician – Advocate South Chicagoland

3:50-4:05

The Lung Nodule Phenotype: A Practical Classification for Clinical Decision-Making
Sameer Arbat, MBBS, MD, FCCP
Interventional Pulmonologist – One Healthcare, Nagpur, India
Chair, Media Committee – World Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology

4:05-4:20

Panel Discussion and Audience Questions

4:20

Closing Remarks