CTS Awards

coming soon

Dr. Sarmiento is a Professor of Medicine at UC San Francisco and the executive director for VA’s National Sleep Medicine Program. Her interests and expertise are in program development, health services research and implementation of strategies that improve access, reduce disparities, lower cost, and eliminate low-value steps in obtaining care.

coming soon

Krystal works in the UC Davis University of California Asthma Network (UCAN) and Reversible Obstructive Airways Disease (ROAD) as an RT Coordinator and Case Manager. She received her Graduate Degree in Respiratory Care from Boise State University in 2020. Krystal is currently working on population health initiatives for asthma and COPD and received the Mallickrodt Literary Award in 2025 from the AARC for her publication on integrating RT case managers into COPD clinical care. She is also on the editorial board for Respiratory Care Reports.

Originally from the Imperial Valley, CA. After high school, I considered multiple career paths, including law enforcement, farming, construction, and joining the Marines. Ultimately, my passion for healthcare and desire to make a positive impact led me to pursue respiratory therapy. Inspired by my mother’s work in the radiology dept at the local hospital and a chance encounter with a bedside lab technician, I discovered my calling in respiratory therapy. I was drawn to the combination of compassion, clinical expertise, and analytical thinking involved in caring for patients. After graduating as a respiratory therapist, I received an offer to join a Sleep Medicine Clinic as a bilingual therapist and worked in sleep medicine for about five years before joining the VA San Diego Sleep Medicine Department where I have been for over 10 years.

The VA has always been a destination where I envisioned long-term growth and commitment. My initial interest in the Marine Corps from high school remains a motivating factor, as working for the VA allows me to honor those who served and pay respect to Veterans. I find great fulfillment in providing the best possible care to those who served, and I plan to stay in this field for his entire career. I continue to challenge myself and grow professionally and personally, appreciating the reward of making a positive difference in his patients' lives every day.

Throughout my career at the VA San Diego Healthcare System, I have consistently sought to improve operational efficiency, patient safety, and access to care through innovative initiatives and dedicated teamwork.

Highlights of my contributions include:

• Establishing the Sleep Medicine Consult Committee, which improved appointment accuracy, reduced scheduling errors, and increased productivity—leading to shorter wait times and better patient access.
• Leading logistics efforts by replacing 200 recalled CPAP units, recouping $86,000 in inventory, and ensuring Veterans continued access to essential therapy.
• Revamping communication systems by redesigning the sleep clinic phone routing, which streamlined patient calls, reduced wait times, and improved overall satisfaction for approximately 180 callers weekly.
• Advancing patient care access by decreasing sleep testing and CPAP setup wait times from 60 to 30 days through increased scheduling capacity and workflow improvements.
• Collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to develop a sleep-specific suicide prevention workflow, ensuring comprehensive patient safety and mental health support.
• Fostering community partnerships with Community Dental Clinica, expanding access to custom oral appliances for Veterans across multiple locations.
• Maintaining high standards of compliance and readiness by successfully completing multiple Joint Commission mock audits with perfect scores.
• Supporting staff development and morale through organized appreciation events including a week long Respiratory Care Week appreciation for the entire Sleep Respiratory Therapist staff that included educational trainings, VA mental health practitioner led talks about future plans with further strengthening our collaborative care and developing new strategic initiatives to expedite patient care, training sessions with MRDs, , and recognition efforts, fostering a positive team environment.
• Providing timely, compassionate support to Veterans and colleagues, such as same-day PAP setups and real-time troubleshooting during phone calls, earning numerous kudos from interdisciplinary teams.

My approach is rooted in the core principles of skill, compassion, teamwork and innovation. I am dedicated to delivering the highest quality respiratory care, continuously seeking ways to improve patient outcomes and enhance the Veteran experience.

Angela Wang is a prominent figure in the field of pulmonary medicine, currently serving as the Medical Director of Outpatient Pulmonary at UC San Diego Health. With a strong commitment to advancing healthcare and promoting gender equity within the medical community, Dr. Wang has made significant contributions through her leadership roles and clinical expertise.

Dr. Wang earned her Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree from the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine. Following her medical education, she pursued specialized training in pulmonary medicine at the University of California, San Francisco - School of Medicine, where she honed her skills and knowledge in treating respiratory conditions.

Dr. Wang as a member of the American Thoracic Society (ATS) served on the Board and was a Chairperson. Her involvement with ATS reflects her dedication to advancing research, education, and advocacy in thoracic medicine. In addition to her national roles, Dr. Wang has made significant contributions at the state level through her work with the California Thoracic Society as a past president. She successfully designed and launched an annual Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Symposium aimed at educating healthcare professionals about best practices in managing this prevalent condition.

UC San Diego Health

At UC San Diego Health, Dr. Wang holds dual roles as both the Medical Director of Outpatient Pulmonary and Chair of the Department of Medicine Gender Equity Committee. In her capacity as Medical Director, she oversees outpatient services for patients with pulmonary diseases, ensuring high-quality care and innovative treatment options are available to those suffering from respiratory ailments.

Scripps Clinic

Before her current role at UC San Diego Health, Dr. Wang worked as a pulmonologist at Scripps Clinic, where she provided comprehensive care for patients with various pulmonary disorders.

Dr. Gaurav Singh is a Staff Physician in the Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine Section at VA Palo Alto Health Care System, where he serves as the pulmonary/critical lead for the virtual integrated services network (VISN). He is also an affiliated Clinical Assistant Professor of the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine at Stanford University. He completed his undergraduate studies in molecular and cellular biology at UC Berkeley, where he also completed a Master of Public Health (MPH). He received his medical degree from UC San Francisco. He completed residency training in internal medicine, followed by pulmonary and critical care fellowship as well as sleep medicine fellowship all at Stanford University. Dr. Singh chaired the annual California Thoracic Society (CTS) conference for three years, and he is currently serving on the executive committee. His clinical, research, and academic interests include chronic obstructive airways disease (COPD), chronic respiratory failure, and non-invasive ventilation.

Dr. Michelle Cao is a board-certified, fellowship-trained pulmonologist, sleep medicine specialist, and intensivist (a doctor who cares for patients in intensive care units) with Stanford Health Care. She is a clinical professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. She completed a fellowship in sleep medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine and a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine.

Dr. Cao specializes in providing home assisted ventilation (breathing assistance) to people living with chronic respiratory failure, such as those with neuromuscular disease. She has experience helping people with all types of respiratory conditions and sleep-related breathing disorders, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), sleep apnea, and hypoventilation syndromes. Dr. Cao is at the forefront of the latest advances in noninvasive ventilation, and she creates a personalized care plan for each of her patients.

Dr. Cao’s clinical research interests include helping people with chronic respiratory failure adhere to a noninvasive ventilation program. She has also written about the emerging need for a new subspecialty in medicine devoted to caring for people with chronic respiratory failure.

Dr. Cao’s articles have appeared in many peer-reviewed publications, including Annals of the American Thoracic Society, Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine, and Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. She has authored more than a dozen book chapters on sleep-related breathing disorders and neuromuscular diseases.

Dr. Cao edited An Introduction to Sleep Disorders, which was published by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine in 2019. She has served as a reviewer for several publications, including CHEST Journal, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Dr. Cao has presented her research and shared her expertise at conferences in the United States and around the globe. She has been invited to speak about a range of topics, including the latest advances in home mechanical ventilation and sleep disordered breathing. She has spoken at international conferences for the American Thoracic Society (ATS), the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST), the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (SLEEP), and many more.

Dr. Cao is a fellow of CHEST and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). She is a member of ATS and the California Thoracic Society, where she served as president.

Brian Block biography coming soon.

Susan Murin, M.D., M.Sc., M.B.A., is the Interim Dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine and leads the nationally ranked medical school in its education, research, clinical care, and community partnership missions. Dr. Murin most recently served as Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs and Executive Director of the UC Davis Medical Group. She previously served as Chief of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs and Executive Vice Chair of Internal Medicine, and Chief of the Medical Staff at UC Davis.

Her past national service has included membership on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Internal Medicine RRC, Chair of the Pulmonary Medicine test-writing committee for the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), member of the ABIM Pulmonary Board, and Chair of the Association of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Program Directors. She has a long history of service to professional societies in various roles and recently served as Deputy Editor of CHEST, a leading respiratory journal.

Dr. Murin received her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University and completed her medical degree at New York University School of Medicine. She did her residency in Internal Medicine at NYU-Bellevue and fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Yale University/Yale-New Haven Hospital. She subsequently received an M.Sc. in Clinical Epidemiology (with a concentration in Clinical Effectiveness) from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and an M.B.A. from the UC Davis Graduate School of Management.

Immediately after her clinical training, Dr. Murin served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force Medical Corps and has subsequently had a long tenure at UC Davis while also serving veterans through a joint appointment at the Mather Veterans Administration facility. She has been repeatedly named to Best Doctors lists regionally and nationally, practicing and teaching at UC Davis and the Sacramento VA Hospital.

Dr. Murin's research has focused on the effects of smoking on the natural history of breast cancer and the epidemiology of venous thromboembolism

Nicholas Andreas Kolaitis, MD MAS is pulmonologist and director of bronchoscopy at the University of California, San Francisco. His clinical interests lie in pulmonary hypertension and lung transplantation. Dr. Kolaitis earned his medical degree at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, followed by fellowships in lung transplantation and pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, where he also obtained a master’s degree in clinical research. He is currently serving as the vice chair of the Pulmonary Hypertension Association Registry and vice chair for the American Thoracic Society Health Policy Committee. He is a member of the editorial boards for the CHEST Journal and the Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation Open. He also serves on the Scientific Leadership Council for the Pulmonary Hypertension Association and the executive board of the California Thoracic Society. He has been recognized with various awards, including the Jeffrey Golden Outstanding Clinical Fellow Award, the Michael Stulbarg Outstanding Teaching Award, the California Thoracic Society Outstanding Clinician Award, and the distinctions of being recognized as an American Thoracic Society Fellow and an International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation Fellow.

Dr. Tisha Wang received her MD from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, graduating with highest honors. She completed her internal medicine residency and pulmonary/critical care fellowship at UCLA before joining the faculty at UCLA in 2008. Dr. Wang is currently a Professor of Clinical Medicine in the David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM) at UCLA, where she serves as the Senior Executive Clinical Vice Chair for the Department of Medicine (DOM). She is board-certified in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. In addition to providing clinical care in the ICU and clinic, Dr. Wang was the UCLA pulmonary/critical care fellowship program director for 10 years until 2021 and also served as Clinical Chief of the UCLA Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep Medicine, Allergy and Immunology until 2023. She was the co-director of the pandemic response team at UCLA and subsequently catalyzed the formation of the UCLA DOM Wellness Committee in 2021 to focus on physician well-being after noticing the effects of the pandemic on an already burned-out workforce.

In her academic career, Dr. Wang has had the privilege of educating and mentoring hundreds of residents, fellows, staff, and junior/mid-level faculty. She has been nominated for multiple teaching awards both locally and nationally and was awarded the UCLA Serge & Yvette Dadone Clinical Teaching Award in 2019. In 2020, she was honored as the recipient of the UCLA Sherman Melinkoff Award, which recognizes the “finest in doctor-patient relationships and medical education” and is considered the highest honor of the UCLA DGSOM. Recently Dr. Wang was chosen as the 2022 California Thoracic Society “Woman of the Year” and in April of this year, she graduated from the prestigious Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® (ELAM) program.

In addition to her clinical work and leadership responsibilities, Dr. Wang conducts research on rare lung disease with a focus on pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP). She is the Clinical Director and Vice President of the patient-based PAP Foundation. Dr. Wang has served as Chair of the Education Committee for the American Thoracic Society since 2020 with a seat on the ATS Board of Directors and is the current President of the California Thoracic Society. In addition to championing the well-being of physicians, her greatest joys in medicine have been focused on advocacy for women in medicine, medical educators, and patients with rare lung disease.

Dr. Shazia Jamil is the Head of Academic Affairs in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine and Professor of Medicine at Scripps Clinic and a Clinical Professor of Medicine at University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine where she is Co-Director of Pulmonary Skills session for second year medical students. She received her medical degree from Aga Khan Medical School in Pakistan, Internal Medicine residency at University of Southern California (USC), Pulmonary, Critical Care fellowship, Molecular and Cell Biology post-doctoral fellowship and Sleep Medicine training all at University of California San Diego and post-doctoral fellowship training at Harvard school of Public Health.

Dr Jamil was named California Thoracic Society (CTS) Outstanding Clinician in 2021 and American Thoracic Society (ATS) Outstanding Clinician in 2022, an award given to one recipient every year. At that time, she became the 4th woman overall and 1st Asian-American physician to receive this prestigious recognition from ATS. She is a recipient of multiple teaching and research awards from USC, Scripps Clinic, University of California, Naval Academic Medical Center and American Lung Association.

She has developed several ICU protocols for management of complex liver, transplant, COVID-19 patients and multidisciplinary measures to improve sleep in ICU and founded Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorders Clinic, one of its first kind in California. Her clinical excellence is matched by her zeal for advancing education. Over the last 15 years, she has worked assiduously to develop clinical programs, curricula, CME conferences and hands-on-skills sessions at the local, regional and national level. She founded a free CME San Diego Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Case Conference. She is co-Editor of ATS Critical Care Review Book, member of ATS Scholar editorial board and Co-Editor of Sleep research topics at Frontiers in Neurology and Chairs Education Committee at CTS. At ATS Education Committee, she served as Chair of Sleep Core Curriculum, Co-founded/Chaired Rapid Response Document Series (regularly publishes in AJRCCM) which addresses emerging lung health issues to provide rapid information (re-named as Late Breaking Education Committee in 2024 which she is Chair of). Her group published one of the first public health and clinical documents in the U.S. on SARS Co-V2 and COVID-19. She currently Co-Chairs ATS Fellows Track Symposium which trains > 200 Pulmonary/Critical Care/Sleep Medicine fellows across the U.S. in intensive 2 day course comprising of didactics and hands-on-session every year during ATS Intl’ conference and is elected as Treasurer of CTS.

Dr. Steven Hays, a pulmonologist, is medical director of the UCSF Lung Transplant Program, which is known for accepting patients with complex conditions while maintaining superior survival rates. His expertise is in caring for patients with end-stage lung disease who proceed through the lung transplant process. He treats conditions that include cystic fibrosis, emphysema associated with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, and interstitial lung disease.

In research, Hays focuses on studying how airway remodeling occurs in the transplanted lung.

Hays earned his medical degree at the University of Kansas. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center, where he served as chief resident, followed by a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at UCSF. He also completed a lung transplant fellowship at Stanford Health Care.

Tisha S. Wang MD, ATSF

Professor of Clinical Medicine, Senior Executive Clinical Vice Chair of the UCLA Department of Medicine; Clinical Director of PAP Foundation.

Dr. Tisha Wang received her MD from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, graduating with highest honors. She completed her internal medicine residency and pulmonary/critical care fellowship at UCLA before joining the faculty at UCLA in 2008. Dr. Wang is currently a Professor of Clinical Medicine in the David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM) at UCLA, where she serves as the Senior Executive Clinical Vice Chair for the Department of Medicine (DOM). She is board-certified in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. In addition to providing clinical care in the ICU and clinic, Dr. Wang was the UCLA pulmonary/critical care fellowship program director for 10 years until 2021 and also served as Clinical Chief of the UCLA Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep Medicine, Allergy and Immunology until 2023. She was the co-director of the pandemic response team at UCLA and subsequently catalyzed the formation of the UCLA DOM Wellness Committee in 2021 to focus on physician well-being after noticing the effects of the pandemic on an already burned-out workforce.

In her academic career, Dr. Wang has had the privilege of educating and mentoring hundreds of residents, fellows, staff, and junior/mid-level faculty. She has been nominated for multiple teaching awards both locally and nationally and was awarded the UCLA Serge & Yvette Dadone Clinical Teaching Award in 2019. In 2020, she was honored as the recipient of the UCLA Sherman Melinkoff Award, which recognizes the “finest in doctor-patient relationships and medical education” and is considered the highest honor of the UCLA DGSOM. Recently Dr. Wang was chosen as the 2022 California Thoracic Society “Woman of the Year” and in April of this year, she graduated from the prestigious Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® (ELAM) program.

In addition to her clinical work and leadership responsibilities, Dr. Wang conducts research on rare lung disease with a focus on pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP). She is the Clinical Director and Vice President of the patient-based PAP Foundation. Dr. Wang has served as Chair of the Education Committee for the American Thoracic Society since 2020 with a seat on the ATS Board of Directors and is the current President of the California Thoracic Society. In addition to championing the well-being of physicians, her greatest joys in medicine have been focused on advocacy for women in medicine, medical educators, and patients with rare lung disease.

Dr. Shazia Jamil is the Head of Academic Affairs in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine and Professor of Medicine at Scripps Clinic and a Clinical Professor of Medicine at University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine where she is Co-Director of Pulmonary Skills session for second year medical students. She received her medical degree from Aga Khan Medical School in Pakistan, Internal Medicine residency at University of Southern California (USC), Pulmonary, Critical Care fellowship, Molecular and Cell Biology post-doctoral fellowship and Sleep Medicine training all at University of California San Diego and post-doctoral fellowship training at Harvard school of Public Health.

Dr Jamil was named California Thoracic Society (CTS) Outstanding Clinician in 2021 and American Thoracic Society (ATS) Outstanding Clinician in 2022, an award given to one recipient every year. At that time, she became the 4th woman overall and 1st Asian-American physician to receive this prestigious recognition from ATS. She is a recipient of multiple teaching and research awards from USC, Scripps Clinic, University of California, Naval Academic Medical Center and American Lung Association.

She has developed several ICU protocols for management of complex liver, transplant, COVID-19 patients and multidisciplinary measures to improve sleep in ICU and founded Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorders Clinic, one of its first kind in California. Her clinical excellence is matched by her zeal for advancing education. Over the last 15 years, she has worked assiduously to develop clinical programs, curricula, CME conferences and hands-on-skills sessions at the local, regional and national level. She founded a free CME San Diego Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Case Conference. She is co-Editor of ATS Critical Care Review Book, member of ATS Scholar editorial board and Co-Editor of Sleep research topics at Frontiers in Neurology and Chairs Education Committee at CTS. At ATS Education Committee, she served as Chair of Sleep Core Curriculum, Co-founded/Chaired Rapid Response Document Series (regularly publishes in AJRCCM) which addresses emerging lung health issues to provide rapid information (re-named as Late Breaking Education Committee in 2024 which she is Chair of). Her group published one of the first public health and clinical documents in the U.S. on SARS Co-V2 and COVID-19. She currently Co-Chairs ATS Fellows Track Symposium which trains > 200 Pulmonary/Critical Care/Sleep Medicine fellows across the U.S. in intensive 2 day course comprising of didactics and hands-on-session every year during ATS Intl’ conference and is elected as Treasurer of CTS.