A practical approach to Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILD)
The Indian Council of Medical Research’s Network of Pulmonary Fibrosis (INPF) and the Department of Pulmonary Medicine, CMC Vellore Ranipet Campus, jointly organised a comprehensive workshop on, A Practical Approach to Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILD) on October 25th – 26th, 2024. The workshop aimed to enhance knowledge and skills in diagnosing and managing ILDs for beginners and to foster collaboration among specialists for better patient outcomes. The course was directed by Dr. D.J. Christopher, Professor of the Department of Pulmonary Medicine, and coordinated by Dr. Barney Isaac T.J., Professor and Head, Department of Pulmonary Medicine & lead-ILD services of the department.
The inaugural ceremony started with a welcome address by Dr. D.J. Christopher and a description of the course content by Dr. Barney Isaac. This was followed by felicitations by Dr. Vijay Hadda, the lead of INPF and Professor, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Sleep and Critical Care, AIIMS, New Delhi, Dr. Deepak Selvaraj, Associate Director (Ranipet); Dr. Uday George Zachariah, Associate Director (Chittoor) and Dr. Balamugesh T, Associate Medical Superintendent. Rev. Romit, chaplain, led the inaugural ceremony with prayer and committed the workshop for God’s glory. The participants for the 2-day workshop included 80 delegates, including 35 from other institutions. The workshop featured 18 case-based didactic lectures carefully curated to provide a nuanced understanding of ILD, delivered by several distinguished faculty from several departments (Rheumatology, Pathology, Palliative care, Paediatrics) of CMC and other premier institutions (AIIMS New Delhi, JIPMER, St John’s Bangalore, PGIMER Chandigarh, SRMC Chennai, Yashodha Hyderabad, SKIMS Srinagar). A unique highlight of the workshop was the mock Multidisciplinary Team Discussion (MDD) of 7 complex ILD cases, allowing delegates to engage with real-world scenarios and hone their decision-making skills. The delegates actively participated in the discussions, which were moderated by a MDD panel of Pulmonologists, Radiologists, Rheumatologists, Pathologists, Palliative care specialists and a lung transplantation physician.
Dr. Meera Thomas, Professor and Head, Department of General Pathology, CMC Vellore, graced the valedictory ceremony as the Chief Guest. She addressed the gathering and distributed certificates to delegates. Dr. Vignesh Kumar K, Assistant Professor, and Dr Priya N, Associate Professor of the Department of Pulmonary Medicine who are members of the departmental ILD team delivered the vote of thanks and the closing prayer respectively.
The participants benefitted greatly from the workshop and the expert faculty did a great job of communicating a complicated disease condition in a simple fashion. The mock ILD MDD was specifically appreciated. The event successfully achieved its objectives of enhancing the knowledge and skills of delegates in managing ILD. We praise the Lord for enabling us to conduct this workshop in this important but challenging area of Pulmonary Medicine.
