<strong>Jeffrey Drazen, MD,</strong>  is a pulmonologist, critical care physician, and NEJM Group Editor. He is a Senior Physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Distinguished Parker B. Francis Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Professor of Physiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, and Adjunct Professor of Medicine at the Boston University School of Medicine. Dr. Drazen served as Editor in Chief of the New England Journal of Medicine from 2000–2019.

NEJM Resident360 > Rotation Prep > Pulmonology > Pulmonology

Introduction

<div class="onepub-jats-front" id="10.1056/r360.i000904-front"><div class="onepub-jats-metadata two-column table"><div class="onepub-jats-row"><div class="onepub-jats-cell"><div class="onepub-jats-metadata-group"></div></div></div></div><div class="onepub-jats-metadata centered"></div></div><div class="onepub-jats-body" id="10.1056/r360.i000904-body"><div class="onepub-jats-section-container"><div class="onepub-introduction"><div class="onepub-jats-main-title"><h6 class="onepub-jats-title introduction">Introduction</h6></div><p><b>For information on Covid-19, please see the <a href="https://www.nejm.org/coronavirus" class="onepub-link-primary" target="_blank">NEJM Coronavirus (Covid-19) Topic Page</a>.</b></p><div class="onepub-jats-section-title"><h1 class="onepub-jats-title"><b>Introduction</b></h1></div><p>This rotation guide contains useful resources to help you care for patients with a variety of lung problems in the outpatient setting; these issues are often evaluated by pulmonary specialists.</p><p>We provide&nbsp;a primer on obtaining histories, performing physical examinations, initiating diagnostic workups, and caring for patients with lung problems. Lung conditions provide an enriched learning context for the study of normal and abnormal physiology of lung function, clinical examination findings, and the pharmacology of drugs that alter lung function.</p><p><b>This rotation guide covers the following common lung conditions and topics:</b></p><ul class="onepub-jats-list-unordered"><li><p><a href="https://resident360.nejm.org/rotation-prep/pulmonology/copd/fast-facts" class="onepub-link-primary" target="_blank">Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://resident360.nejm.org/rotation-prep/pulmonology/asthma/fast-facts" class="onepub-link-primary" target="_blank">Asthma</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://resident360.nejm.org/rotation-prep/pulmonology/interstitial-lung-disease/fast-facts" class="onepub-link-primary" target="_blank">Interstitial Lung Disease</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://resident360.nejm.org/rotation-prep/pulmonology/obstructive-sleep-apnea/fast-facts" class="onepub-link-primary" target="_blank">Obstructive Sleep Apnea</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://resident360.nejm.org/rotation-prep/pulmonology/pulmonary-hypertension/fast-facts" class="onepub-link-primary" target="_blank">Pulmonary Hypertension</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://resident360.nejm.org/rotation-prep/pulmonology/pneumothorax/fast-facts" class="onepub-link-primary" target="_blank">Pneumothorax</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://resident360.nejm.org/rotation-prep/pulmonology/pleural-effusion/fast-facts" class="onepub-link-primary" target="_blank">Pleural Effusion</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://resident360.nejm.org/rotation-prep/pulmonology/bronchiectasis/fast-facts" class="onepub-link-primary" target="_blank">Bronchiectasis</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://resident360.nejm.org/rotation-prep/pulmonology/cystic-fibrosis/fast-facts" class="onepub-link-primary" target="_blank">Cystic Fibrosis</a><tt><br class="onepub-jats-br"></tt><tt><br class="onepub-jats-br"></tt></p></li></ul><p><b>Other topics related to pulmonology are covered in the following rotation guides:</b></p><ul class="onepub-jats-list-unordered"><li><p><a href="https://resident360.nejm.org/rotation-prep/allergy-immunology/rhinitis-conjunctivitis-sinusitis/fast-facts" class="onepub-link-primary" target="_blank">Allergic Rhinitis/Sinusitis</a> (Allergy/Immunology)</p></li><li><p><a href="https://resident360.nejm.org/rotation-prep/infectious-diseases/pneumonia/fast-facts" class="onepub-link-primary" target="_blank">Pneumonia</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://resident360.nejm.org/rotation-prep/infectious-diseases/tuberculosis/fast-facts" class="onepub-link-primary" target="_blank">Tuberculosis</a> (Infectious Diseases)</p></li><li><p><a href="https://resident360.nejm.org/rotation-prep/ambulatory-care/acute-respiratory-tract-infection/fast-facts" class="onepub-link-primary" target="_blank">Acute Respiratory Tract Infection</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://resident360.nejm.org/rotation-prep/ambulatory-care/smoking-cessation/fast-facts" class="onepub-link-primary" target="_blank">Smoking Cessation</a> (Ambulatory Care)</p></li><li><p><a href="https://resident360.nejm.org/rotation-prep/hematology/vte-and-anticoagulation/fast-facts" class="onepub-link-primary" target="_blank">Venous Thromboembolism and Anticoagulation</a> (Hematology)</p></li><li><p><a href="https://resident360.nejm.org/rotation-prep/critical-care/ventilation/fast-facts" class="onepub-link-primary" target="_blank">Respiratory Failure and Ventilation</a>, <a href="https://resident360.nejm.org/rotation-prep/critical-care/ards/fast-facts" class="onepub-link-primary" target="_blank">Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome</a> (Critical Care)<tt><br class="onepub-jats-br"></tt><tt><br class="onepub-jats-br"></tt></p></li></ul><p>See <a href="https://resident360.nejm.org/content_items/next-steps-10" class="onepub-link-primary" target="_blank">Next Steps</a>&nbsp;if you are interested in a career in pulmonology and are looking for more information on conferences, training, and other opportunities.</p><div class="onepub-grayBox"><p>This rotation guide was developed by a collaborative team of contributors, including:<tt><br class="onepub-jats-br"></tt><b>Writers:</b> Ahmad Zaheen, MD MSc; Ramya Ramaswami, MD; James Yeh, MD (NEJM Fellows)<tt><br class="onepub-jats-br"></tt><b>Peer Reviewers:</b> Bradley Wertheim, MD; Adel El Boueiz, MD<tt><br class="onepub-jats-br"></tt><b>Section Expert:</b> Jeffrey Drazen, MD<tt><br class="onepub-jats-br"></tt><b>Senior Editor:</b> Ole-Petter Hamnvik, MB BCh BAO, MMSc<tt><br class="onepub-jats-br"></tt><b>Last Updated:</b> June 2021 by Siri Kadire, MD</p></div></div></div></div>