BREATHE California of Los Angeles (BREATHE LA), a nonprofit organization established in 1903 and dedicated to creating clean air and healthy lungs for Los Angeles County residents, is preparing to host its 7th Annual COPD Conference on Saturday, November 14, 2015, with the theme “Advancing the Diagnosis and Management of COPD” as well as a “Focus on COPD Exacerbations.” The event will take place at The Mark, 9320 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, starting at 8:00 a.m. and running until 12:30 p.m.

Current estimates rank chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as the third leading cause of mortality in the United States, affecting almost 550,000 in Los Angeles alone. The upcoming conference has invited a number of accomplished physicians to lead panel discussions on the latest in COPD diagnostic methods and issues pertaining to the disease and its prevalence in the city.

According to a press release, other topics to be discussed include: California Wellness Plan Goals for COPD, BREATHE California COPD Advisory Group Clinical Standards, Co-morbidities and Other Considerations in COPD Management, Diagnosis of COPD Exacerbations, Preventing COPD Exacerbations, and New Technology in the Management of COPD.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to learn more about mobile, tabletop and telehealth health care services, with stations for Spirometry and COPD monitoring demonstrations planned.

Participants in the panel discussions are:

• Guy W. Soo Hoo, MD, MPH Acting Chief, Pulmonary and Critical Care Section Director, Medical Intensive Care Unit, West Los Angeles VA Healthcare Center
• Jessica Nunez de Ybarra MD, MPH, FACPM Director of Coordination, California Wellness Plan Implementation, Chronic Disease Control Branch Division of Chronic Disease & Injury Control, California Department of Public Health
• Ahmet Baydur MD, FACP, FCCP Professor of Clinical Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California
• Raj Dasgupta, MD, FACP, FCC Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine Department of Pulmonary / Critical Care /Sleep Medicine University of Southern California
• Donald Tashkin, MD, Emeritus Professor of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
  Arthur Ohannessian, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, President, Los Angeles Chapter of the California Academy of Family Physicians

To learn more about the conference, visit www.breathela.org.