Dr. Darcy Marciniuk is the first Canadian to be President of the American College of Chest Physicians

Dr. Darcy Marciniuk was installed today as the President of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) at the annual CHEST Conference held this year in Atlanta, GA. This marks the first time in the 77-year history of this prestigious organisation that a non-American has been named as the President.

Dr. Marciniuk is the Head of the Division of Respirology Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. Dr. Marciniuk was raised in Hafford, SK and obtained his MD from the University of Saskatchewan. He then completed internal medicine training at the University of Western Ontario and respiratory training in at the University of Manitoba. He returned to Saskatchewan in 1990 to join the Respiratory Division. He became Head of the Division in 2006.

Dr. Marciniuk has provided national and international leadership in the field of COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – the new name for emphysema and chronic bronchitis). He is the lead author of the Canadian guidelines for COPD management. He has conducted extensive research on COPD and developed the COPD rehabilitation program in Saskatchewan.

Dr. Marciniuk is a strong contributor to lung health. He has served on numerous committees and boards. He is a former President of the Canadian Thoracic Society and the Saskatchewan Thoracic Society. Under Dr. Marciniuk’s leadership, the Division of Respirology Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan has become one of the leading centres of respiratory care and research in the country.

The Lung Association of Saskatchewan congratulated Dr. Marciniuk and expressed its gratitude for all of the work that Dr. Marciniuk is doing in Saskatchewan, in Canada and internationally to help everyone to have healthier lungs.

“The Lung Association is very proud of Dr. Marciniuk’s amazing achievements,” said Dr. Brian Graham, CEO, Lung Association of Saskatchewan. “In 1990, Dr. Marciniuk was first recruited to Saskatchewan through a Lung Association Professorship. In 2003, the Lung Association initiated a COPD Professorship and research grant that was a key factor in retaining Dr. Marciniuk in Saskatchewan since he is in high demand by other universities,” added Dr. Graham.

“For Dr. Marciniuk, this is a special week in a sparkling career,” said Dr. Vern Hoeppner, Head of the Department of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan. “He has surmounted considerable adversity to be the only Canadian among few Americans ever to be chosen. He is an example for us all. It is with affection and esteem that we in the Department of Medicine and the College of Medicine say how proud we are to stand with him,” added Dr. Hoeppner.

“This achievement arises from the shoulders of my colleagues at the University of Saskatchewan and the Lung Association of Saskatchewan,” said Dr. Marciniuk.   “I am very cognizant of the training, and the guidance and support I’ve received over the years, right here in Saskatchewan, which now enables me to assume the leadership of the largest Pulmonary Specialty Society in the world,” added Dr. Marciniuk.

COPD is fourth leading cause of death in Canada and will soon be the third. It kills more Canadian women annually than breast cancer. COPD affects the airways of the lung, making it very difficult to breathe. COPD can also destroy the tiny air sacs in the lung which impairs the ability of the lung to bring life-giving oxygen into the body. For more information about COPD, contact the Lung Association.