To My Dearest ICS Family,

Serving as your Secretary is both a privilege and a responsibility I deeply cherish. Since its inception in 1980, the Indian Chest Society (ICS) has remained our mother organisation—uniting respiratory physicians nationwide with a shared commitment to academics, research, and nurturing future pulmonologists.

I had the honour of taking over this responsibility at NAPCON Jaipur from our very own past Secretary, Dr. Raja Dhar. His immense contribution has set high standards. I step into this role with humility and determination to strengthen academics and research and build further on the strong foundation laid by our previous Governing Body. I look forward to your strong support and encouragement as always to make this possible.

Empowering Young Pulmonologists
Supporting early-career pulmonologists remains central to our vision. We aim to create structured opportunities for them to:
• Serve as faculty at local, regional, and national platforms
• Pursue structured fellowships in sub-specialty areas
• Participate in locally relevant, nationally representative research.

ICS has already developed national registries for ILD and Bronchiectasis, and we plan to expand research initiatives to generate robust Indian data across respiratory diseases.

NAPCON – Raising the Benchmark
NAPCON Jaipur 2025 was a resounding success, with 3,708 registrations and 1,354 workshop participants, setting new benchmarks. We now look forward to NAPCON 2026 in Kolkata (29th–31st October & 1st November 2026) and request your wholehearted support to make it even bigger and better.

Strengthening Academic Networks & Global Collaboration
ICS continues to expand national and international collaborations, especially with the European Respiratory Society (ERS). Our joint fellowship initiatives are important milestones, and we aim to extend collaborations across South Asia and other continents.

I am delighted to share that the 2nd Edition of the ICS-ERS India Summit 2026 was successfully conducted in Hyderabad and Delhi, with the entire ERS leadership present. The Summit was a thunderous success and witnessed 1,215 physical delegates and 1,804 online participants, reflecting remarkable engagement. We now look forward to the 3rd Edition of ICS ERS Summit in 2027 with even greater academic depth.

Certification Courses & Skill Development
Our Sleep Certification Course has been one of the most encouraging initiatives of this tenure. The programme included 10 online modules and 5 State-of-the-Art hands-on workshops across the country. Each online module was a stupendous success and witnessed 2000+ participants in every module. Hands-on Workshops have never seen such attendance before with Bangalore having 273 participants, Delhi having 203 participants, Kolkata having 184 participants, Mumbai having 282 participants and Lucknow having 275 participants. The enthusiasm of our colleagues reaffirms the growing importance of sleep medicine in India. With such overwhelming participation, we are motivated to introduce many other certification courses which will be equally well structured.

Inclusive Growth: Engaging the Paramedical Workforce
Through Affiliate Membership for Paramedics, ICS has begun empowering and integrating our paramedical colleagues into the respiratory ecosystem through dedicated academic and networking activities.

Webinars & Academic Endorsements
ICS Webinars have evolved into a strong national academic platform, with an average of 1,500+ logins per session. Sessions are curated to address clinically relevant topics in tuberculosis, airway diseases, ILD, sleep medicine, critical care, pulmonary infections, emerging technologies, and evolving guidelines. ICS also continues to endorse multiple national and international academic programmes, and we aim to expand these initiatives further.

Advocacy & Public Health Commitment
At a time when TB, COPD, asthma, ILD, and sleep disorders remain major public health concerns, undergraduate exposure to respiratory medicine is essential. ICS is actively engaging with government authorities to reinstate Respiratory Medicine in the undergraduate curriculum, and advocacy of this cause will remain a vital pillar of our work.

Guidelines & Protocol Development
ICS is currently developing Non-Invasive Ventilation (NIV) and Cough Guidelines and also Indian Guidelines on APC, Cryotherapy & Cautery in Interventional Pulmonology through structured, consensus-driven processes. We also plan to update existing guidelines and develop new ones across key respiratory domains to standardise care, improve patient outcomes, and reduce variability in practice nationwide. A Personal Commitment
As your Secretary, I believe inclusivity and accessibility must define our functioning. Every region and city should feel represented. I warmly invite your ideas and feedback—each communication will be heard with respect and, wherever feasible, translated into action. With the support of our dedicated administrative and academic teams, and with your continued trust, I am confident we will take ICS to even greater heights.

With Warm Regards and Gratitude,

Dr Amita Nene
National Secretary,
Indian Chest Society