The Northeast Pulmonary Teaching Conference

Dr. Pierson was born in Oregon and received his undergraduate education at Oregon State University.  He earned his MD degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1969, and subsequently did his internal medicine internship and one year of residency at that institution.  Following this he completed his residency at the University of Colorado, and then did a two-year fellowship in pulmonary diseases there, under Dr. Thomas Petty.  After two years of military service in Germany, Dr. Pierson was appointed to the faculty of the University of Washington School of Medicine, and became Medical director of Respiratory Care at Harborview Medical Center, in 1976.  He still holds both positions, and is currently Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine.  Dr. Pierson has written or edited 6 books, 75 research papers and case reports, and 200 reviews, book chapters, and editorials, on a wide variety of topics relating to pulmonary disease and respiratory care.  His research interests include intensive respiratory care (including ventilator management and complications), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and the international development of the respiratory care profession.  In the last 10 years Dr. Pierson has had 36 visiting professorships or invited lectureships outside the United States, and has received several major honors in the respiratory care field, including becoming only one of 3 physicians (to date) to have been named a Fellow of the AARC.  Since 1997 he has been Editor in Chief of Respiratory Care, Journal of the American Association for Respiratory Care, and also edits the monthly newsletter Critical Care Alert.  He is currently the chair of the Critical Care Policy and Test Writing Committee of the American Board of Internal Medicine.