Ankit Bharat, MD, and Scott Budinger, MD, Lead the New
​NM Canning Thoracic Institute

November 18, 2021 | 3 min. to read

After successfully performing the first COVID-19 lung transplant in the U.S. and offering guidance to transplant centers around the world, Northwestern Medicine has launched Canning Thoracic Institute, investing in the fields of thoracic surgery and respiratory medicine to meet the growing patient demand for lung care. Supported by a generous $20 million gift from John and Rita Canning, Canning Thoracic Institute is committed to providing groundbreaking research, clinical breakthroughs and high-quality care for patients with diseases of the lung and chest across all regions of the health system.

“We want to create solutions for seemingly impossible problems and be the destination center for diseases of the lung and chest,” says Ankit Bharat, MD, chief of thoracic surgery at Northwestern Medicine and executive director of the Canning Thoracic Institute. “Our team leads the nation in finding new ways to fight deadly respiratory conditions such as COVID-19, which is demonstrated through the historical milestone of pioneering the first COVID-19 double-lung transplant in the nation with the best clinical outcomes worldwide.”

Leveraging world-renowned clinical experts in the fields of pulmonology and thoracic surgery, Canning Thoracic Institute will meet the growing need for lung care in these main areas:

• Expand and optimize clinical trials to advance new clinical breakthroughs
• Curate and incubate breakthrough ideas, treatments, care pathways and technology to transform patient care, such as lung bio-engineering and surgical innovation to enhance patient recovery and oncological outcomes
• Recruit and educate talented physicians and scientists
• Create a platform that allows patients from all over the country and internationally to access Northwestern Medicine’s leading-edge care

“The CTI offers Northwestern Medicine patients access to leading-edge technologies and procedures, integrates research with clinical practice to improve patient outcomes, and educates the next generation of physicians in pulmonology, critical care and thoracic surgery,” says Scott Budinger, MD, chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Northwestern Medicine and medical director of the Canning Thoracic Institute. “We’re well positioned to accelerate our impact, innovation and outcomes to meet the growing patient demand for lung care.”

Since June 2020, Dr. Bharat, Dr. Budinger and their fellow surgeons have completed more than 30 double-lung transplants on COVID-19 patients, which is the highest number performed at any health system in the world. To date, with more than 46 million Americans contracting COVID-19, demand for outpatient pulmonary care and lung transplantation is expected to grow. Additionally, lung cancer represents the most common type of cancer nationwide. And almost 1 million people in the Chicago area have a chronic lung disease, representing 10% of the overall population.

“Our response to the pandemic demonstrated our strength as an international leader for innovation and breakthrough treatments,” says Dean M. Harrison, president and chief executive officer of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare. “Thanks to this generous gift from John and Rita Canning, we’ll create a center of excellence for the treatment of the simple to the most complex respiratory illnesses and lung disease.”

To date, the team of more than 70 specialized pulmonologists, thoracic surgeons and critical care providers has accomplished multiple milestones in the field of medicine:

• First in the nation to perform a double-lung transplant on a COVID-19 patient
• First in the nation to perform a COVID-to-COVID double-lung transplant
• Internationally recognized research conducted on the mechanisms of lung damage
• First in the nation to perform minimally invasive outpatient lung cancer surgery to simultaneously diagnose and treat early-stage lung cancer
• First in the nation to perform robotic emphysema surgery
• One of only two programs in the U.S. and the only in Illinois for robotic airway surgery
• Only program in Illinois for robotic surgery for life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias and minimally invasive robotic esophageal surgery
• Referral program in the U.S. for endoscopic treatment for fistulas of airways and esophagus
• Nationally recognized subspecialty pulmonology programs for asthma and COPD, noninvasive ventilation for chronic lung disease, interstitial lung disease, occupational lung disease and interventional pulmonary medicine
• World-class partnerships that include a combined adult and pediatric cystic fibrosis program with Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago; medical and surgical care for patients with pulmonary hypertension in partnership with Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute; and specialized care for patients with spinal cord injuries at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab