Henri G. Colt M.D., FAWM, FACP

Dr. Henri Colt at his desk in Laguna Beach, CA

Henri Colt MD, FAWM, FCCP
Professor Emeritus Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
University of California, Irvine
Philosophical practitioner certified APPA
Tel: 619-770-9990
Email: henricolt@gmail.com, website Henricolt.com

Dr. Henri Colt is an internationally recognized physician, author, and award-winning educator known for integrating science, ethics, and humanism in medicine. An Emeritus Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, he has been a transformative figure in interventional pulmonology, global medical education, and the development of competency-based procedural training. His creation of Bronchoscopy International® helped reshape how clinicians around the world learn complex airway techniques, shifting the field from “see one, do one, teach one” to structured, simulation-enhanced, learner-centered curricula.

Henri’s career reflects a deep commitment to cross-cultural understanding. Born in New York to immigrant parents, he spent formative years in France and trained at the University of Nice School of Medicine under pioneering heart surgeon Vincent Dor. Early work in infectious diseases in Manhattan during the HIV/AIDS crisis, followed by service in the French military and health care work in Africa, reinforced his belief in medicine as both a scientific and ethical calling.

He later completed fellowship training in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine under Dr. Sonia Buist at the Oregon Health Sciences University and joined Dr. Jean-François Dumon in Marseille at the Centre Laser, positioning him at the forefront of interventional pulmonology’s evolution. Henri went on to serve on the faculties of UC San Diego and UC Irvine before focusing on global education, wilderness medicine, and writing.

A Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine and an APPA-certified philosophical practitioner, Henri is known for guiding healthcare professionals through questions of meaning, burnout, moral distress, and the emotional complexities of care. He has held leadership roles in numerous medical societies, including serving as Chairman of the World Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology and as a founding member and President of the American Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology.

Henri has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, and textbooks, and has been a long-standing author and section editor for UpToDate. His recent scholarly work explores interventional pulmonology training, artificial intelligence, and computational modeling. His YouTube training videos have garnered more than one million views, and his blog, Colt’s Corner: Reflections on a Medical Journey is read by thousands around the world.

A compelling public speaker, Dr. Colt lectures internationally on medical ethics, humanism, education, spirituality, and the stories that shape the experience of illness. His writing extends beyond medicine: Picture of Health: Medical Ethics and the Movies (Oxford University Press, 2011) is an anthology of essays by experts using feature films to teach in the classroom.  30 Stories About Life & Death (2023) is a collection of Henri’s flash fiction, while Becoming Modigliani (2024), his biography of tuberculosis-plagued, Jewish-Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani, was named one of the “Best Books of 2024” by Kirkus Reviews.

When he is not traveling, Henri divides his time between Laguna Beach, California, Paris, and the South of France.

Download Dr. Colt’s faculty page here.

Selected recent publications

  1. Lentz RJ, Colt HG, Chen H et al. Assessing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission to healthcare personnel: The global ACT-HCP case-control study. Journal of Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiol 2020;1-7. doi:10.1017/ice.2020.455. download article here
  2. A study of bronchoscopy in the first six months of the pandemic now published in the Journal of Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology (download article here).
  3. Khemasuwan D and Colt HG. Applications and challenges of AI-based algorithms in the COVID-19 pandemic. BMJ Innovations 2021;7:387-398.
  4. Khemasuwan D, Sorenson JS, Colt HG. Artificial intelligence in pulmonary medicine: computer vision, predictive model, and COVID-19. Eur Respir Rev 2020:29:200181; https://doi.org/10.1183/16000617.0181-2020.
  5. Matus I, Colt H. Pleural Catheter Fracture During IPC Removal: An Under-reported Complication. J Bronchology Interv Pulmonol. 2021 Jan 1;28(1):e1-e3. doi: 10.1097/LBR.0000000000000684. PMID: 33332847.
  6. Lentz RJ, Colt H. Summarizing societal guidelines regarding bronchoscopy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Respirology. 2020 Jun;25(6):574-577. doi: 10.1111/resp.13824. Epub 2020 Apr 11. PMID: 32277733; PMCID: PMC7262091. Download article here.
  7. Sabbath BF and Colt HG. Sending retirees to the frontlines. J Community Hosp Internal Med Perspectives 2020;10 (5);386-388.
  8. Mulrennan S and Colt HG. Medical information and social media in the time of COVID-19. Respirology 2020;25:578-579.
  9. Colt HG and Williamson J. Training in interventional pulmonology: what we have learned and a way forward. Respirology 2020;1-10.doi: 10.1111/resp.13846. Download article here.

Published medical books and most recent book chapters

  1. Colt HG. Introduction to Ethics in Flexible Bronchoscopy. Rake Press, 2025. link here.
  2. Khemasuwan D and Colt HG. Artificial intelligence and computational modeling. In, 3D Lung Models for Regenerating Lung Tissue. Elsevier, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-90871-9.00010-3. link here.
  3. Deasy K, Colt HG, Kennedy M. AI in Respirology and Bronchoscopy. In, AI in Clinical Medicine. Wiley-Blackwell pub, 2023. link here.
  4. Colt HG and Murgu S. Bronchoscopy and Central Airway Disorders: A patient-centered approach. Elsevier 2012. link here.
  5. Colt HG. The Essential Bronchoscopist Series. Web-based self-learning guides (English with abundant translations 2018 onward. Rake press. link here.
  6. Colt HG, Quadrelli S, and Friedman L eds. The Picture of Health: Medical Ethics and the Movies. Oxford University press pubs 2011. link here.
  7. Colt HG, Mathur PN. Manual of Pleural Procedures. Lippincott-Williams and Wilkins publishers, Philadelphia 1999.
  8. Colt HG, Jones V. Breast Cancer-related Lung Disease: a guide for patients living with advanced breast cancer. San Diego Prepress, San Diego, CA 2001.
  9. Lee P, Colt HG. Flex-Rigid Pleuroscopy Step-By-Step. CMP Medica, Asia, Singapore 2005.