European Respiratory Society International Congress

European Respiratory Society International Congress
Name	European Respiratory Society International Congress
Abbreviation	ERS Congress
Founded	1990s
Frequency	Annual
Location	Various European cities
Organizer	European Respiratory Society
Discipline	Pulmonology

Contents

European Respiratory Society International Congress is the annual meeting of the European Respiratory Society, bringing together clinicians, researchers, and industry representatives in pulmonology and related fields. The congress convenes experts from institutions such as University College London, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Imperial College London, and Karolinska Institutet alongside delegates from organizations like the World Health Organization, European Commission, and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Sessions frequently feature collaborations with societies such as the American Thoracic Society, American College of Chest Physicians, Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease, Global Initiative for Asthma, and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease.

History

The event evolved from earlier European meetings in the late 20th century, influenced by landmark efforts at institutions including Royal Brompton Hospital, Mayo Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Johns Hopkins Hospital. Early assemblies drew speakers from research centers like Pasteur Institute, Max Planck Society, Friedrich Loeffler Institute, and Institut Pasteur de Lille and were shaped by discoveries published in journals such as The Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine, European Respiratory Journal, and American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Important themes paralleled developments at conferences like World Congress of Cardiology and European Society of Cardiology Congress, responding to initiatives by agencies including the National Institutes of Health, Wellcome Trust, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and European Research Council. Milestones featured keynote addresses by investigators associated with Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureates and collaborations with projects funded by Horizon 2020, FP7, and national research councils.

Governance is structured within the European Respiratory Society, involving officers elected from academic centers such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Heidelberg University, and University of Milan. Committees include scientific program committees with members from University of Edinburgh, Trinity College Dublin, University of Barcelona, and KU Leuven, and advisory boards with representatives from European Respiratory Society Task Forces, European Medicines Agency, European Lung Foundation, and patient groups connected to European Patient Organisation for Lung Disease. Oversight involves collaborations with specialty sections and assemblies that include professionals from Royal College of Physicians, College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Deutsches Zentrum für Lungenforschung, and academic hospitals such as Addenbrooke's Hospital.

The program spans plenaries, symposia, abstract sessions, and workshops with contributors from research networks like Cochrane Collaboration, European Respiratory Society Clinical Research Collaborations, clinicaltrials.gov registrants, and trial groups such as INSPIRE, SPIROMICS, and EMBARC. Topics range from translational science at centers such as Francis Crick Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and Sanger Institute to clinical trials led by investigators affiliated with University of Toronto, Harvard Medical School, Yale School of Medicine, and Stanford University School of Medicine. Sessions highlight guideline updates influenced by panels including Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease, Global Initiative for Asthma, and task forces hosted by European Respiratory Journal editors. Workshops feature technologies and methodologies from vendors and labs with ties to European Respiratory Society Research Agency, diagnostic groups linked to Roche Diagnostics, Siemens Healthineers, Philips Healthcare, and imaging work from teams at Karolinska University Hospital.

Delegates represent universities and hospitals such as Ghent University Hospital, Erasmus MC, Leiden University Medical Center, and Aarhus University Hospital, and professional societies including Indian Chest Society, Pan American Thoracic Society, and Asian Pacific Society of Respirology. Attendee profiles include clinicians, basic scientists, allied health professionals, and industry representatives from companies like GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca, Novartis, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Sanofi. Geographic representation spans members from United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Russia, United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, China, India, South Africa, and Brazil.

Congress venues have included major centers such as ExCeL London, Fira de Barcelona, Messe München, Paris Porte de Versailles, Copenhagen International Conference Centre, Palais des Congrès de Paris, and Fiera Milano. Organizers coordinate with local authorities including City of London Corporation, Barcelona City Council, Munich Trade Fair, and hotel groups like Hilton Worldwide, AccorHotels, Marriott International, and InterContinental Hotels Group. Logistics involve event management firms akin to Reed Exhibitions, Informa Markets, and UBM plc, in partnership with transport hubs including Heathrow Airport, Schiphol Airport, Frankfurt Airport, Charles de Gaulle Airport, and rail networks such as Eurostar.

The congress presents awards and prizes associated with institutions like European Respiratory Journal, American Thoracic Society International Conference, and foundations such as European Respiratory Society Grants, Wellcome Trust Fellowships, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, and European Research Council Grants. Recognitions include Young Investigator Awards, poster prizes, and lifetime achievement acknowledgements honoring clinicians and scientists from organizations like Royal Society, Academy of Medical Sciences, European Academy of Sciences and Arts, and recipients affiliated with Imperial College London, UCL Respiratory Medicine, and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin.

The congress has influenced guideline development, practice patterns, and research collaborations involving agencies such as World Health Organization, European Medicines Agency, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Public Health England, and research funders including Wellcome Trust and European Research Council. Outputs have intersected with major disease initiatives like Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease, Global Initiative for Asthma, Stop TB Partnership, and translational networks including European Lung Foundation. The meeting has seeded multicenter trials and registries linked to ClinicalTrials.gov, fostered collaborations among centers such as Addenbrooke's Hospital, Royal Brompton Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, and Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, and contributed to literature published in outlets like The Lancet Respiratory Medicine and European Respiratory Journal.

Category:Medical conferences