About Us

Head: Torben Sigsgaard
Secretary: Bo E.J. Lundback

This is an interdisciplinary Assembly, which gathers not only pneumologists, but also epidemiologists, clinicians, statisticians, occupational doctors, air pollution scientists and health educators. Smoking and the environment are very important issues for respiratory diseases and this Assembly is involved in many activities to promote public awareness and scientific reasearch in this field. The Epidemiology Group has mainly focused on elucidating the natural history of COPD through epidemiological studies in Europe. More recently, the use of biomarkers and genetic epidemiological techniques have been foreseen. The Occupational and Environmental Health Group is interested in following the evolution of occupational diseases (asthma, asbestos, agriculture, new risks) and integrating occupational and environmental diseases in clinical practice. The smoking control and health education group is pushing hard to disseminate the culture of smoking cessation throughout the pulmonary units of European hospitals. The prevention of smoking and protection of the environment through educational and research activities is one of the major goals of our Assembly, and will increase the scientific strength of the ERS and its EU public image. Members of our Assembly are willing to strengthen collaboration with other Assemblies to work on common programmes.

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Group 06.01 Epidemiology

Chair: Christer Janson
Secretary: Laura Carrozzi

Our Group consists of approximately 100 members from 26 countries. The members comprise of epidemiologists, clinicians with respiratory epidemiology as their main research interest, and statisticians. Over the years, many of the members have established good contacts and are involved in various research activities, such as cross-sectional studies, longitudinal surveys and large controlled trials.

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Group 06.02 Occupational and Environmental Health

Chair: Dick Heederik
Secretary: Frederic De Blay

This Group comprises of several hundred members representing most European countries. The members are mainly pulmonary physicians, but are also specialists in occupational medicine, allergists and epidemiologists. Our Group works closely with the Epidemiology Group and the Clinical Assembly. And we arrange several Postgraduate Courses and Symposia during the annual Congress. Our main interests include: pneumoconiosis, occupational cancers, asthma and COPD. Currently we are focusing on the effects of occupational and environmental exposures on respiratory health, specifically on elucidating the mechanisms for air pollution-induced airway inflammation, as well as performing risk assessments. New statistical approaches on asthma and COPD in cohort studies have been developed. Our Group also wishes to improve the training of pulmonary physicians in the occupational aspects of respiratory disease.

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Group 06.03 Tobacco, Smoking Control & Health Education

Chair: Carlos Jiménez Ruiz
Secretary: Antigona Trofor

Our main objectives for the next years will be as follows: a) to promote a proactive role of all European respiratory physicians in tobacco control activities ( smoke-free policies, smoking prevention programs in youngsters, tobacco control legislation at national level, smoking cessation strategies); b) to work together with other ERS groups and bodies in order to integrate smoking status assessment and smoking cessation therapy into current management of patient’s respiratory condition, c) to increase smoking cessation knowledge and skills among all chest physicians, by promoting best standards and harmonized education across Europe in the field of smoking cessation, d) to facilitate research towards investigation of respiratory disorders smokers’ characteristics and new treatments to quit smoking, e)to provide upon request educational resources to other allied health professionals willing to get involved in assistance of different categories of smokers and f)to  try to develop  internet-based smoking cessation programs.