About Us

Head: Isabella Annesi-Maesano
Secretary: Christina-Georgia Gratziou

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: Per Sigvald Bakke
Secretary: Christer Janson

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: Torben Sigsgaard
Secretary: Katja Radon

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: Yves Martinet
Secretary: Bertrand Dautzenberg

During the next 2 years, this Group will finish its work on the "Clinical Guidelines for smoking cessation for the pulmonary physcian/health care worker" Task Force. It will also try to establish internet-based communications on specific topics such as smoking reduction, smoking cessation strategies for asthma and COPD patients, computer-based smoking cessation, implementation of smoke-free healthcare. It will also try to start another multinational smoking cessation study in ERS regions. Communication between members of the group will be increased by the use of "Newsletter" e-mails four to six times per year. The role of the Internet for health education will be explored and discussed. Other proposals are welcome.