Dr James Chalmers is Clinical Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant at the University of Dundee in the UK. His clinical interests are in airway infection. He runs a regional specialist service caring for over 600 patients with bronchiectasis as well as caring for patients with severe asthma, COPD and cystic fibrosis. He is chair of the European Bronchiectasis Registry and has chaired the upcoming ERS bronchiectasis guidelines. He runs a research group primarily focussed on developing novel diagnostics and treatments for bronchiectasis and COPD, with current major programmes looking at neutrophil extracellular traps and the microbiome in both conditions.

He is associate editor of the European Respiratory Journal, is on the International advisory board of the Lancet Respiratory Medicine, is secretary of the European Board for Accreditation in Pneumology, is chair of the British Thoracic Society Respiratory Infections Speciality advisory group and holds a number of other major society/committee appointments.

Stephen Durham is Head of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London and Professor of Allergy and Respiratory Medicine at Royal Brompton Hospital.

His clinical practice includes asthma, rhinitis, immunotherapy, general allergy and food and drug allergy. His research interests include basic mechanisms of allergic rhinitis and asthma and he has a particular focus on translational studies of allergen immunotherapy. He has over 400 publications and a current H index of 64. He is Past President of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Head of the Allergy Consortium of the International Immune Tolerance NIAID USA and External Adviser to the NIH Inner City Asthma Consortium.

Postgraduate Training:
1990 – 1996 Resident; Internal Medicine, Städt. Klinikum Karlsruhe
1996 – 1997 Resident; Dept. of Pulmonology,Thoraxklinik Heidelberg
1997 – 1999 Fellow; Dept. of interdisciplinary Endoscopy and Oncology, Thoraxklinik Heidelberg
1999 – 2003 Ass. Med. Director Dept. of Interdisciplinary Endoscopy and Oncology, Thoraxklinik Heidelberg
2003 Medical Director Experimental Endoscopy, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA

Current Position
Since 2004 Head of Department of Internal Medicine, Pulmonology and Critical Care Medicine Thoraxklinik Heidelberg

Speciality certification:
1997 German Board of Internal Medicine certified
1998 Pulmonary Mecidine certified
2000 Bachelor of Economic Health
2002 Professor of Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Germany
2006 Full Professor, University of Heidelberg, Germany

Major Committee Assignments:
2006 Vice-President of European Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology (EAB)
2009 European Health Leader
2012 Assembly secretary of the European Respiratory Society (ERS)
2012 President of European Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology (EAB)
2013 Editor in Chief Respiration

Professional Society
German Society of Pulmonology
European Respiratory Society
European Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology
American Association of Bronchology
World Association of Bronchology

Christoph Lange is Professor of International Health / Infectious Diseases at the University of Lübeck, Head of Clinical Infectious Diseases and principle attending physician at the Medical Clinic of the Research Center Borstel, Germany and Head of the Clinical Tuberculosis Center at the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF).

He is Honorary Professor at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, the University of Namibia in Windhoek and the State University of Medicine and Pharmacy of the Republic of Moldova in Chisinau, where he travels regularly for teaching.

Current affiliations
Professor, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de Médecine (Coordinator of cooperation with Russia) Consultant Thoracic Surgeon, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg (Director of Lung Transplantation, Coordinator, Program of Minimally Invasive Oncologic Surgery, Director of Reference Centre for Thymic Tumours)
President of the Commission for Oncology, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg
President of the 3C Committee for Oncology HUS-Centre Paul Strauss
Secretary of the Federation of Multi-Organ Transplantation, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg
Curriculum
1978 Final examination, secondary studies (Luxemburg)
1979 – 1984 Medical studies, Université Louis Pasteur de Strasbourg
1984 – 1989 Residency, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg
1992 Lung Transplantation fellowship at McGill University, Montreal, PQ, Canada

Diplomas
1980 Instructor in anatomy
1984 Certificat de synthèse clinique et thérapeutique
1989 Docteur en Médecine
1989 Specialist in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery
1989 Examination Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, USA
1991 Diplôme d’Université, microsurgery
1993 Master’s degree in anatomy and embryology
1994 Master’s degree in transplantation immunology
1995 “Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches” (PhD equivalent)
1996 Professor of cardio-thoracic surgery

Scientific societies
Collège de Pathologie Respiratoire
Société Française de Chirurgie Thoracique et Cardiovasculaire
European Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Society of Thoracic Surgeons
European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery
European Respiratory Society
American Association for Thoracic Surgery

Paolo Pelosi is currently Chief Professor in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care and Director of the Speciality School in Anaesthesiology at the University of Genoa, as well as Head of the Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Unit at the IRCCS San Martino-IST Hospital, Genoa, Italy.

He grew up in Milan and attended the University of Milan, graduating magna cum laude in Medicine and Surgery. After graduation, he completed his studies first as Specialist in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care and then as Research Fellow in Anaesthesiology at the University of Milan. He served as Associate Professor in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine at the University of Insubria, Varese from 1999 to 2010. His activity has been always directed both to the clinical and research field. The main research interests of Prof. Pelosi have been directed to respiratory physiology during anaesthesia and respiratory failure. Prof. Pelosi developed several collaborations with highly scientifically reputed groups in European and Extra-European countries, for research in the field of mechanical ventilation and sepsis in experimental and clinical settings. Furthermore, he is also experienced in meta-analysis and leading of large prospective randomized controlled trials as well as observational trials. He is actively involved in the Fellowship and Resident educational program at the University of Genoa. He served as President of the European Society of Anaesthesiology ESA (2010-2011) and first as Secretary and than as Head of the Respiratory Intensive Care Assembly 2 at the European Respiratory Society. He is member of the Board of International Meetings’ Organizing Committees. He was Editor and/or Co-Editor of several books and scientific issues. He is Author or Co-Author of over 300 medical and scientific peer review papers, 80 book chapters and has lectured in more than 1000 national and international meetings on ventilation management during the perioperative period and on the pathophysiology and treatments of acute respiratory failure. Total IF 947, H-Index 40 (Scopus).

Luca Richeldi is Professor of Respiratory Medicine and Director of the Pneumology Unit at the University Hospital A. Gemelli in Rome. He was Chair of Interstitial Lung Disease at the University of Southampton, UK until December 31, 2016. He has also been Associate Professor of Respiratory Medicine in the Department of Oncology, Hematology and Respiratory Diseases at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy.

Dr. Richeldi was also the Founder and Director of the Center for Rare Lung Diseases at the same university. From November 2005 to November 2008 he was the Director of the School of Specialization in Respiratory Medicine of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. From November 2012 he was the Deputy Dean for Education of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.  He serves as associate editor for the European Respiratory Journal and is a member of the editorial board of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. He is a member of the Microbiology, Tuberculosis and Pulmonary Infections program committee of the American Thoracic Society (ATS). He has been part of the panels in charge of the production of the ATS-ERS guidelines on “Diagnosis of tuberculosis infection” and “Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis” and is a member and reviewer of the Cochrane Collaboration. Dr. Richeldi is a member of the Fleischner Society and has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and contributed several chapters in scientific books.

Johan Vansteenkiste is Professor of Internal Medicine in the Faculty of Medicine at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, and Head of Clinic in the Respiratory Oncology Unit and its Clinical Trial Unit at the Leuven University Hospital, Belgium.

Professor Vansteenkiste studied Medicine at the Catholic University of Leuven before becoming a Board Certified Pulmonologist-Oncologist. He had additional training in Respiratory Oncology at the European School of Oncology in Milan, Italy, and in Respiratory Endoscopy at the Laser Centre in Marseille, France, before gaining his PhD at the Catholic University of Leuven in 1996. Professor Vansteenkiste is an active member of different national and international societies such as IASLC, ASCO, ESMO, ERS, and others. He is member of the Board of Directors of IASLC in 2009-2013 and member of the ESMO Lung Educational Group and Guidelines Group. He was Secretary of the Thoracic Oncology Assembly of the ERS and member of the ERS School Board from 2009-2012. He is the principal investigator or co-investigator in several clinical trials in the area of lung cancer. He is Associate Editor at the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, member of the editorial board of the Journal of Clinical Oncology and several other journals, and author or co-author of more than 200 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters on Respiratory Oncology.

Mark Woodhead has a full-time NHS contract including 12 (11 NHS, 1 CLRN) programmed activities to provide Respiratory and General Medical care. He is responsible for on average 20 inpatients, conduct three outpatient clinics, two ward rounds, one Lung cancer multi-disciplinary team meeting and one bronchoscopy list per week. He supervises a team of one SpR, one SHO/Clinical fellow and one F1. He is on-call for the acute medical take one weekend in 7 plus week nights.

Present Appointment
Since 2011 Honarary clinical professor of respiratory medicine, University of Manchester
Since 1992 Consultant in general and respiratory medicine, Manchester Royal Infirmary

Professional Memberships
Fellow, Royal College of Physicians
British Thoracic Society
European Respiratory Society
American Thoracic Society

Current National Offices
2012 – 2014 Chair NICE Pneumonia Guideline Development
Since 2010 National Clinical Adviser to DoH Chief Scientific Officer on pneumonia
2008 – 2010 Member, British Thoracic Society Infection Specialist Advisory Group

Current Local Offices
Since 2011 TB Cohort Review – workstream lead for Northern SHA
Since 2010 Member Northern SHA TB Summit
Since 2008 Pneumonia Lead, NWSHA Advancing Quality Programme

Teaching – Medical Students
2009 & 2011 Awarded: Exceptional Medical Student Role Model
Since 2010 Academic Adviser
Weekly clinical teaching and regular PBL to 3rd, 4th and 5th year students Annual Clinical lecture to year 1 students

Editorship
Since 1997 Associate Editor, European Respiratory Journal
Since 2010 Academic Adviser

Professor Emiel Wouters studied medicine at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, where he graduated in 1978. He was trained in internal medicine at the Annadal Hospital Maastricht and the University Hospital Leuven. In 1981, he started his residency at the Department of Pulmonology of the University Hospital Maastricht and was registered as a pulmonologist in July 1984. He received his Ph.D. for his thesis entitled “Bronchial response in COPD measured by forced oscillation technique” at the same University in 1987. After his appointment to Associate Professor of Pulmonology in 1988, he became Full Professor and chairman of the Department of Respiratory Medicine of the University Hospital Maastricht in 1992 and chairman of the medical board of asthmacentre Hornerheide. He is currently involved in research into inflammation and multi-component pathology of COPD. He fulfilled chairmanship of the Scientific Board of the Dutch Asthma Foundation and the European Respiratory Society scientific group “Rehabilitation and Chronic Care”. Till 2005 he was chief-editor of the European Respiratory Monograph. He is director of the Centre for Chronic Diseases of the Maastricht University Medical Centre, CEO of the Centre for Integrated Rehabilitation of Chronic Organ Failure (CIRO Horn) and research leader of the COPD Centre of Excellence of the Research School NUTRIM. He is visiting professor at the University of Vermont, Burlington USA. He fulfills different memberships in scientific boards and task forces in respiratory Medicine. He published as (co)author more than 500 papers in scientific journals, largely related to COPD, and over 45 book chapters. He is regularly invited to speak at international conferences and symposia.