Abstract
An overview of what to expect from the European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress 2022, including the top picks of the International Congress Programme Committee and a summary of the Early Career Member session. https://bit.ly/3tNTlgY
The European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress is an annual event where thousands of experts from around the world come together to present and discuss the latest scientific and clinical advances in the respiratory field. During the pandemic, there was a need to change the format of the Congress from in-person to an online format (2020 and 2021) to limit the exposure to the coronavirus. This year, for the first time, the ERS Congress will take place in a hybrid format, i.e. in Barcelona (Spain) and online, from 4–6 September 2022. In this article, we provide an overview on what to expect from the ERS Congress 2022, including the “top picks” of the 2022 Congress programme from the leaders of the International Congress Programme Committee and a summary of the Early Career Member (ECM) session, which this year will address the “Steps for a successful career in respiratory research”.
What to expect from the ERS International Congress 2022
In this section, we provide answers to questions many of you may have about the 2022 ERS Congress, to help you plan your Congress in advance.
What will be the format of the ERS Congress, and which opportunities will be available?
The 2022 ERS international Congress will give participants the choice to join us in-person onsite in Barcelona or to meet-up virtually. Spots onsite are limited, so you will need to register early to secure your place.
Participants in Barcelona will have access to not only the nine session rooms but also to the poster discussions, the Backstage zone with faculty at the end of each session, unlimited access to the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and ultrasound skills simulator, virtual reality training, and the opportunity to attend hands-on skills workshops. Onsite participants will also have access to the online platform and all the exclusive online-only sessions.
Virtual participants will be able to follow the live sessions in five of the onsite session rooms, send in their questions and comments to the faculty, and follow a dedicated studio stream that will include the popular skills labs, guidelines, and language sessions.
What's new in 2022?
In 2022, we will have a Networking EXcellence Training (NEXT) programme for selected ECMs who have submitted an abstract to the Congress. The ECMs will be invited to follow an intensive training programme to develop them as future leaders of the society, and to support them with the right tools to contribute to the Congress programme, i.e. presenting scientific data, moderating, and chairing sessions. A selection of ECMs participating in the NEXT programme will also be invited to join the new session “Science slam”, where up to four presenters will have 10 min to present their project and ultimately the audience will determine the most convincing presentation.
This year, we welcome back the skills workshops that allow participants to sharpen their clinical procedures and interpretation.
Congress delegates are also entitled to a discount off the ERS virtual postgraduate week, running from 14 to 18 November 2022.
Will there be any pre-Congress content available, as for the past two ERS Congresses?
From the 22 August 2022, Congress participants will have access to pre-Congress content that includes multiple formats, which will allow you to extend your Congress experience. Available sessions will include:
e-Posters (the electronic posters that will accompany the thematic poster and oral discussion sessions).
Expert interviews with leaders from ERS clinical research collaborations.
Professional development sessions, which will cover topics such as shared decision making, empowering healthcare workers to use digital technology, sharing research through social media, and managing difficult interactions with patients.
Statements and technical standards, where the most recent ERS statements and technical standards will be explored in detail. This year, these sessions will include interpretive strategies for basic lung function tests, paediatric long-term noninvasive ventilation, management of acute exacerbations of COPD, long COVID-19, combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema, and the scoring of respiratory events for the diagnosis of sleep disordered breathing in adults and children.
Year in review sessions, in which each of the 14 ERS scientific Assemblies will share the most important publications from the past 12 months.
How can I plan the Congress in advance, regardless of whether I attend the Congress online or in-person?
The easiest way to navigate the Congress programme is to browse the online programme available on the Congress portal. The ERS Congress portal is available for all participants, whether you are joining us online or in-person in Barcelona. The portal will also be the place where participants can access the live sessions, replay sessions, and interact with other Congress delegates and faculty.
Which opportunities will be available for networking, both onsite and online?
There will be several key networking activities throughout the Congress. After every session, there will be a “backstage” session with the faculty, where participants can meet and greet and can share their experiences and questions with the experts. In addition, on Sunday evening (4 September 2022) there will be an Assembly networking event where you will have the opportunity to meet your peers from around the world.
Online delegates will be able to connect with faculty and other Congress delegates, as well as interact with other participants, in the same sessions.
Will sessions be recorded and available during and after the Congress?
Do not worry if there are multiple sessions running in parallel, or you are not able to attend a session. All the main sessions will be recorded and will be made available on-demand within hours of the session finishing.
Top picks from the Congress programme by the International Congress Programme Committee
Prof. Anita Simonds (2022 Congress Co-Chair)
I am really looking forward with great anticipation to the new NEXT programme, and to the Science slam, our Skills sessions, and in particular the symposia on “Acute respiratory distress syndrome: the path to precision medicine”, and “What I learned from COVID-19 to manage my current patients better” – great clinical lessons to take us onwards!
Prof. Thierry Troosters (2022 Congress Co-Chair)
Just being together with the “respiratory family” for a couple of days and meeting colleagues from all over Europe and the world is something to look forward to. Stroll through the poster lanes and discover new findings to inspire clinical practice and research. Obviously, I'm looking forward to the Congress chair session where we'll discuss what we learned from the COVID pandemic to improve care for patients with respiratory diseases in the next decade. The session will cover areas of critical care, paediatrics, adult respiratory disease, and rehabilitation. In all these areas, it is now time to look back at the coronavirus crisis and translate some of the many modifications to care programmes into opportunities for the future.
Also, with the Congress we developed quickly with the pandemic and more and more solid online content will be available to prepare for the Congress and digest its content afterwards. Overall, the Congress experience will be even better than before… I'm sure there will be lots of interaction with a real-life audience eager to interact after 2 years of writing questions in a chat box. Hence, we have created a “backstage” environment where the audience can meet-up with speakers for informal interactions after their talks. By doing so, this ERS Congress will be more than ever a meeting on top of a Congress.
Prof. Chris Brightling (Science Council Chair)
I am always eager to see the cutting-edge, new data that will be presented in the poster sessions and the trials that will impact on clinical care in the ALERT (Abstracts Leading to Evolution in Respiratory medicine Trials) sessions. This year we shall be able to have discussions in person again – how exciting!
Prof. Nicolas Roche (Science Council Chair-elect)
Going back to in-person discussions around such a dense programme is really exciting. I'm looking forward to the Lungs on fire sessions, which always provide us with very rich discussions around difficult and didactic clinical cases in various areas of respiratory medicine (airways, infections, cancer, pulmonary vascular conditions, interstitial lung diseases, sleep-related disorders, etc.). Of course, the Congress is also the place to explore and get information on the latest research produced in all areas of respiratory medicine. Top-level abstracts will be presented as oral communications, poster discussions and in thematic poster sessions, allowing both education, networking and cross-fertilisation. Those who cannot physically attend will benefit from the progresses made during the past 2 years in the delivery of virtual content, which will cover a significant part of the programme.
Prof. Richard Costello (Education Council Chair)
Congress highlights for me are the symposia; great speakers covering topics relevant to my day-to-day work. The Lungs on fire sessions are an opportunity to see clinicians work their way through challenging interesting cases. The ALERT sessions, where recent clinical trials are presented and commented upon by an expert, are a fantastic chance to hear the latest important and cutting-edge research.
Prof. Pierantonio Laveneziana (Educational Programmes Director)
I am really looking forward to the sessions on clinical physiology, such as the skills workshops on “Exercise, muscle and sleep assessment and interpretation: tips and pitfalls”, “Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation beyond the basics” and “Thoracic ultrasound”, and a symposium on “Utilising exercise testing in pre-operative assessment, rehabilitation, and exercise prescription”. Clinical physiology is the top pick I invite you to select in your personalised agenda. And, by the way, do not forget the postgraduate course week in November. You are going to love it!
Prof. Silke Meiners (Conference and Research Seminars Director)
I'm very much looking forward to our next in-person meeting and the exchanges on excellent translational science linking basic research to the clinics. In particular, it will be great to see “The Best of the European Respiratory Journal 2022” and some cutting-edge talks on cell death modalities, as well as on the dangerous air we breathe. And don't forget to join the session on “Steps for a successful career in respiratory research”!
Early Career Member session: Steps for a successful career in respiratory research
During the ERS Congress 2022 there will be several activities that promote communication among the ECMs. Besides an outstanding education programme, ECMs will be able to participate in the ECM session on 5 September 2022 (Monday, 15:45–17:00), organised by the Early Career Member Committee.
In this session, critical steps for a successful career in respiratory research and medicine will be discussed. First, Debby Bogaert from the University of Edinburgh, will provide information on how to build and manage a research team. Anh Tuan Dinh-Xuan, the current chair of the ERS Publications Committee, will present key factors to successfully publish in a scientific journal. This will be followed by the Mina Gaga lecture given by the 2022 ECM awardee, Alexander Mathioudakis. Finally, Niki Ubags, from Lausanne University, will present effective time management strategies for clinical work, science, and privacy. Investing in time management techniques is crucial for working efficiently, achieving goals, being successful, and moreover, having a satisfying work–life balance. We look forward to having you at this session!
Final remarks
As in every year, the Congress programme in 2022 will be full of outstanding scientific sessions in the respiratory field and enriching opportunities for ECMs, independently of whether delegates attend online or in-person. We hope to meet you at the ERS Congress 2022!
Footnotes
Conflict of interest: D. Gompelmann has received lecture fees from Pulmonx, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis and Chiesi, outside the submitted work; and reports participation on advisory boards for Boehringer Ingelheim and MSD, outside the submitted work.
Conflict of interest: A. Farr is an employee of the European Respiratory Society.
Conflict of interest: A. Simonds reports participation on a data safety monitoring board or advisory board for RECOVERY-RS Trial Steering Committee (NIHR), outside the submitted work.
Conflict of interest: C. Brightling has received grant funding and consultancy paid to his Institution from GSK, AZ, Novartis, Chiesi, BI, Genentech, Roche, Sanofi, Regeneron, Merck, 4DPharma and Mologic, outside the submitted work.
Conflict of interest: P. Laveneziana has received payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers’ bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events from Chiesi France, outside the submitted work; and reports support for attending meetings and/or travel received from Chiesi France, and participation on a data safety monitoring board or advisory board for Chiesi France, outside the submitted work.
Conflict of interest: R.W. Costello has received payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers' bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events from GSK, Aerogen and TEVA, outside the submitted work; and has patents planned, issued or pending: Adherence calculation (predicting exacerbations); Acoustics to assess inhaler technique; and Personalising inhaled medication dosing, outside the submitted work. R.W. Costello reports a leadership or fiduciary role in other board, society, committee or advocacy group as ERS Education Council Chair.
Conflict of interest: S. Meiners reports a leadership or fiduciary role in other board, society, committee or advocacy group as ERS Conference and Research Seminars Director.
Conflict of interest: The remaining authors have nothing to disclose.
Support statement: J. Cruz acknowledges the support of the Center for Innovative Care and Health Technology (ciTechCare), funded by Portuguese national funds provided by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) (UIDB/05704/2020).
- Received April 13, 2022.
- Accepted June 16, 2022.
- Copyright ©ERS 2022
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