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Prof. Joanna Chorostowska-Wynimko is the ERS Vice President.
Joanna is a Professor of Medicine and is Head of the Department of Genetics and Clinical Immunology at the National Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NITLD) in Warsaw, Poland. Joanna served as ERS Secretary General from 2019-2022 and is scientific co-coordinator of the EU4Health SOLACE project.
Joanna’s clinical and scientific interest areas are mostly devoted to molecular biomarkers and genetic diagnostic of lung cancer (ctDNA, liquid biopsy, novel biomarkers), COPD and alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD).
As ERS Vice President, what are you most looking forward to about this year’s ERS Congress?
As always, this year’s ERS Congress is an excellent opportunity to learn what’s new and what has been happening in respiratory medicine since September 2023 in particular outside my field of expertise.
Lungs & breathing have become THE topic. We are a very dynamic branch of medicine, hence the satisfaction but also the challenge to stay up to date. The annual ERS Congress brings all of us together. It is a great place to discuss with the experts, meet fellow researchers and new colleagues. It has always been an inspiring occasion.
What in your opinion will be the hot topics in your specialist area at the ERS Congress 2024?
Lung cancer is one of the most rapidly progressing topics in respiratory medicine. This spectacular change is driven not only by molecular diagnostic and novel therapies – constantly expanding clinical opportunities to successfully treat patients with both early and advanced non-small cell lung cancer – but also by effective prevention through lung cancer screening with low dose computer tomography (LDCT).
To this aim, in recent times ERS has been involved in SOLACE (The Strengthening the screening of Lung Cancer in Europe), a pioneering new EU4Health project under the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. It is facilitating implementation of lung cancer screening programmes across Europe. The project will break down the barriers to screening to ensure people across all social and economic groups can access it. Delegates will be able to learn more about SOLACE at this year’s congress.
Please tell us your top three picks from the Congress programme and explain why?