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About the committee

The Patient Advisory Committee (PAC) plays an important role in all ELF strategic activities. The committee is formed of 20 patient organisations from across Europe which represent a wide range of lung disease patients at local, national and European level.

ELF values having a committee made up of diverse organisations – this allows ELF to understand the priorities of people living with lung conditions from different communities, health systems and backgrounds and helps us to advocate for better lung health for all.

The PAC is a sub-committee of the ELF Council, the main body of ELF. For full details of the aims and responsibilities of the committee, please read the Terms of Reference. To see where the PAC sits within ELF’s governance, please look at the ELF structure on our website.

Join the committee

All PAC positions are open for recruitment in 2023. Current and new organisations are invited to apply to join the committee.

ELF would like to recruit members who are interested in actively working with us and other organisations across Europe to raise awareness about lung health and to support patients and the public to contribute to the future of respiratory healthcare.

Members should meet the following criteria:

  • Representative of a not-for-profit respiratory health-related organisation
  • Organisation is based in the World Health Organization (WHO) European region and/or represents patients in the WHO European region
  • Committed to actively working with ELF and other organisations to improve respiratory health in Europe
  • Part of ELF patient organisation network.

In order to ensure the PAC represents as wide a range of patient communities as possible, we are keen to receive applications from organisations working at a local, national and European level. Applicant organisations can represent a single disease or multiple diseases and applications from organisations representing lesser-heard patient voices are encouraged, such as young people, those from disadvantaged backgrounds and those representing rare and ultra-rare lung diseases.

Why join the Committee?

As part of the PAC, organisations have the chance to:

  • Highlight the priorities of your patient community and get them on the agenda of the European Lung Foundation and the European Respiratory Society. Current projects around transplantation, transition from paediatric to adult care, and climate change all grew from discussions within the PAC. If you have a topic that you think is important and needs collaboration between patient organisations and other stakeholders across Europe, the PAC is a great way to address it.
  • Share experiences, learn from others and increase the visibility of your organisation and patient community at a European level.
  • Work with and network with representatives of other respiratory organisations from different countries, covering different respiratory diseases, but all with a common goal.
  • Guide ELF to ensure that it works in the interest of respiratory patient organisations of all sizes and backgrounds across Europe.
  • Be a key part of the ERS Congress – each member receives free registration to the Congress and the opportunity to apply for a travel bursary. There are also networking opportunities including ELF Patient Organisation Networking Day and activities to get involved with. You will also help to design and guide these activities each year.
  • Members also have the priority to have a limited number of stands in the World Village, an area to showcase the work of your organisation to respiratory stakeholders from across the world.
What is involved?

Organisations joining the PAC will be appointed for a three-year period, until December 2026.

The committee meets four times per year. Three of those meetings are normally held by video conference and one meeting is held in person during the ERS International Congress in a European city each year. Video conferencing costs for participation are covered by ELF. There is the opportunity to apply for a bursary towards the costs of attending the face to face meeting at the ERS Congress.

How to apply

If your organisation is interested in joining the PAC, please complete the application form by Friday 10 November 2023.

Appointment

Current members of the PAC and the ELF Council will review the applications. The ELF Chair has the final decision for appointing committee members.

Members will be selected to ensure a good balance of disease areas, European countries, patient communities and expertise.

Applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application in December 2023, with the first meeting of the new PAC in early 2024.

We look forward to receiving your application!