Chair's campaign 2023-2026

In 2023, we welcomed Dimitris Kontopidis as our new Chair. Dimitris supported ELF activities for a number of years following his ELF Award win in 2021, where we recognised his phenomenal act of refusing a lung transplant to force change in Greek healthcare for people living with cystic fibrosis.

For more than 15 years, Dimitris has been dedicated to patient advocacy. He has empowered and inspired patients and professionals to improve treatment conditions and reduce health inequalities across countries.

“Through this role as ELF Chair, both I and all of ELF believe that we can, on a European level, empower patients with respiratory diseases to improve their treatment conditions and reduce inequalities across countries. I know that this is possible from my 12 years of patient advocacy.”

Through his Chair’s Campaign, Dimitris led a campaign to demand equal access for all to lung transplantation.

The chances of receiving a lung transplant vary widely across Europe. In some countries, transplants are not an option. The standard of care also varies widely not just between countries but between centres within countries. There is a need for extensive knowledge sharing, which is why we launched the 2023-2026 Chair’s campaign.

Learn more about ELF Chair Dimitris Kontopidis and his ELF Award 2021 in Dimitris’ Award video (below.)

The lung transplant procedure is an operation to remove a diseased or failing lung and replace it with a healthy lung from a donor. A donor is usually someone who has died. In very rare cases, a living person can donate a small part of their lung. Find out more about organ donation.

The procedure an option for some patients with severe lung disease when other treatments will no longer work. It is not suitable for everyone as there are risks as well as benefits. It is also not necessarily a cure. For people who are selected for a lung transplant, it may offer the best chance of a longer and better quality of life. Learn more about lung transplants.