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The ELF Sleep and Breathing Patient Conference will take place from 14:00 to 16:30 CEST on 26 April 2025. This free, online event is for people with a sleep and breathing disorder to learn more about these conditions and how to manage them. It is organised by the ELF Sleep Patient Advisory Group (PAG).
The event will cover topics including:
We will hear from people living with sleep-related breathing conditions and healthcare professionals. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions to the speakers and experts via the chat.
The conference will be held in English. A live transcription service will be available on the day to generate captions in over 60 languages.
Sophia Schiza is a Professor of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine at the University of Crete's School of Medicine, where she leads the Respiratory Department and Sleep Disorders Centre. She is an expert in sleep-disordered breathing, and is Head of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Assembly 4 on Sleep Disordered Breathing.
Professor Schiza has received the ERS Teaching Award twice and is a Fellow of the ERS. She is actively involved in numerous ERS Task Forces, Guidelines committees, and collaborates closely with the European Lung Foundation to advocate for patients with sleep-disordered breathing. Her research focuses on cardiovascular consequences of obstructive sleep apnoea, sleep-disordered breathing in COPD and IPF, sex differences in OSA, and the role of digital health in diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders. Prof. Schiza is also involved in European projects such as e-sleep and Sleep Revolution, aimed at improving sleep medicine education and research.
As an associate editor for Sleep Medicine and a member of the European Sleep Apnea Database (ESADA), Prof. Schiza continues to make significant contributions to the field of sleep medicine.
Luca is a patient with Sleep Apnoea who founded the patient association Apnoici Italiani in Italy in 2016. Apnoici Italiani is focused on advocacy for recognition of the pathology, support for patients and caregivers, and they work for the creation and strengthening of diagnostic and therapeutic pathways on the territory.
Luca is a co-chair of the ELF Sleep and Breathing Patient Conference 2025 and a member of the ELF Sleep Patient Advisory Group.
Matteo Siciliano is a pulmonologist based in Rome, trained at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart – Policlinico A. Gemelli IRCCS. With a longstanding passion for respiratory sleep disorders, he has been actively involved in national working groups focused on these conditions within Italian scientific societies. Since September 2023, he has represented Assembly 4 (Sleep-Disordered Breathing) of the European Respiratory Society as an ECM Representative.
Dr. Siciliano’s work extends beyond respiratory health, delving into the neurological aspects of sleep disorders to better understand their complexities. He is currently pursuing a PhD, focusing on predictive factors of residual excessive daytime sleepiness and is also enrolled on a second-level Master’s program in Sleep Medicine at the University of Bologna.
Dr. Siciliano emphasises the importance of understanding the mechanisms, treatments and latest research in sleep-disordered breathing to provide holistic and effective patient care. His dedication to clinical practice and research ensures he stays at the forefront of advancements in the field
Clare Williams has worked in patient involvement and engagement at ELF since 2020. Before that she worked in service user involvement in a hospice. She holds an MSc in psychological research and has authored several publications and a book chapter.
Clare coordinates ELF's Sleep Patient Advisory Group. She has obstructive sleep apnoea as a consequence of Ehler’s Danlos syndrome, and has been using CPAP for the past three years and will be sharing her insights at the Sleep and Breathing Conference 2025.
Dries Testelmans is the head of the Department of Respiratory Diseases at the University Hospital Leuven in Belgium. He is responsible for the care of patients with a broad range of sleep disorders at the Leuven University Center for Sleep and Wake Disorders (LUCS).
Dries is also a part-time associate professor in the Department of Chronic Diseases and Metabolism at KU Leuven. His current research interests include phenotyping of sleep apnoea, new technologies for the diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnpea and home ventilation. Since 2020, he has been the president of the Belgian Association for Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine (BASS).
ELF does not charge for its events and materials. We want to make sure they are available to anybody who wishes to join or use them. To ensure we can keep doing this we ask that those who can afford to pay to make a donation. We are grateful to everyone who supports us in this way and helps lung health patients to understand more about their condition and have their voices heard.
