Conversation with Silke Ryan

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?  

I live in Dublin with my husband and 2 children. After receiving my medical degree in 1999, I moved to Ireland. Here, I undertook my postgraduate training in Internal Medicine and Pulmonology and a research fellowship resulting in the  award of my PhD from University College Dublin (UCD) in 2006. 

Currently, I am a Clinical Professor at UCD and a Consultant in Respiratory and Sleep Medicine at St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin. From working in a large hospital, I see people with a wide spectrum of respiratory diseases on a daily basis. My special interest is in sleep-related breathing disorders and my research programme focusses on how obstructive sleep apnoea can be linked to the mechanisms that cause heart disease. 

Outside of work, I am a passionate hiker and love running, but not for too long or too fast! Reading and classical music are also interests of mine. 

 
Why did you want to be the ERS President? 

Being nominated and elected as the European Respiratory Society (ERS) President has been the greatest honour of my career. This is not something that anyone plans to do and never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would get the opportunity. 

I have been a member of ERS for over 20 years and the society has massively supported my academic and professional development. I am excited to return and serve the community in this prestigious role. 

What do you hope to achieve in your presidency? 

The impact of lung disease is huge. As the ERS President, I am committed to working alongside all key stakeholders in respiratory health to achieve these goals. My mandate will focus on tackling air pollution, climate change, tobacco smoking and vaping. These are all massive risks to lung health. I will highlight the importance of preventing and detecting lung diseases early, despite these topics often being neglected. 

As a physician with a special interest in sleep disorders, I also want to emphasise the burden of sleep apnoea and related conditions. Furthermore, I want to help the further development of digital platforms, improve collaboration with other societies and strengthen programmes to support future leaders in respiratory medicine. 

What role do you see for ELF in achieving these goals? 

People living with lung conditions are the focus of everything health professionals do including research, clinical practice, education or guideline development. 

The relationship between ERS and ELF is unique and very special to me. Being united in our voices and working together to improve lung health lets us achieve more together than what we could achieve alone. 

How do you think ELF can raise the profile of sleep and breathing disorders as lung conditions? 

Millions of people worldwide live with sleep-related breathing disorders, such as sleep apnoea. Conditions like these can often affect the quality of life for the people living with them. However there is still poor understanding, not just in the public but also from healthcare professionals, of those implications. 

We must involve people living with sleep-related breathing disorders and an important role of ELF is to advocate for their needs. Together, ELF and ERS can raise awareness of diseases like these to policymakers and guide further research and education to improve the quality of life for people living with these conditions. 

The ELF Sleep Patient Advisory Group are currently involved in a Task Force to produce guidelines for treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea using Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP). Why do you think it is important for patients to get involved in research like this? 

It is now well-established that involving people with respiratory conditions in research increases the relevance and impact of projects and it is important to make sure that they are allowed to have a say in their management plans. From my involvement in the Task Force linked to the ELF Sleep Patient Advisory Group, I understand that it is crucial to make the voices of patients heard. 

Physicians often focus on outcomes, which may not always be relevant to patients. Instead, we should take the patients’ voice into account. CPAP is a common treatment for sleep apnoea and helps keeping the airways open at night. There are many options for how CPAP can be delivered and when we decide who should be managed with CPAP, we must respect the patients’ preferences, concerns and goals.  

What are you looking forward to most in the coming year? 

I have met so many new people during the first month of my term and this is truly the greatest time of my professional life. It is a privilege to work with so many colleagues and stakeholders with the same vision to improve the quality of life of people living with lung diseases.  

Although I know the year will have its challenges, it will be rewarding. I am looking forward to working with stakeholders around the world and continue on our mission to improve respiratory health. As ERS President, I am determined to fulfil this key role and stand for the global respiratory community.