Ed Powell speaks at the ERS childhood respiratory event

On 5 March 2024, the European Respiratory Society (ERS) held an event at the European Parliament in Brussels on childhood respiratory health. The event was led by the ERS President Monika Gappa who is a professor of paediatrics and is part of the joint ERS-ELF effort to prioritise youth with lung conditions.

At ELF, we have recently set up a Youth Group to address this. The group is for 16–24-year-olds who care about lung conditions to ensure that we are paying attention to the needs of young people in our work. Ed Powell is a young bronchiectasis patient and, after getting involved with ELF through the bronchiectasis patient conference, is now the Chair of the ELF Youth Group.

Ed recently attended the ERS childhood respiratory health event at the European Parliament where he provided a patient’s perspective on the access and affordability of medication for children within the European Union.

“Having you here listening to my story, as well as the perspectives of the health professionals here, is a step in the right direction to bring attention to lung diseases and how paediatrics are often forgotten, even when attention is brought to it.”

You can find out more about the ELF Youth Group at our drop-in session on 8 April.