The annual congress of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) is the most important international forum for the research, prevention, and treatment of respiratory diseases. This year, the event once again brought together thousands of professionals, researchers, and decision-makers to shape the future of pulmonology.
The National Korányi Institute for Pulmonology was represented by its Director General, Dr. Krisztina Bogos, along with several senior staff members. Dr. Bogos participated in multiple professional meetings, further strengthening Korányi’s international relations and its role within the European professional community. Senior staff members actively represented the Hungarian pulmonology field, presenting Korányi’s international research and cooperation activities in several professional sessions.
We are particularly proud that Prof. Dr. Ildikó Horváth, the institute’s Scientific and Educational Director, was elected Secretary General of the European Respiratory Society’s General Assembly. This appointment marks a unique milestone for Hungarian pulmonology: it is the first time in the history of the ERS that a Hungarian specialist has held this prestigious leadership position.
One of the key professional sessions at the congress was the open meeting of JARED (Joint Action on Chronic Respiratory Diseases), where Prof. Dr. Horváth delivered a presentation on the project’s main objectives—the prevention, early detection, and treatment of chronic respiratory diseases—highlighting JARED’s crucial role in strengthening both national and European health policy measures. She emphasized that healthy lungs are not only fundamental to breathing, but also to overall quality of life:
“Prevention, early detection, and a life course-based approach are key to the future of pulmonology. The goal is to make early diagnosis and the chance for a healthy life more accessible to everyone.”
Several projects of the National Korányi Institute for Pulmonology, implemented in
collaboration with European partners, also played a prominent role in the congress program. The JARED, SOLACE, and LungHealth4Life (LH4L) projects showcased the institute’s leading role in international scientific and policy cooperation in the prevention and treatment of respiratory diseases.
As part of the SOLACE project’s professional consultations, Dr. Anna Kerpel-Fronius participated in the consortium partner meeting, where European institutions discussed forward-looking strategies for expanding lung cancer screening and reaffirmed the consensus that early diagnosis saves lives.
The Korányi Institute’s professional contributions and leadership at the ERS Congress once again demonstrate its international recognition and its unwavering commitment to joint European efforts for healthier lungs and longer, better-quality lives.
