Vlatka Matkovic is EU Project Manager at Lungs Europe. Vlatka holds a PhD in Biomedical sciences and Public Health. She is a public health professional with over 15 years of experience, specialising in environmental health and infectious diseases.

She brings to the project a strong scientific background in public health and an extensive professional record that includes a variety of leadership positions shaping EU and national health policies, including EU Horizon project management, and various scientific research and achievements.

Ensuring that the patient’s perspective is at the forefront and knowledge and experience on the topic is shared, Ivana joined EFA as Project Manager to contribute to the development, management, and implementation of the federation’s diverse project portfolio. Before joining EFA, she was a project manager in the field of regional development, working on projects linked to international cooperation, cluster collaboration, and talent attraction. She holds an MA in EU Studies and Human Rights from UCAM Spain, complemented by a BA in European Languages from the University of the Philippines.

Rosa Faner is Serra Húnter Associate Professor of Immunology in the Biomedicine Department at the University of Barcelona, Spain, and accredited researcher at Fundació Clínic per a la Recerca Biomèdica-IDIBAPS, and Centro Investigacion Biomedica en Red (CIBER research network). She is a co-chair of the ERS Clinical Research Collaboration CADSET.

Dr. Faner has experience working with lung function trajectories, and the immunological/translational aspects of COPD and has been involved in COPD molecular determinations of Spanish and international cohorts. Her main research focus is on the molecular basis of early-origins COPD and the molecular pathobiology of COPD in relation to clinical traits using network medicine methods. She has been involved in approximately 125 publications.

Dr. Garcia-Aymerich has been principal investigator in numerous national and international multi-centre cohort and clinical trial studies, both population- and clinical-based. Her pioneer research in physical activity and COPD has been recognised by several national and international awards and was the basis to redefine lifestyle recommendations in clinical COPD guidelines.

She is Secretary General (elected by votation) of the European Respiratory Society (2022-2025) and Professor at Universitat Pompeu Fabra, where she teaches research methods, epidemiology, statistics and chronic diseases at under and postgraduate level.

Anna Andrałojć holds a MA in Economics, Development Cooperation and Scientific Information. She currently works at the Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases as a specialist in valuation of medical procedures. Anna combines an education in economics with a passion for working in international development cooperation.

She is natural-born initiator with profound expertise in Project Management. Analysing preliminary project proposals, creating feasible solution scenarios, mobilizing the group, inspiring and exercising the adopted model in action. She has a strong background in preparing coherent concepts and translating them into detailed operational and organizational solutions. She holds a PRINCE2 Foundation Certificate in Project Management. She realized projects for International Red Cross and Polish Red Cross, UNDP POLAND, COPD Foundation. Her last successful project was connected with the problem of air pollution in the context of on the biological and intellectual development of children aged 10-13 years.

As a leader in WP4, she will be responsible for carrying out the activities in schools, recruiting schools, cooperation with school principals, training spirometry technicians, as well as creating a database of results for statistical studies.

Professor Dr. Ildiko Horvath works as a professor of pulmonology at the National Koranyi Institute for Pulmonology and senior advisor at the Public Health Institute at Semmelweis University. She worked as a research fellow at the NIH, Bethesda, US, for three years and in Imperial College, London, UK, for 18 months. She had several leadership positions in the European Respiratory Society and was a member of the Scientific Panel for Health, an advisory board to the European Commission on health research.

Dr. Horvath spent 8 years in public administration, for four years as State Secretary of Health. She had a major role in launching several preventive interventions and programmes, including the legal act on protection of non-smokers, trans fat ban, colorectal cancer screening pilot, newborn CF screening, and a national LDCT screening pilot for lung cancer screening.

Cláudia Almeida Vicente is a family doctor at USF Araceti in Portugal. She has a special interest in the respiratory area, and since 2013, has been in the coordination group of the Respiratory Diseases Group of the Association of General and Family Medicine. She became the coordinator of the Group in 2021.

Dr. Vicente has been a member of the Board of the International Primary Care Respiratory Group since 2022, and also the President elected. She is Chair of the ERS group 01.03 and is also a member of the Gina Advocacy group.

She has participated in articles, guides and documents useful for clinical practice, promoting respiratory diseases in primary healthcare, as well as the articulation of care with hospital specialties.

Natalia Liagka works on EU policies and projects at Lungs Europe.

Céline Genton joined the European Respiratory Society (ERS) in 2015 and is responsible for ERS scientific activities including fellowships and awards programmes, clinical research collaborations and task forces aiming at developing clinical practice guidelines. She coordinates the involvement of ERS in EU-funded projects.

In addition to her PhD in life science, Céline has more than 15 years’ experience working in clinical research in project management and quality control.

Hilary Pinnock is a family physician and Professor of Primary Care Respiratory Medicine, at the University of Edinburgh. She leads programmes of work in the Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research and the RESPIRE NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Respiratory Health and is a co-Lead of the ERS CONNECT Clinical Research Collaboration on implementation of digital respiratory care.

Her research interests focus on delivery of care including implementing supported self-management for asthma, remote consulting and digital health for respiratory disease, pulmonary rehabilitation in low resource settings, and supportive care for people with severe COPD.

She is Chair of the Education Council of the European Respiratory Society and involved with the International Primary Care Respiratory Group. She is a member of the BTS/SIGN British Asthma Guideline Development Group and is an Associate Editor of npjPrimary Care Respiratory Medicine.

Nicolas Roche is Professor of Respiratory Medicine at Paris Cité University, and Head of the Department of Respiratory Medicine, Cochin Hospital, Paris, France, and a clinical researcher at Paris Cité University, Cochin Institute, INSERM UMR1016, Paris and at Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, INSERM UMR1018, Viillejuif, France. His major areas of interest are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, real-life research and inhaled therapy.

He coordinated or contributed to several French guidelines on asthma and COPD. Professor Roche has authored or co-authored more than 450 articles and book chapters in the respiratory disease arena. He is Science Council Chair of the European Respiratory Society, member of the Global Initiative of Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) science committee, board member of the Respiratory Effectiveness Group, member of the American Thoracic Society, and has served as president of the Societe de Pneumologie de Langue Française.

Brian Ward is the Director of Advocacy and European Affairs at European Respiratory Society.

Alvar Agusti  is Professor of Medicine at the University of Barcelona. He is also a senior consultant at the Respiratory Institute Clinic of Barcelona.

Professor Dr. Ildiko Horvath works as a professor of pulmonology at the National Koranyi Institute for Pulmonology and senior advisor at the Public Health Institute at Semmelweis University. She worked as a research fellow at the NIH, Bethesda, US, for three years and in Imperial College, London, UK, for 18 months. She had several leadership positions in the European Respiratory Society and was a member of the Scientific Panel for Health, an advisory board to the European Commission on health research.

Dr. Horvath spent 8 years in public administration, for four years as State Secretary of Health. She had a major role in launching several preventive interventions and programmes, including the legal act on protection of non-smokers, trans fat ban, colorectal cancer screening pilot, newborn CF screening, and a national LDCT screening pilot for lung cancer screening.

Anna Andrałojć holds a MA in Economics, Development Cooperation and Scientific Information. She currently works at the Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases as a specialist in valuation of medical procedures. Anna combines an education in economics with a passion for working in international development cooperation.

She is natural-born initiator with profound expertise in Project Management. Analysing preliminary project proposals, creating feasible solution scenarios, mobilizing the group, inspiring and exercising the adopted model in action. She has a strong background in preparing coherent concepts and translating them into detailed operational and organizational solutions. She holds a PRINCE2 Foundation Certificate in Project Management. She realized projects for International Red Cross and Polish Red Cross, UNDP POLAND, COPD Foundation. Her last successful project was connected with the problem of air pollution in the context of on the biological and intellectual development of children aged 10-13 years.

As a leader in WP4, she will be responsible for carrying out the activities in schools, recruiting schools, cooperation with school principals, training spirometry technicians, as well as creating a database of results for statistical studies.

Artur Jerzy Badyda is a full-time professor, specialist in environmental management and environmental health. Since 2016, he is Head of the Department of Informatics and Environment Quality Research of Warsaw University of Technology.

His scientific interests are closely related to environmental determinants of health, health impact assessment, with particular emphasis on the influence of ambient air pollution on the environment and human health. He is member of numerous advisory groups in the public sector and commercial enterprises as well as of scientific societies dealing with the issues of environmental medicine and epidemiology. He is former advisor to the Minister of Environment of the Republic of Poland. Currently, he is member of the advisory team on the impact of air pollution on health in the Ministry of Health.

Piotr Dąbrowiecki, MD, PhD is associate professor, specialist in internal medicine and allergology from the Department of Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Allergology of the Military Institute of Medicine of the National Research Institute in Warsaw.

He is the Chairman of the Polish Federation of Asthma, Allergy and COPD Patients' Associations, He is a member of the Main Board of the Polish Society of Allergology, the Polish Pulmonary Society and the European Respiratory Society, the advisory team on the impact of air pollution on health at the Ministry of Health, as well as a member of the Council of Patients' Organizations at the Ministry of Health.

He is author and co-author of over 100 scientific articles IF – 60 IH-12 and textbooks for doctors and nurses in the field of diagnosis and treatment of asthma and COPD and the impact of air pollution on health.

Monika Franczuk MD, PhD, is a respiratory specialist with over 25 years of experience in lung function testing (standardization, interpretation and training), teaching medical students, doctors and medical staff training, and managing patients with respiratory diseases.

She is a researcher, author and co-author of national recommendations for spirometry measurements and interpretations rules, guidelines for performing lung function testing during the COVID-19 pandemic, and many scientific articles in the field of lung function testing and its clinical value. She is currently a member of the Main Board of the Polish Respiratory Society. She is the former Chair of the Physiopathology Assembly of the Polish Respiratory Society. She is the Director and organizer of European Spirometry Driving Licence training in Poland endorsed by the European Respiratory Society.

She is also a current Member of the European Respiratory Society; Assembly 9 Allied Respiratory Professionals, a member of the ERS Spirometry Consolidation project, and a former member of the ERS Spirometry Committee.

Dr. Ana Margarida Cruz is a Family Doctor in USF Bom Porto, Porto, Portugal. Since 2015 she has been Assistant Professor at the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS) U. Porto. She has a special interest in respiratory medicine and has been involved in different projects with family doctors, community health professionals and medical students since 2011.

Dr. Ana Filipa Fernandes is a Family Physician at USF D. Sancho I in Portugal and she has been an active member of GRESP (the Respiratory Diseases Study Group of the Portuguese Association of General Practice and Family Medicine) since 2018. She has participated in and continue to contribute to research projects in the field of respiratory health. Additionally, she serves as a Reviewer for the Revista Portuguesa de Medicina Geral e Familiar and regularly provide training in respiratory and cardiovascular health.

Dr. Carla Gomes is a Family Phisician at USF Levante, Algarve Local Health Unit, Basic Emergency Center of Vila Real de Santo António, Faro, Portugal.

She is a member of GRESP (The Respiratory Diseases Study Group of the Portuguese Association of General Practice and Family Medicine) since 2018. She is also an associate Professor in the Integrated Master Degree of Medicine, University of Algarve. Durthermore, she is the Director of General Practice and Family Medicine Residency Program, Algarve.

Cláudia Almeida Vicente is a family doctor at USF Araceti in Portugal. She has a special interest in the respiratory area, and since 2013, has been in the coordination group of the Respiratory Diseases Group of the Association of General and Family Medicine. She became the coordinator of the Group in 2021.

Dr. Vicente has been a member of the Board of the International Primary Care Respiratory Group since 2022, and also the President elected. She is Chair of the ERS group 01.03 and is also a member of the Gina Advocacy group.

She has participated in articles, guides and documents useful for clinical practice, promoting respiratory diseases in primary healthcare, as well as the articulation of care with hospital specialties.