Program Lecture Series 2026

18.09.2026       COPD - Professor Sir Peter Barnes (UK)

25.09.2026       Asthma - Professor Marek Lommatzsch (Germany)

02.10.2026       Cigarette smoking and lung diseases - PD Dr. Klaas Franzen (Germany)

09.10.2026       Non-CF bronchiectasis - Professor James Chalmers (UK)

16.10.2026       Prevention of pulmonary infections & Ukrainian vaccination calendar - Dr. Fedir Lapiy (Ukraine) ! Different Time: 04:30 pm EEST / 03:30 pm CEST

23.10.2026       Pulmonary hypertesion - Professor Marc Humbert (France)

30.10.2026       Interstitial lung diseases - Ass. Professor Oxana Munteanu (R. Moldova)

06.11.2026       Occupational lung diseases - Professor Dennis Nowak (Germany)

13.11.2026       Respiratory failure, non-invasive and invasive ventilation - Professor Michael Dreher (Germany)

20.11.2026       Respiratory emergencies - Professor Wolfram Windisch (Germany)

27.11.2026       Cystic fibrosis - Professor Andrea Gramegna (Italy)

04.12.2026      Sleep-related breathing disorders - Professor Alexandru Corlateanu (R. Moldova)

11.12.2026       Community acquired pneumonia - Professor Stefano Aliberti (Italy)

18.12.2026       Post TB Lung Diseases - Professor Gunar Günther (Switzerland)

08.01.2027       Rare lung diseases - Professor Michael Kreuter (Germany)

15.01.2027       Pulmonary rehabilitation - Professor Rembert Koczulla (Germany)

22.01.2027       Jeopardy - Dr. Olha Konstantynovska (Ukraine); Dr. Ivan Hrek (Ukraine), PD Dr. Thomas Theo Brehm (Germany), Professor Christoph Lange (Germany)

Professor Sir Peter Barnes, UK is Professor of Thoracic Medicine at the National Heart and Lung Institute was Head of Respiratory Medicine at Imperial College London 1987-2017. He qualified at Cambridge and Oxford Universities (first class honours) and trained in London. He has published >1500 peer-review papers on asthma, COPD and respiratory pharmacology (h-index 220) and has written/edited >50 books. He is in the top 10 most highly cited researchers in the world and has been the most highly cited respiratory researcher in the world over the last 20 years. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2007, the first respiratory researcher for >150 years. He has given several prestigious lectures, including Amberson Lecture at American Thoracic Society and Sadoul Lecture at European Respiratory Society. He was President of the ERS in 2013/2014. He was awarded the Trudeau Medal by the ATS in 2020 and knighted in the Birthday Honours 2023 for services to respiratory science. Professor Barnes does research on the mechanisms and treatment of asthma and COPD and is currently working on the role of cellular senescence in chronic lung diseases.

Professor Marek Lommartsch, Germany is a scientist specializing in respiratory medicine, allergology, and intensive care medicine. He is Professor at the University of Rostock and serves as Deputy Director and Senior Consultant in the Department of Pneumology, Allergology and Medical Intensive Care at Rostock University Medical Center. His clinical and scientific work focuses on chronic inflammatory airway diseases, particularly severe asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He studied medicine in Berlin and Freiburg and completed additional academic training in Southampton and Toronto. Professor Lommatzsch is a Fellow of the European Respiratory Society and the lead author and coordinator of the German guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of asthma. His research explores airway inflammation, neuroimmune mechanisms, clinical phenotyping, biological therapies, and asthma remission as a major treatment goal. A central focus of his clinical practice is the personalized management of patients with severe and difficult-to-treat asthma, including the appropriate selection and monitoring of targeted biological therapies.

PD Dr. Klaas Franzen, Germany is a physician-scientist and senior physician at Medical Clinic III of the University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Germany. His clinical and research interests include respiratory medicine, tobacco cessation, and the health effects of cigarette smoking, e-cigarettes, and heated tobacco products. His work investigates their impact on small airway function, arterial stiffness, inflammatory pathways, immune regulation, and lung cancer. By combining clinical, molecular, and translational research, he aims to improve understanding of smoking- and vaping-related cardiopulmonary injury and its implications for thoracic oncology.

Professor James Chalmers, UK is a physician-scientist and Rhodes Chair of Experimental Therapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Oxford. His clinical and research interests focus on bronchiectasis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia, respiratory infections, airway inflammation, and the development of new treatments for chronic lung diseases. He chairs the European Bronchiectasis Network (EMBARC), coordinating international registries, clinical trials, and collaborative studies designed to improve patient care. His work has contributed to a better understanding of neutrophilic inflammation, disease heterogeneity, pulmonary exacerbations, and precision treatment in bronchiectasis. He has also led major European guideline panels addressing bronchiectasis, COPD, and COVID-19. Professor Chalmers has published more than 550 peer-reviewed scientific papers and is Chief Editor of the European Respiratory Journal. His research combines experimental medicine, translational science, and large-scale clinical investigation to identify meaningful biomarkers and develop therapies for patients with complex inflammatory and infectious respiratory diseases around the world.

Dr. Fedir Lapiy, Ukraine is a Ukrainian pediatric infectious disease specialist, immunologist, and expert in vaccination and immunoprophylaxis. He holds a PhD in Medical Sciences and serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Immunology, Infectious and Rare Diseases at the Medical School of the European International University. Dr. Lapiy chairs the National Technical Group of Experts on Immunization, an advisory body that develops evidence-based recommendations for the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. He is also a member of the European Technical Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (ETAGE), appointed by the WHO Regional Director for Europe. His professional work focuses on vaccination policy, immunization schedules, vaccine safety, infectious disease prevention, and communication with healthcare professionals and the public. As an advocate for evidence-based immunization, he contributes to expert discussions, educational initiatives, and health programmes aimed at improving vaccine confidence and protecting children and adults from vaccine-preventable diseases across Ukraine.

Professor Marc Humbert, France is Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Professor of Respiratory Medicine at Université Paris-Saclay. He also heads the Department of Respiratory and Intensive Care Medicine and the French Pulmonary Hypertension Reference Centre at Bicêtre Hospital, Assistance Publique–Hôpitaux de Paris. Professor Humbert directs the Inserm–Université Paris-Saclay research unit dedicated to pulmonary hypertension pathophysiology and therapeutic innovation. His research has contributed significantly to understanding the genetics, epidemiology, risk stratification, and treatment of pulmonary arterial and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. He served as President of the European Respiratory Society in 2021-2022 and as Chief Editor of the European Respiratory Journal from 2013 to 2017. He is Vice-Coordinator of ERN-LUNG and leads its Pulmonary Hypertension Core Network. Professor Humbert has repeatedly been recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher and received the 2024 ERS Congress Chair Award.

Ass. Professor Oxana Munteanu, R. Moldova is an Associate Professor in the Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology at Nicolae Testemițanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy and Medical Director of Medpark International Hospital in Chișinău, Republic of Moldova. Her principal clinical and scientific interests include bronchiectasis, interstitial lung diseases, chronic pulmonary aspergillosis, respiratory infections, asthma, and functional respiratory assessment. Her doctoral research examined the clinical, radiological, functional, and microbiological characteristics of bronchiectasis in adults, contributing to improved phenotyping and management of this complex disease. Dr Munteanu participates in international bronchiectasis and chronic pulmonary aspergillosis research collaborations, including VIAREMO and CPAnet. She is an active member of the European Respiratory Society and has represented Moldova as an ERS National Delegate since 2018. Her work combines clinical leadership, medical education, multidisciplinary patient care, and international research aimed at improving the diagnosis and long-term management of chronic and complex respiratory diseases.

Professor Dennis Nowak, Germany is a Director of the Institute and Clinic for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine at LMU University Hospital Munich. He also holds the Chair of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. A specialist in occupational medicine, internal medicine, respiratory and bronchial medicine, allergology, and environmental medicine, he combines clinical practice with research, teaching, and public health expertise. His work examines how occupational, social, and environmental exposures influence respiratory health. Major areas of interest include occupational lung diseases, work-related asthma and allergies, indoor environmental hazards, toxic metals, air pollution, and the prevention of exposure-related illness. Professor Nowak’s interdisciplinary approach brings together clinical medicine, epidemiology, exposure assessment, and preventive strategies. Through patient care, research, professional education, and policy-oriented work, he contributes to improving workplace health, identifying environmental risks, and translating evidence into practical recommendations for workers, patients, employers, healthcare professionals, and society.

Professor Michael Dreher, Germany is a Director of the Department of Pneumology and Internal Intensive Care Medicine at University Hospital RWTH Aachen. He is a specialist in internal medicine, pulmonology, and intensive care medicine, combining the management of complex respiratory diseases with clinical and translational research. His principal interests include acute and chronic respiratory failure, non-invasive ventilation, mechanical ventilation, prolonged weaning, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, sleep-related breathing disorders, and pulmonary hypertension. His research also examines respiratory muscle and diaphragm dysfunction, exercise limitation, and persistent dyspnoea following COVID-19. Professor Dreher has contributed to clinical studies and guidelines concerning ventilation strategies and the treatment of acute respiratory insufficiency. He is actively involved in educating physicians and developing multidisciplinary approaches to respiratory and critical care. Through his leadership and research, he aims to improve diagnostic assessment, individualized ventilatory support, rehabilitation, and long-term outcomes for patients with severe pulmonary disease and respiratory failure.

Prof. Wolfram Windisch, Germany is a German physician and scientist specializing in respiratory medicine, critical care, and mechanical ventilation. He is Professor and Chair of Pneumology at Witten/Herdecke University and Head of the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Cologne-Merheim Hospital. His clinical and scientific work focuses particularly on chronic respiratory failure, non-invasive and invasive ventilation, home mechanical ventilation, respiratory muscle dysfunction, COPD, and sleep-related breathing disorders. He has played a leading role in developing German clinical guidelines for the treatment of chronic respiratory failure and is widely recognized for advancing high-intensity non-invasive ventilation in patients with hypercapnic COPD. Professor Windisch served as President of the German Respiratory Society from 2023 to 2025 and remains actively involved in national and international respiratory research networks. His work combines physiological research, clinical trials, guideline development, and patient-centered care, aiming to improve outcomes and quality of life for patients with severe respiratory diseases.

Ass. Professor Andrea Gramegna, Italy is an Italian physician and scientist specializing in respiratory medicine. He is Associate Professor of Respiratory Diseases in the Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation at the University of Milan and works in the Respiratory and Adult Cystic Fibrosis Unit at Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico in Milan. His principal clinical and research interests include adult cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, respiratory infections, multidrug-resistant respiratory pathogens, and nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease. His work explores the epidemiology and clinical management of chronic respiratory diseases, with particular attention to pulmonary exacerbations, airway inflammation, microbial interactions, and personalized treatment strategies. Professor Gramegna has contributed to numerous clinical studies, international collaborations, and scientific publications in respiratory medicine. Since 2023, he has chaired the European Respiratory Society study group dedicated to cystic fibrosis in adults. His academic and clinical activities combine research, medical education, and multidisciplinary patient care, aiming to improve long-term outcomes for people living with complex chronic respiratory conditions.

Professor Alexandru Corlateanu is Professor and Head of the Discipline of Pulmonology and Allergology at Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy în Chișinău, Republic of Moldova. His principal clinical and scientific interests include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchial asthma, obstructive sleep apnoea, non-invasive respiratory support, respiratory infections, and the impact of comorbidities on patients with chronic lung diseases. His research has addressed functional status, exercise capacity, anaemia, cardiovascular comorbidities, daytime sleepiness, and quality of life in patients with COPD and sleep-disordered breathing.Professor Corlăteanu represents Moldova in international respiratory initiatives associated with GOLD and GINA and promotes the implementation of evidence-based respiratory guidelines in national clinical practice. He serves as President of the Coalition for Respiratory Health from Moldova, and is actively involved in postgraduate medical education, international scientific collaboration, peer review, and the editorial work of several respiratory and multidisciplinary medical journals.

Professor Stefano Aliberti, Italy is Professor of Respiratory Medicine at Humanitas University and Chief of the Respiratory Department at the Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy where he is also leading the Bronchiectasis and Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria Programs. His major clinical and research interests are both acute and chronic respiratory infections. He has extensive experience in epidemiological and clinical research in pneumonia since early-2000s when he was working for the Community-Acquired Pneumonia Organization. He has extensively published clinical and translational research papers on community-acquired pneumonia, especially in the field of clinical failure, cardiovascular events and antimicrobial resistance. He received the Young Researcher Award in Respiratory Infections from the European Respiratory Society for his contribution on community-acquired pneumonia. Over the past 20 years he has been heavily involved in acute and chronic respiratory infections, including bronchiectasis and non-tuberculous mycobacteria. He co-chairs the European Bronchiectasis Registry (EMBARC) and chairs both the Italian Bronchiectasis Registry and the Italian Registry of Pulmonary Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria. He is also chair of the ERS END-COVID CRC. Prof. Aliberti published more than 350 peer-reviewed articles especially on respiratory infections over the past 20 years and he was part of different international task forces to produce guidelines on bronchiectasis, COVID-19 and severe pneumonia, as well as statements on tuberculosis. Prof. Aliberti has been heavily involved in different international societies over the past decade, including the European Respiratory Society, the American College of Chest Physicians, and the European Cystic Fibrosis Society, in different educational and scientific committees.

Professor Gunar Günther, Switzerland is a pulmonologist and clinician-scientist with more than 20 years of clinical and research experience in Europe and Africa. He currently works as a Senior Physician in the Department of Pulmonary Medicine at Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, Switzerland, and is affiliated with the Department of Clinical Sciences at the University of Namibia. He previously spent several years in Namibia as a consultant pulmonologist and clinician-scientist, where he founded the University of Namibia tuberculosis research group. His principal clinical and scientific interests include drug-resistant tuberculosis, post-tuberculosis lung disease, pleural diseases, respiratory infections, capacity building, and operational research. His work combines specialist clinical care with international collaborative research aimed at improving tuberculosis diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and long-term patient outcomes. Dr Günther has been a member of the Tuberculosis Network European Trials Group (TBnet), a pan-European research network, since 2008 and has served as its Secretary since 2023.

Professor Michael Kreuter, Germany is a German physician and scientist specializing in internal medicine, pulmonology, and hematology-oncology. He is Professor of Pulmonology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and Director of the Mainz Center for Pulmonary Medicine, which brings together the Department of Pneumology at Mainz University Medical Center and the Department of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at Marienhaus Clinic Mainz. His principal clinical and scientific interests are interstitial and rare lung diseases, particularly idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, progressive pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis, and their associated comorbidities. Before moving to Mainz, he worked at Heidelberg University Hospital, where he led the Center for Interstitial and Rare Lung Diseases. Professor Kreuter completed clinical training in Münster and a research fellowship at Harvard Medical School in Boston. He is actively involved in international clinical studies, guideline development, professional education, patient advocacy, and European Respiratory Society activities focused on interstitial lung diseases.

Professor Rembert Koczulla, Germany is a German physician and scientist specializing in internal medicine, pulmonology, intensive care, emergency medicine, and pulmonary rehabilitation. He holds the W3 Professorship in Pulmonary Rehabilitation at Philipps University Marburg and serves as Chief Physician of the Pulmonology Center at Schön Klinik Berchtesgadener Land in Schönau am Königssee, Germany. The clinic is a teaching hospital affiliated with Philipps University Marburg and Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg. Professor Koczulla is internationally recognized for his clinical and scientific contributions to pulmonary rehabilitation, particularly in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, interstitial lung diseases, and persistent symptoms following COVID-19. His research focuses on exercise-based rehabilitation, respiratory physiology, digital healthcare interventions, and individualized approaches to improving functional capacity and quality of life. He was the lead author and coordinator of the German S1 Guideline on Long/Post-COVID and continues to contribute to research, guideline development, clinical education, and multidisciplinary rehabilitation programs.

06.03.2026 - TB Epidemiology - Prof. Olha Konstanynovskaya & Dr. Tetjana Synenko - Ukraine

13.03.2026  - TB Diagnostics - Dr. Thomas Theo Brehm - Germany

20.03.2026 - TB Therapy - Prof. Dumitru Chesov - Moldova

27.03.2026 - HIV Epidemiology and Prevention - Prof. Ole Kirk - Denmark

10.04.2026 - HIV Diagnosis and Therapy - Dr. Christian Kraef - Denmark

17.04.2026 - Community-Acquired Pneumonia - Prof. Christoph Lange - Germany

24.04.2026 - Opportunistic Infections - Elisabeth Krüger - Germany

08.05.2026 - Viral Hepatitis - Dr. Claudia Beisel - Germany

15.05.2026 - Fungal Infections - Prof. Helmut Salzer - Austria

22.05.2026 - NTM Diseases - Prof. Natalie Laurent - Belgium

29.05.2026 - CNS Infections - Dr. Johannes Jochum - Germany

05.06.2026 - Sexually Transmitted Infections - Prof. Jan Rupp - Germany

12.06.2026 - Infective Endocarditis - Dr. Annette Hennings - Germany

19.06.2026 - ID Jeopardy - Dr. Thomas Brehm & Prof. Christoph Lange