Dear members

As ERS Scientific Chair, I am happy to welcome you to our Annual Congress in Amsterdam.

The scientific programme of the ERS 2011 Annual Congress has been enriched by the large number of excellent abstracts submitted. Those selected for presentation are remarkable in their originality and scientific quality.

The ERS brings together a range of disciplines, all of which are important to maintain the overall quality of the Congress. In order to ensure participants can identify the sessions most relevant to them, we have highlighted certain sessions by Scientific Assembly topic (Allied Respiratory Professionals, Clinical Physiology and Exercise, Cystic Fibrosis, Exacerbations of COPD or Bronchiectasis, Noninvasive Ventilation, Pneumonia, Respiratory Infections and Tuberculosis) and there are colour-coded tracks in all major fields, including paediatrics, epidemiology/environment, infection, intensive care, oncology, physiology, sleep, clinical and basic science. We also encourage you to plan your itinerary in advance using the online tool.

Working with partner organisations such as the ECDC and the WHO, we have organised collaborative symposia to bring basic science to the clinic and to build links between our organisations. Likewise, we have gone to great lengths to ensure the broadest possible international representation among speakers and chairs.

Lunchtime symposia have been organised with the British Medical Journal, The Lancet and the New England Journal of Medicine, journals that enjoy the widest audience, disseminating clear messages to a broad spectrum of practitioners. The NEJM has organised for original research papers to be published online in parallel with their presentation at a lunchtime symposium. The BMJ and the European Respiratory Journal will host a joint session where you will be able to see and meet their editors, and European Respiratory Review editor in chief Prof. Marc Humbert has organised an update session, also presented at lunchtime.

Attendance by participants from low-income countries and young researchers has been facilitated by ERS sponsorships and industry grants, after thorough review by experts from the ERS Scientific Assemblies. On Saturday, before the opening ceremony, there will be a special session for young members and former beneficiaries of ERS fellowships. This should be an opportunity to bring new to the ERS and to allow young members to learn about the ERS's scientific activities and grant awards.

Once again, the ERS Scientific staff have provided services such as the e-poster platform, where you can consult abstract presentations you may have missed, or post comments and ask questions of authors. You can also browse and print abstracts at the abstract print zone.

ERS staff will be on hand throughout the Congress on the ERS stand, where you can learn more about our scientific activities in a friendly atmosphere. Bring along any questions you have about the ERS, and learn more about fellowships, the Lung Science Conference, research seminars or task forces.

If the 2010 Congress was a record year in terms of sheer numbers, 2011 will set a new record for scientific excellence – we will be delighted to share this experience with you.

Laurent P. Nicod
ERS Scientific Chair

Dear members

As ERS School Chair, I welcome you to our Annual Congress in Amsterdam

The educational programme of this year's Congress incorporates topics and formats designed to appeal to clinicians from all fields of respiratory medicine. Twenty "Postgraduate Courses" will be organised; among them practical hands-on courses on Interventional Pulmonology and state-of-the-art courses on Asthma, COPD, Pleural disease, Exercise testing, Thoracic Ultrasound, Emerging Infections, Treatment of OSA, and Thoracic Oncology. Eighteen 'Meet the Professor Seminars' run by world renowned professors will be held in Amsterdam www.ersnet.org/educational-programme

For the first time this year, four "Early Morning Seminars" will also take place during the congress. These sessions are intended to improve practical skills in "Interpretation of HRCT scan", "Assessing the efficiency of non invasive ventilation", "Interpreting sleep studies", and "Bronchial challenge testing in the lab".

The 2011 ERS Congress will host the 4th HERMES examination in adult respiratory medicine, as well as the inaugural examination in Paediatric Respiratory medicine. These examinations are now open not only to European Diploma candidates but also to candidates for in-training and self-assessment http://hermes.ersnet.org

New to this year's congress, information sessions will take place on the ERS Stand. These information sessions offer those attending the congress the opportunity to meet and discuss ongoing ERS educational activities including HERMES and EU projects with the project chairs and leading experts in the field. The information sessions are scheduled over lunch time between Sunday and Tuesday and specific details are listed on page X of the final programme.

For the second year, the ERS Book Store offers those attending congress the opportunity to buy a range of ERS educational resources including the Monograph, the Adult and Paediatric respiratory booklets, educational materials from the Post Graduate courses, as well as the ERS Handbook of Respiratory Medicine. The ERS Handbook has had a very successful year since its launch during the 2010 ERS Congress and the editors will be available for questions and answers Monday, 26th September, 9.00 – 10.00.

During the opening ceremony, the School takes pleasure in recognising Prof. Dario Oliveri who is the recipient of the ERS 2011 Educational Award, thanks to his outstanding contribution to respiratory medicine.

In my final year as the ERS School Chair I would like to thank all contributors to the ERS School and Educational Programme. Additionally I would like to wish Dr. Anita Simonds all the best for her new role as the ERS School Chair.

Once again welcome and thank you for joining us in Amsterdam! We hope to see you at one of the many educational events taking place throughout the Congress.

Paolo Palange
ERS School Chair