Taking place on Tuesday 2 April, 2024, this ERS Vision Live panel discussion is ‘Inhaling silica at work: a global health threat in old and new scenarios’.
The expert panellists will discuss key areas, including:
This event is free to access but registration is required.
Ben is an Emeritus Professor, with affiliation to the Medical Faculty of the KU Leuven and holds degrees in medicine, occupational medicine, and toxicology. He founded the research unit of Lung Toxicology, a joint venture between the divisions of Pneumology and of occupational, environmental and insurance medicine. The research unit is now part of the Centre for Environment and Health within the Department of Public Health and Primary Care. Ben's research has involved experimental as well as clinical-epidemiological studies in the mechanisms of lung disease caused by occupational and environmental pollutants.
Ben is also a member of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium and various other national and international scientific bodies, including the Collegium Ramazzini, the American Thoracic Society, and ERS, where he held various leadership positions, including as chair of the Scientific Committee (2006-2009) and the Ethics and Integrity Committee (2020-2023).
Sara is an Associate Professor in Occupational Medicine at the University of Milan, and Director of the Occupational Health unit in the University Hospital. As an occupational physician and epidemiologist, she has more than ten years’ experience in the prevention, diagnosis, and management of occupational respiratory diseases.
Sara's research activity has focused on studying the complex interplay between individual, occupational and environmental factors in the aetiology of a broad range of respiratory conditions, from mesothelioma to COPD and asthma by analysing large population-based epidemiological studies such as the EAGLE study and the UK Biobank study. She has been particularly active in the ERS where she has served for two terms as member of the ERS Environment and Health Committee, and as ERS Secretary of the Group 6.02 - Occupational and Environmental Health, of which she is now the Chair.
Metin is currently the Chair of the Department of Pulmonary Diseases at Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University in Ağrı, Türkiye. He has extensive engagement within the Turkish Thoracic Society (TTS), holding past roles as Chair of the Scientific Committee, Chair of the Occupational Assembly, and Chair of a congress. Presently, he serves as a TTS Executive Member, TTS School Chair, and Executive Member of the Occupational Assembly.
Metin's academic output includes the publication of approximately 250 research articles on various aspects of pulmonary disease and the authorship of around 20 book chapters. The significant rise in silicosis cases related to denim sandblasting in Türkiye since 2004 has focused his research on occupational health and safety.
Ryan is a Respiratory and Sleep Disorders Physician from Melbourne, Australia. He has a master’s degree in occupational and environmental health and undertook a fellowship in occupational lung diseases at the University of Toronto, Canada.
Ryan is the head of the Occupational Respiratory Clinic at the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne and has been a Senior Research Fellow at the Monash University Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health since 2009. His primary research is in the field of artificial stone associated silicosis and has published 23 papers on the topic since 2018.
Kristin is Chief of the Occupational Health Branch of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) in the United States. Prior to joining CDPH, she served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer, Medical Officer, and Branch Chief in the Respiratory Health Division of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Kristin is board certified in internal medicine and occupational medicine and is a member of the Standing Committee on Personal Protective Equipment for Workplace Safety and Health of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Her research interests include inhalational exposures and respiratory health of workers, with a particular emphasis on occupational health disparities.