18 September, 2024
Updated 2 October, 2024
The results of the latest round of ERS Leadership Elections were announced during the 2024 ERS General Assembly meeting, which was held virtually on 17 September. The event was attended by ERS members and senior leaders and offered a platform to recap the last 12 months alongside highlighting the priority areas in the coming year.
The General Assembly is the body responsible for adapting the statutes of the Society, deciding the annual membership fees, reviewing proposed amendments to the ERS Constitution and By-Laws and checking and approving the accounts.
During the meeting the ERS Vice President for the 2024–2025 period was confirmed as Dr Marc Miravitlles (Spain). Dr Miravitlles is a Fellow of the ERS, who has previously served as Head of ERS Assembly 10, ERS Guidelines Director, and as an ERS Congress Chair, will now successively become ERS President Elect in 2025/26 and then ERS President in 2026/27.
In addition, following the General Assembly ERS welcomed three new Executive Committee members: Prof. Ildikó Horváth was elected to the role of Secretary General Elect; Dr Emer Kelly is now Treasurer Elect and Prof. Omar Usmani is the new Science Council Chair Elect. Shadowing mandates commenced recently, with official mandates starting in September 2025.
Four new Assembly Heads will also commence their mandates following the General Assembly. Congratulations to Jellien Makonga-Braaksma (Assembly 9: Allied respiratory professionals), Najib M. Rahman (Assembly 11: Thoracic oncology), Michael Kreuter (Assembly 12: Interstitial lung diseases), and Olivier Sitbon (Assembly 13: Pulmonary vascular diseases). The full list of election results for this period are available on the ERS website. Thank you to all ERS members who took the time to vote in elections this year, and to competing candidates for their participation.
As part of the annual General Assembly activities, ERS members also voted on amendments to the ERS Constitution and By-Laws presented by the Secretary General, Prof. Judith Garcia-Aymerich. Notable amendments, which were ratified in the constitution following approval by the ERS membership, related to the position of Early Career Members Committee (ECMC) co-Chair, which now officially exists in the Bylaws, as well as changes to the election process of the ECMC Chair/co-Chair. These changes can be viewed in Article VII, Point 15 of the ERS Bylaws.
Prof. Dr Monika Gappa, now Past President, reflected on a successful ERS Congress, as well as highlighting other ERS events and achievements from the year. Prof. Dr Gappa acknowledged the last 12 months as a truly rewarding experience and thanked the ERS staff, members, officers and the Core Management Group for their support and hard work during her remit, before welcoming Prof. Silke Ryan as ERS President 2024/25.
Prof. Ryan commenced her role by thanking Monika Gappa for her vision and leadership during the last 12 months, before acknowledging the great honour and responsibility of taking up the role of ERS President. Prof. Ryan noted that she was keen to continue the important initiatives already in progress such as advocating for clean air and against pollution, digital transformation, as well as looking forward to the ERS Congress 2025. She also added that as a sleep physician, she will aim to bring a greater focus to sleep related breathing disorders during this time.