Scientific Committee

Timothy R. Aksamit

(US)

Timothy R. Aksamit

(US)

"Mayo Clinic United States of America"
Dr. Aksamit is a consultant and Professor of Medicine in the Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine division of Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA. Dr. Aksamit received his undergraduate degree in chemistry from the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois; medical degree from Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois; and medical training in internal medicine as well as pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of Iowa in Iowa City where he was also chief resident. Additional research was completed at Hammersmith Hospital in London, UK. Prior to joining the staff at Mayo Clinic in 1998 he was in private practice in Madison Wisconsin. He has also served previously as director of the Medical Intensive Care unit at Saint Marys Hospital Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Aksamit’s research and clinical interests are focused on mycobacterial disease and bronchiectasis. He has co-authored a previous international statement by the American Thoracic Society and Infectious Disease Society of America on the diagnosis and treatment of nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease. He was a co-founding member of, and previously served as the chair of the United States Bronchiectasis and NTM Research Registry. He currently is medical director of the Bronchiectasis and NTM 360 initiative with the COPD Foundation and co-chair of Wold Bronchiectasis Day. He has collaborated and closely worked as an investigator on a number of multicenter clinical trials and research projects with international colleagues in Europe, Australia, and Japan involving bronchiectasis and mycobacterial disease. He has additionally served as a scientific adviser for each of the World Bronchiectasis Conferences in Hanover, Milan, Washington DC, Prague, and New York City. Other positions held include past chair of the State of Minnesota Tuberculous Advisory Committee, current medical director of the Olmsted County Public Health Department - Mayo Clinic Tuberculosis Clinic, current director of the Mayo Mycobacterial and Bronchiectasis Clinic, and past medical director of chaplain services Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.

Stefano Aliberti

(Italy)

Stefano Aliberti

(Italy)

"Respiratory Medicine, Humanitas University Italy"
Prof. Stefano Aliberti Professor of Respiratory Medicine Humanitas University, Milan, Italy Consultant, Respiratory Unit and Adult Cystic Fibrosis Center, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan. Co-chair of the European Bronchiectasis Network (EMBARC). Chair of IRIDE, the Italian Registry of adult bronchiectasis. Chair of the Italian Registry on Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria (IRENE).

Șermin Börekçi

(Turkey)

Șermin Börekçi

(Turkey)

"Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa"

Pierre-Régis Burgel

(France)

Pierre-Régis Burgel

(France)

"Université Paris Cité, Inserm U1016, Institut Cochin and Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris France"
Pierre-Régis Burgel, MD, PhD, FERS Pierre-Régis Burgel is Professor of Respiratory Medicine at Cochin Hospital/Université Paris Cité, France. He is the national coordinator of the French Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Reference Centre Network (47 CF centres), the vice-president of the French CF Society, and an associate editor of the Journal of Cystic Fibrosis and the European Respiratory Journal. He was awarded the 2022 Mid-Career Gold Medal in Cystic Fibrosis from the European Respiratory Society. He has published over 320 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals. His main research interests include cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis and COPD.

Sanjay Chotirmall

(Singapore)

Sanjay Chotirmall

(Singapore)

"Vice-Dean and Associate Professor of Molecular Medicine at the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine Singapore"
A/Prof Chotirmall is an internationally recognized clinician-scientist with an established translational respiratory research group at the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, NTU Singapore. To date, he has performed key work on endo-phenotyping pulmonary infection, including the use of next generation sequencing approaches, in the context of chronic inflammatory respiratory diseases that have led to >200 publications including those in Nature Medicine, the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), Cell Host and Microbe, Nature Microbiology, the European Respiratory Journal (ERJ) and the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (AJRCCM). He continues clinical practice at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore and currently serves as Vice Dean (Research) at the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, NTU Singapore and Deputy Editor at the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (AJRCCM).

Raja Dhar

(India)

Raja Dhar

(India)

"The Calcutta Medical Research Institute India"
Dr Dhar has more than 27 years of experience in Pulmonology, Critical Medical Management and Interventional Pulmonology. He is proficient in all disciplines of Respiratory Medicine including airways disease, pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, transplant, lung cancer, sleep medicine, lung infections including TB, and respiratory emergencies. His special interest lies in Interventional Pulmonology including electrocautery, APC, cryotherapy, stent placements and Medical Thoracoscopy as well as rare stroke orphan lung diseases Interstitial Lung Disease Asthma & Allergy COPD Sleep Medicine Advanced Lung Function services Interventional & Diagnostic Pulmonology All disciplines of Respiratory Medicine. He is passionate about teaching and is an avid researcher and academician.

Donna Heilweil

(Switzerland)

Donna Heilweil

(Switzerland)

"ELF PAG Switzerland"

Natalie Lorent

(Belgium)

Natalie Lorent

(Belgium)

"University Hospitals Leuven Belgium"

Ellie Maas

(Australia)

Ellie Maas

(Australia)

"University of Queensland Australia"
Dr Ellie Maas comes from a regional town in south-east Queensland, Australia. She has a vested interest in genetics, as she worked as a neurogenetics research assistant, before pursing her PhD in dermatological genetics with the Dermatology Research Centre at the University of Queensland. Ellie’s research focuses on identifying genotype-phenotype correlations in hereditary cancers which includes melanoma and primary ciliary dyskinesia. Upon submission of her PhD, Ellie was offered a position in the UQ Doctor of Medicine (MD) program. She is currently in her second year of study while working part-time as a postdoctoral researcher with the UQ Integrating Genomics into Medicine group.

Marcus Mall

(Germany)

Marcus Mall

(Germany)

"Charité - Universitätsmedizin Germany"
Professor and Chair, Department of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Immunology and Critical Care Medicine Medical Director, CharitéCenter 17 for Obstetrics and Gynecology, Child and Adolescent Medicine with Perinatal Center Human Genetics Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Refiloe Masekela

(South Africa)

Refiloe Masekela

(South Africa)

Professor Refiloe Masekela serves as the Dean and Head of the School of Medicine at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and holds the position of Full Professor specializing in Paediatric Pulmonology. She is an NIHR Global Health Research Professor, leading research on asthma interventions in paediatric populations. Her primary research interests encompass the epidemiology of asthma, with a focus on equitable access to affordable medicines for individuals living with chronic respiratory diseases, enhancement of access to pulmonary diagnostic testing in African settings, and the design and evaluation of interventions aimed at optimising lung health in chronic respiratory disease cohorts. Professor Masekela is also a faculty member at the Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI), contributing to multidisciplinary research initiatives that address pressing respiratory health challenges in low- and middle-income countries.

Professor Masekela is internationally recognised as a global leader in asthma and holds multiple leadership positions in prominent professional societies and networks. She serves as co-Chair of the Global Asthma Network (GAN), President of the Pan African Thoracic Society (PATS), a Science Committee Member for the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), and a member of the European Respiratory Society’s Global Lung Initiative (GLI) Network. At the national level, she is the President of the South African Thoracic Society. Through these roles, she contributes to the development of international guidelines, advances in asthma research, and the strengthening of collaborative networks for respiratory health across Africa and beyond.

A core component of Professor Masekela’s professional mission is research capacity strengthening and the cultivation of the next generation of respiratory health researchers in Africa. She serves as co-Director of the Pan African Thoracic Society Methods in Epidemiology, Clinical and Operational Research (PATS-MECOR) programme, which provides structured training in epidemiological, clinical, and operational research methodologies to healthcare workers across the continent.

Pamela J. McShane

(US)

Pamela J. McShane

(US)

"University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler United States of America"
Dr. Pamela McShane started her journey attending medical school at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine. From there, she became a recipient of the Health Professions Scholarship Program in the United States Air Force. Following her medical school and internal medicine residency training, Dr. McShane served as active duty in the U.S. Air Force at Wilford Hall Medical Center. She was stationed on Lackland Air Force base in San Antonio, Texas. While she was active duty, she was deployed twice to Iraq to support the freedom of Iraqi operations. Fulfilling her obligation, Dr. McShane returned to Chicago to finish her fellowship, where she continued her training in pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of Chicago. Dr. McShane decided to stay at the University of Chicago, where she became a faculty member and directed the bronchiectasis and pulmonary nontuberculos mycobacteria clinical care center. During her time in the clinical care center, Dr. McShane accepted an offer specializing in the heart, lung, and blood at the Institution of National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. At the National Institutes of Health, she focused on clinical care of pulmonary mycobacterium infections. Furthermore, she has been published extensively in the field of bronchiectasis. Through all her training, Dr McShane has found clinical patient to be the most rewarding aspect of her job. At this point in her life, Dr. McShane has found a home at the University of Texas Health Science Center and continually focuses on her love for clinical patient care. Dr. McShane has always been regarded as a doctor that cares and she takes pride in bringing that love to her patients every time they step through her office.

Lucy Morgan

(Australia)

Lucy Morgan

(Australia)

"Department of Respiratory Medicine, Concord Hospital Australia"
Lucy is a respiratory physician and clinician researcher working predominantly in public practice in Sydney. Her clinical practice covers the full range of lung problems but she has a special interest in respiratory infections, bronchiectasis and PCD. Lucy has a long standing commitment to patients with Bronchiectasis and has been part of the WBC family since the very beginning. She is Professor at the University of Sydney, Australia and has academic appointments at Macquarie University and Sydney University with a strong interest in teaching and training junior doctors and lung researchers throughout the Macquarie University Hospital, Nepean Hospital and Concord Hospital Clinical Schools. She was inaugural chair of the Australasian Bronchiectasis Consortium and clinical lead for the Australian Bronchiectasis Registry project. She is currently Chair of Lung Foundation Australia

Francesca Nicola

(Italy)

Francesca Nicola

(Italy)

"San Raffaele Scientific Institute Italy"
Francesca Nicola, PhD student in Molecular Medicine at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Milan, Italy. I am currently working in the Emerging Bacterial Pathogens Unit, led by Dr. Daniela Cirillo, under the supervision of Dr. Nicola Ivan Lorè. My research focuses on host-pathogen interactions at the mucosal level, using both in vitro and in vivo models. I apply omics approaches to gain a deeper understanding of these complex relationships, with a particular emphasis on nontuberculous mycobacteria, especially Mycobacterium abscessus.

Alfredo Pachas

(Peru)

Alfredo Pachas

(Peru)

Dr. Alfredo Pachas
Neumología Peruana. Center for Respiratory Diseases, in Lima, Peru.
Dr. Alfredo Pachas studied medicine at San Luis Gonzaga University in Ica. He then specialized in pulmonology at the National University of San Marcos in Lima, Peru in 2008. In 2008, he worked at the Naval Medical Center. In 2016, he founded Neumología Peruana. Centro de Enfermedades Respiratorias (Peruvian Pulmonology. Center for Respiratory Diseases), where he treats patients with chronic respiratory diseases, particularly bronchiectasis.

2015-President of the Asthma and COPD Committee of the Peruvian Society of Pneumology.
2015-Coordinator of the PER-EPOC Project: Project for training and epidemiological study of COPD in Peru.
2016-High specialization in Pulmonary Fibrosis: María Ferrer Hospital in Argentina and Güemes Foundation.
2024- Organizer of the Course on Nutrition in Chronic Respiratory Diseases (2024).
2024- Organizer of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd International Virtual Course on Bronchiectasis

Medical Director of Neumologia Peruana, Centro de Enfermedades Respiratorias. Lima. Perú.
Participant of Latin American Registry of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (REFIPI)

Eva Polverino

(Spain)

Eva Polverino

(Spain)

"Respiratory, Bronchiectasis University Hospital Vall D'Hebron, Barcelona Spain"
Eva Polverino is pulmonologist and a senior investigator at the research Institute of University Hospital of Vall d’Hebron. She is currently leading the research lines of CF, bronchiectasis and immunodeficiencies in lung diseases and is member of the local Committee of primary immunodeficiency. She is member of the respiratory infections assemblies within the Spanish society of Respiratory Disease (SEPAR-area TIR, PII de bronquiectasias) and Secretary of the Assembly 10 (respiratory infections) of European Respiratory Society. Chair of the ERS taskforce on bronchiectasis and Co-Chair of the European registry of bronchiectasis (EMBARC) and clinical research collaboration (ERS). Experienced in European projects she is currently participating in the Value-Dx project as ERS representative (WP6). Dr Eva Polverino trained at Naples University, and obtained his PhD at University of Pisa (Italy). She runs specialist clinical services for bronchiectasis, immunodeficiencies and cystic fibrosis, and leads an active research programme as head of the research team in Cystic Fibrosis and Bronchiectasis at the research Institute of Vall d’Hebron University Hospital. She is currently directing four doctoral thesis. Her main topics of interests are chronic infections, physical activity and respiratory physiotherapy, antimicrobial therapy, non antibiotic strategies for infection control, new biomarkers and host immune response in the pathogenesis of bronchiectasis and CF, clinical trials in CF and bronchiectatic lung diseases. Dr. Polverino Maher is an associate editor for European Respiratory Review, ERJ monograph, and Springer. She has authored over 80 papers and book chapters on respiratory infections, respiratory physiotherapy, bronchiectasis and pneumonia.

Nicole Shearman

(Germany)

Amelia Shoemark

(UK)

Amelia Shoemark

(UK)

"University of Dundee Ninewells Hospital United Kingdom"
Amelia completed a PhD at Imperial College London on non-invasive measurement of Inflammation in bronchiectasis. She is currently a PI at the University of Dundee where she conducts a research program investigating cilia function in bronchiectasis. She has a specialist interest in the inherited condition Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD) and is Chair of the BEAT-PCD clinical research consortium and a clinical scientist leading the PCD diagnostic laboratories at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London. Bronchiectasis is the major cause of morbidity in patients with PCD and her research therefore focuses on diagnosis and characterisation of genetic defects in PCD, and more broadly in understanding the role of mucociliary clearance in the development of bronchiectasis in children and adults. She is lead of the EMBARC BRIDGE study, an international endotyping study in bronchiectasis and has published >100 peer review articles on the topic of bronchiectasis, inflammation, and ciliary function.

Michal Shteinberg

(Israel)

Michal Shteinberg

(Israel)

"Carmel Medical center Israel"
Michal Shteinberg is heading the bronchiectasis and adult CF service in the Pulmonology institute and CF center, Carmel medical center, Haifa, Israel. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Faculty of medicine at the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. Her main research interests are bronchiectasis and its overlap with other airway diseases, and adult CF.

Arietta Spinou

(UK)

Arietta Spinou

(UK)

"King's College London United Kingdom"
Dr Arietta Spinou leads national and international research in allied respiratory health, focusing on precise symptom assessment, non-pharmacological interventions, and improving patient quality of life. She nurtures professional growth in her students and collaborators, fostering innovation and empowering healthcare professionals for enduring impact. Her academic journey is marked by prestigious achievements, including a PhD in Respiratory Medicine from King’s College London and an MSc in Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy from University College London (UCL). She secured these accomplishments with support from the esteemed Greek State Scholarships Foundation (IKY) after ranking 1st in national exams. Dr Arietta Spinou gained 13 years of invaluable experience in clinical settings across Greece, Finland, and the UK, shaping her career vision for international impact. Committed to lifelong learning, she completed additional courses at the University of Oxford on healthcare assessment and impact, and at the University of Cambridge on leadership. Additionally, she holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice in Higher Education and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Dr Spinou's impactful research in chronic lung conditions, with an emphasis on bronchiectasis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), has significantly influenced national and international clinical practice. Her pioneering work includes developing and validating the Bronchiectasis Health Questionnaire (BHQ); a seminal contribution that has been translated into over 15 languages and is widely adopted in clinical and research settings. Additionally, her expertise in cough has led to groundbreaking studies, including the first assessment of the 24-hour cough frequency in patients with bronchiectasis. Dr Spinou serves as the chair of Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) Affinity Group at King’s College London, which links a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, researchers and clinical academics from King’s Health Partners. Furthermore, she has chaired the European Respiratory Society (ERS) task force on airway clearance in bronchiectasis, served as the first non-medical member of the British Thoracic Society (BTS) Pulmonary Infection Specialist Advisory Group, and also served as an elected founding committee member of the Cardiovascular and Respiratory Physiotherapy – Rehabilitation at Greek Physiotherapists' Association. Her remarkable contributions have garnered national and international recognition, including nominations and awards from the European Respiratory Society (ERS), Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Respiratory Care (ACPRC), National Health Service (NHS), and the Europe Region of World Physiotherapy. She has also delivered over 20 invited international lectures.

Gregory Tino

(US)

Gregory Tino

(US)

Gregory Tino, M.D. is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He is the Chief of the Department of Medicine at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and Senior Vice Chair of the Department of Medicine of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Tino is an inaugural member of the Academy of Master Clinicians at Penn Medicine.

Dr. Tino received his undergraduate degree from Columbia University and his medical degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, where he was awarded the Harold Elster Memorial Prize for highest academic standing in the graduating class.

He currenty serves as Treasurer of the American Thoracic Society.

He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians (ACP), the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), the American Thoracic Society (ATS), and the College of Physicians of Philadelphia.

Dr. Tino is a clinician-educator who has received multiple awards for teaching at Penn. He has a specific clinical and research interest in bronchiectasis and has been a Principal or Sub-Investigator for multiple clinical trials in bronchiectasis.

Scientific Committee

Timothy R. Aksamit

Stefano Aliberti

Șermin Börekçi

Pierre-Régis Burgel

Sanjay Chotirmall

Raja Dhar

Donna Heilweil

Natalie Lorent

Ellie Maas

Marcus Mall

Refiloe Masekela

Pamela J. McShane

Lucy Morgan

Francesca Nicola

Alfredo Pachas

Eva Polverino

Nicole Shearman

Amelia Shoemark

Michal Shteinberg

Arietta Spinou

Gregory Tino

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