· Prof. Jean-François Muir (France):
Initially trained in Anesthesiology, Professor Muir moved to Medical Intensive Care and later in Pulmonology where he was nominated Professor in the early 80’ in Amiens University Hospital. After a few years he moved to Rouen University Hospital to become head of the Pulmonology Department where he created an RICU and a sleep laboratory in the early 90’. In 2000 he founded in collaboration with ENT, intensivists and rehabilitation researchers the Rouen University Respiratory Handicap Research Group EA 3830 that he directed for 8 years. In parallel, he contributed to develop a respiratory home care services association in Normandy inside the network of ANTADIR, National Federation of which he became President. He was also President of the National French Society of Pulmonology (SPLF) and secretary of ERS NIV group. For many years, he has been involved in research devoted to respiratory assistance in acute and chronic failure, especially concerning noninvasive ventilation. He was at the origin of the A40 multicenter French study that Dr Maxime Patout will be presenting in this session. Recently retired, Professor Muir is still involved in home respiratory assistance as the President of ADIR, regional home care services association of Normandy.
· Prof. Nick Hart (UK):
Professor Hart was appointed as Joint Clinical Director of Sleep, Respiratory and Critical Care Division at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in February 2020 (UK). He directed the critical care response to the COVID-19 pandemic with 334 patients admitted to the intensive care with a survival of 72% and he is the site principal investigator for the NIHR funded PHOSP-COVID study. From 2012 to 2020, he was Head of the Lane Fox Respiratory Service, an internationally recognized weaning, rehabilitation and home mechanical ventilation service, which currently houses the largest weaning and rehabilitation unit in the UK and supports over 2500 patients with chronic respiratory disease and chronic respiratory failure. He was appointed as Joint Editor-in-Chief of Thorax with the impact factor increasing 10.31 since 2015. Professor Hart’s own research is focused on reducing hospital admission and improving quality of life in patients with chronic respiratory disease and post critical illness.
Professor Hart established the Lane Fox Clinical Respiratory Physiology Research Centre in 2007 and he has developed a programme of research focused on: o Admission Prevention In COPD o Muscle Wasting Prevention During Critical illness o Enhancing Outcome in chronic respiratory failure and sleep disordered breathing
· Dr. Patrick Murphy ( UK):
Dr Murphy was appointed a consultant at the Lane Fox Respiratory Unit, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in 2014 and was appointed a reader in respiratory medicine at King’s College London in 2019. He completed a PhD studying respiratory physiology in acute and chronic respiratory failure secondary to COPD and obesity. Dr. Murphy has published in leading respiratory and general medicine journals and contributed to guidelines in the field of management of respiratory complications of sickle cell and obesity related respiratory failure and has been awarded travel grants by both the European Respiratory Society and American Thoracic Society.
· Dr. Maxime Patout (France):
Dr Patout is a respiratory physician with special interest in the management of chronic respiratory failure. He completed his medical training in Rouen University Hospital (France) and spent two years in Lane Fox Respiratory Unit, St-Thomas’ Hospital in London with Prof. Hart and Dr. Murphy. He finished his PhD in 2020 on new techniques for the management of chronic respiratory failure under the direction of Prof. Cuvelier. He is the early career member representative of ERS Assembly 2 and the vice-Chair of the ERS Early Career Member committee.