Meet the Scientific Committee
Francesco Blasi
Italy
Francesco Blasi
Italy
Francesco Blasi, MD, FERS is Professor of Respiratory Medicine in the Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation at the University of Milan, Italy, as well as Head of Internal Medicine Department and Respiratory Unit of the Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
He is also director of the Adult Cystic Fibrosis Center of the Lombardia Regional Referral CF Center and currently a member of the Board of Directors of the University of Milan.
From 2012–2013, he was president of European Respiratory Society (ERS) and from 2016–2017 president of the Italian Respiratory Society (SIP/IRS). From 2017–2018, he was president of the Italian Respiratory Society Research Center (SIP/IRS Centro Ricerche).
Professor Blasi has published more than 350 papers in international journals (WEB of Science (01.12.2018) h-index : 50 Citations: 8620; SCOPUS (01.12.2018) : h-index:53 Citations:10680 ; Google Scholar (1.4.2019): h-index: 70, Citations: 17,668).
His research interests include pneumonia, COPD, bronchiectasis, tuberculosis and NTM infections, cystic fibrosis and lung transplantation
G. Walter Canonica
Italy
G. Walter Canonica
Italy
Professor G. Walter Canonica is director of the Personalized Medicine Center: Asthma and Allergies at Humanitas Research Hospital in Milan (Italy).
He has been Director of the Allergy & Respiratory Diseases Clinic, Genoa University -Italy a Galen Centre of Excellence (1997-2016)
Since 1995 he is full Professor of Allergy and Respiratory Diseases, Dept of Int Medicine, Genoa University
Professor Canonica’s research interests include examination of the molecular events and interactions between immunocompetent cells, inflammatory cells and epithelial cells in allergic inflammation and airway remodeling.
He has been President of the World Allergy Association (2007-2009) and of the Italian Association for Allergology, Asthma and Immunology (2014-2017).
He personally published more than 230 scientific works on the most relevant and influent specialized journals.
Sanjay Haresh Chotirmall
Singapore
Sanjay Haresh Chotirmall
Singapore
Sanjay H. Chotirmall Is an Associate Professor and Provost’s Chair in Molecular Medicine, Vice Dean (Research), Principal Investigator, Translational Respiratory Research Laboratory, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and Consultant Respiratory Physician, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, 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 publications in Nature Medicine, the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), the Lancet Respiratory Medicine and the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (AJRCCM). He has been appointed Provost’s Chair in Molecular Medicine at NTU Singapore since 2019 and leads "The Academic Respiratory Initiative for Pulmonary Health (TARIPH)", an interdisciplinary national academic initiative that aligns strategic academic expertise across Singapore to benefit Singaporeans with lung disease through research. He currently serves as Deputy Editor at the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (AJRCCM).
Raja Dhar
India
Raja Dhar
India
MBBS(Cal), MD (Resp Med), MRCP (UK),
MSc (Evidence Based Medicine, UK),
CCT (Respiratory and General Medicine UK),
FCCP (USA), FICS (Indian Chest Society)
Diploma in Palliative Care (Newcastle University)
Certificate in Education (Teeside University) Director and Head of Dept, Pulmonology, C K group of Hospitals, Kolkata. Director Research and Education, National Allergy Asthma Bronchitis Institute, Kolkata.
Chair- Training and Education Initiatives, Indian Chest Society ICS National Representative for the ERS Governing Body Member of the Indian Chest Society Director, First two HERMES exams Asia (European Diploma in Respiratory Medicine) Governing Body Member Indian Academy of Bronchology Joint Secretary Indian Academy of Allergy Founder Member South East Asian Academy of Sleep Medicine 124 International and National publications in indexed journals and Abstracts along with 17 Book Chapters.
Associate Editor for Respirology and on Editorial Board for multiple other journals Dronocharya Award for Excellence in Continuing Medical Education in India (IHW) Coordinator for DNB course for the last 5 year. The first DNB Respiratory course in Bengal
Ruby Pawankar
Japan
Ruby Pawankar
Japan
Prof. Ruby Pawankar, MD, PhD, FRCP (UK), FAAAAI
Prof. Ruby Pawankar is Executive Director and Immediate Past President, Asia-Pacific Association of Allergy Asthma and Clinical Immunology (APAAACI) and Steering Committee Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCIS). She served as President, APAAACI (2018-2023), President, World Allergy Organization (WAO) (2012-2014) and Council Member, Collegium Internationale Allergolicum (2016-2022). Her academic affiliations include Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan, Guest Professor, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan, Honorary Professor, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China, and Honorary Professor, China Medical University, Taiwan. Prof. Pawankar is Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP, UK) and has held positions in many regional/global organizations. She served as Co- Chair, G20-T20India-TF3.
Her research has focused on the obligatory role of Th2 type cytokines and IgE in allergic inflammation, the gut microbiome and allergy in early life, impact of environment on health trajectories, climate change, biodiversity, one health, epithelial cells as inflammatory cells and inflammatory biomarkers. Her scientific publications have led to an ‘h-index of 92 and 52154 citations’ and she is Editor of several books and peer- reviewed journals. She has been an author of several global guidelines in allergic diseases. She engages with global bodies like the G20, UN, WHO, UNEP, COP and focuses on bringing science to action via public policy. She was an expert panelist at United Nation’s Rio+20 Biodiversity on Environment and Health.
