"We need to be better at linking environmental health with human health"

Ian Sinha and Jennifer Quint talk to ERS Monograph Editorial Board member Holly Keir about how the latest issue of the Monograph – Inequalities in Respiratory Health – can be used as a force for positive change. Their topical and thought-provoking discussion covers: ways in which clinicians can address inequality in their day-to-day practice; the best approach to data collection and pitfalls to avoid; the current and future impact of air quality; and the key challenges we face in health inequality and how to address them. As Ian says, "this Monograph gives people a resource that can help them make the changes they feel should happen."

As part of the May issue, the European Respiratory Journal presents the latest in its series of podcasts. Chief Editor James Chalmers interviews Associate Editor Marcus Mall about the latest developments in cystic fibrosis.

As part of the April 2023 issue, the European Respiratory Journal presents the latest in its series of podcasts. Chief Editor James Chalmers interviews Alvar Agusti (Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain)about the new Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD)report.

"We need to be cognisant of the new, less common risk factors that are associated with various cancers"

ERS Monograph early career representative Holly Keir talks to co-Guest Editor Kwun M. Fong about the Monograph on Lung Diseases and Cancer. In a conversation covering the bidirectional relationship between cancer and lung disease, the impact of climate change, cancer's relationship with vaping and the pulmonary effects of new cancer treatments, Kwun explains why this Monograph is relevant to all in respiratory medicine, from bench to bedside.

"This condition is really overlooked. The point of the Monograph is that it should, hopefully, raise awareness."

In the latest instalment of the ERS Monograph podcast series, Editorial Board member Holly Keir talks to James H. Hull, one of the Guest Editors of the Monograph on Complex Breathlessness. In a conversation that focuses on the need for robust investigation when faced with unexplained breathlessness, James and Holly discuss: the use of physiological tests and CPET for assessment; postural tachycardia syndrome and autonomic dysfunction; the importance of developing breathlessness clinics in the future; and therapy-based treatments, such as physiotherapy and speech and language therapy.

“One of the major motivations of this Monograph was to involve several specialities in order to provide the broadest overview of the manifestations of sarcoidosis”

In the latest instalment of the ERS Monograph podcast series, Editorial Board member Sheila Ramjug talks to Francesco Bonella and Daniel Culver, co-Guest Editors of the Monograph on Sarcoidosis. In an engaging conversation about this fascinating, chameleonic disease, Francesco and Daniel discuss multidisciplinary collaboration, advances of the last 10 years, areas of possible underdiagnosis and, importantly, the future. A conversation that really highlights how this Monograph is “an opportunity to grow the field.”

"A one-stop-shop for a better understanding of this important cell and all the diseases associated with it"

ERS Monograph early career representative Sheila Ramjug talks to David J. Jackson and Michael Wechsler about their Monograph, Eosinophilic Lung Diseases. In a conversation covering eosinophil types and the way they work, the safety of eosinophil depletion, key chapters and important questions for the future, David and Michael explain why this Monograph is relevant to everyone, both junior and senior physicians and scientists alike.

“Suddenly, I find myself involved in research and clinical care in a disease I hadn’t even heard about 2 ½ years ago”

In a conversation that really encapsulates the pandemic rollercoaster we continue to live through, Guest Editors Aurelie Fabre, John Hurst and Sheila Ramjug discuss the importance of the ERS Monograph on COVID-19, providing as it does a comprehensive review of all areas of the disease. This podcast is a fascinating listen for researchers and clinicians from both within and beyond respiratory medicine, and will even appeal to the lay listener. The podcast covers the incentives behind a COVID Monograph, standout chapters, the positives that can be drawn from the pandemic and the importance of collaboration: “a reflection of how much we can achieve when we work as one”.

"People's lives can be changed and [...] the important symptoms they are struggling with can be managed and in many cases, relieved"

In the latest instalment of the ERS Monograph podcast series, Editorial Board member Sheila Ramjug talks to Anne Holland, Professor of Physiotherapy at Monash University and Guest Editor of the Monograph on Pulmonary Rehabilitation. Their broad-ranging discussion covers everything from balancing a home life with a career in medicine, to the impact of COVID-19 on implementing pulmonary rehabilitation. Anne talks about the origins of pulmonary rehabilitation, the need to better personalise patient care, and recommends chapters that will help readers understand the patient experience and that provide practical tips on establishing a rehabilitation programme.

"In terms of preventing them coming to your clinic, the only thing we can do is focus on the early years."

The lasting impact of respiratory health in the early years, pre-birth and even pre-conception forms the focus of earnest and warm discussion in this latest fascinating Monograph podcast. Ian P. Sinha and Jayesh Mahendra Bhatt, Guest Editors of Respiratory Diseases of the Newborn Infant, talk to Sheila Ramjug about what attracted them to the field, the reasons behind the Monograph’s compilation and its importance to non-paediatric respiratory physicians, the impact of socioeconomic status on lung health and the devastating effects of child poverty.