As 2024 comes to a close and as the new Patient Advisory Board & Advocacy Manager at EUFOREA, I have the privilege to reflect on the achievements and milestones of EUFOREA this year. With my background as a pharmacist and scientific background in precision medicine of chronic airway diseases, it is great to see efforts advancing respiratory health.
EUFOREA has continued to address critical unmet needs in education, research, and advocacy. This year saw remarkable advancements, including educational courses on asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), and allergic rhinitis through the EUFOREA e-Academy. The development of various pocket guides (translated into different languages) highlighting novel treatment options and the validation of a respiratory control tool further underscore EUFOREA’s commitment to improving patient and physician outcomes.
One of the year’s highlights was the 3rd edition of the Global CRSwNP (Nasal Polyp Syndrome) Awareness Day held in Brussels in April 2024. Additionally, the European Parliament Symposium on ‘Raising the Bar in Respiratory Care’ brought together leaders from various tertiary care centres and advocacy groups to promote collaboration in respiratory health.
At the heart of this all stands EUFOREA’s Patient Advisory Board, which has been a source of inspiration, with its members bringing valuable perspectives to our initiatives. In 2024, we were privileged to see several new and motivated patients join the Board. This has expanded its reach beyond Europe, strengthening its global impact.
Looking forward, 2025 will mark a decade since EUFOREA’s foundation in 2015, a milestone to be celebrated with several key events. In the first month of 2025, EUFOREA will launch a highly anticipated Patient Portal, co-developed by leading experts and dedicated to education on chronic respiratory diseases. It will offer patients accurate information on their respiratory disease with practical tips for prevention, a healthy lifestyle, and improved care strategies. In its first stage, the portal will cover CRS and nasal polyp syndrome with the launch on asthma in the pipeline. In April 2025, the 4th Global Awareness Day for Nasal Polyp Syndrome, themed “New Ambitions of Care”, a high-level symposium on the future of respiratory care, as well as our 10th Anniversary philanthropic evening will coincide and unite stakeholders to combat the growing epidemic of chronic respiratory diseases.
EUFOREA’s dedication to patient engagement and advocacy continues to drive its mission forward. With an active and growing Patient Advisory Board, we look to 2025 as a year of further collaboration, innovation, and impact. Stay tuned for exciting updates on these and other activities on our website, www.euforea.eu, as we work together to advance respiratory care.
Your sincerely,
Dr Xander Bertels
EUFOREA Patient Advisory Board & Advocacy Manager
Disclosures: This short article was provided by EUFOREA. No publication fees were associated with the publication of this article.
