Annual Conference

Introduction to the 2024 Conference

Join us for the Annual Interstitial Lung Disease Interdisciplinary Network (ILD-IN) Conference on October 6th and 7th, 2024, at Edgbaston Park Hotel in Birmingham.

This conference brings together experts and enthusiasts in the field of interstitial lung diseases to explore topics such as diagnosis, supportive care, immunotherapy, and career development. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and advance our understanding of ILD.

Applications for the ILD-IN educational bursary are now closed and applicants have been notified of the outcome.

Conference Details

Accommodation

The Full Conference registration will include one night’s accommodation.

Conference Date

6th-7th October 2024

Location

Edgbaston Park Hotel,
53 Edgbaston Park Road, Birmingham, B15 2RS

Conference Rates

**Early-Bird Deadline – up to and including 2nd September 2024**

Conference Talks

Diagnosis & Identification of Disease

Supportive Care

Management & Monitoring

Research & Development

Conference Speakers

Click on each speaker to read their biographies.

Clare Donohoe

Janet Bamford

Dr Carita Bramhill

Organisation Trinity College Dublin

Role:
ILD Clinical Fellow

Organisation:
Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals

Dr Alexandra Lawrence

Dr. Alexandra Lawrence is a senior clinical research fellow within the ILD service at Guy's and St Thomas'. Alongside her clinical duties, she actively recruits patients for commercial ILD clinical trials and supports the running and delivery of the research. Dr. Lawrence is also pursuing a doctoral degree focused on identifying factors associated with clinical and functional decline in patients with fibrotic ILD.

Role:
Specialist ILD physiotherapist.

Organisation:
University Hospitals Birmingham.

Claire Walker

Claire Walker leads the Respiratory Physiotherapy Outpatient and Pulmonary Rehabilitation services at University Hospitals Birmingham. I have worked for the NHS for 14 years, now specialising in respiratory with a keen passion for ILD. I am a certified Bradcliff practitioner and have interest in breathing pattern disorders, cough management and exercise prescription. I am passionate about promoting the role that physiotherapists can play in supporting patients to live well with ILD. My role currently includes involvement in ILD MDT clinic, Community ILD MDT and ILD Rapid Access clinic the main focus of which is admission avoidance and facilitation of hospital discharge for patients with ILD.

Organisation:
Asthma + Lung UK

Naomi Watt

Healthcare Professional Engagement Manager

Naomi Watt, Respiratory Specialist Nurse at Asthma & Lung UK, brings over 25 years of expertise in respiratory care. Her diverse background spans emergency and critical care, public health, school nursing, and general practice, where she still runs respiratory clinics.At A+LUK, Naomi leads on the healthcare professional engagement strategy, and is passionate about driving up standards of basic care by developing resources for HCPs at the start of their careers. Naomi also holds teaching and mentoring roles and delivers regular training sessions for a variety of healthcare professionals.When she's not working, you can find Naomi running through the forests near her Sussex home with her beloved dachshund or enjoying family time with her husband and two children.

Organisation:
Niki Avraam Speaking and Advising on the Future of Work

Niki Avraam

Speaker on the Future of Work. Founder of Howat Avraam Solicitors

Niki Avraam's mission is clear: when people are invigorated and engaged by their work, both individuals and organisations thrive.A dynamic speaker, Niki leads the charge in workforce evolution. Using her extensive background in employment law and entrepreneurship, Niki empowers organisations and individuals to exceed their potential and stay ahead in the future of work.Through her energising talks, Niki demonstrates how cultivating adaptability, embracing "preferred discomfort" and fostering a culture of ownership, propels both people and businesses beyond their perceived potential.“When people prosper, organisations thrive”

Organisation:
Aintree Hospital, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS FT

Lisa Spencer

Consultant Respiratory Physician

Dr Lisa Spencer MBE is an NHS Consultant Respiratory Physician. She leads theRegional Liverpool Interstitial Lung Disease Service serving the people ofMerseyside. She is a member of the Clinical Reference Group for SpecialisedRespiratory Services for NHS England representing ILD nationally (a commissioningcommittee). Lisa has recently held roles of Honorary Secretary of the BritishThoracic Society (BTS) and Chair of the BTS national ILD Registry programme.

Organisation:
Erasmus MC , University Medical Centre Rotterdam The Netherlands

Professor Marlies Wijsenbeek

Pulmonologist

Marlies Wijsenbeek is pulmonary physician and Professor of Interstitial Lung Diseases at the Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam, a national expert centre for interstitial lung diseases (ILD) in the Netherlands and member of the European Reference Network for Rare Lung Diseases (ERN-Lung). She is chair of the multidisciplinary ILD centre. Her research interests include e-health, patient centred outcome measures in ILD, cough in ILD and new therapies in ILD and sarcoidosis. She is chair of group 12.01 (Idiopathic Interstitial Pneumonia) of the European Respiratory Society, chair of the functional committee for continued education of the ERN-Lung, member of the scientific advisory boards of different patient associations, Associate Editor of the European Respiratory Journal and member of the international advisory board of The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. She is fellow of the ERS and had the honor to receive the ERS mid-career gold medal.

Organisation:
NHS England

Rachael Moses

Consultant Respiratory Physiotherapist National Clinical Advisor

Rachael Moses is a consultant respiratory physiotherapist working in a portfolio role as a clinician, national clinical advisor (respiratory) and as head of clinical leadership development at NHS England. She has been a humanitarian aid worker for 20 years having served with the British Army and with Non-Governmental Organisations and charities during this time. In 2021 Rachael was awarded an OBE for her services to the NHS and in 2022 received an Honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Hertfordshire.

Organisation:
North Bristol NHS Trust

Dr Harsha Gunawardena

Job title, as you would like it to appear on the agenda Consultant Rheumatologist

Dr Harsha Gunawardena is a Consultant Rheumatologist. He is also a Divisional Clinical Director Neurosciences and Musculoskeletal sciences Division at North Bristol NHS Trust. He leads the North Bristol Connective Tissue Disease and Vasculitis, which provides a tertiary regional service for the southwest. He is an integral member of the Bristol-Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) service that runs regional MDT and combined clinic. This combined service has run since 2010 and manages one of the largest CTD vasculitis-ILD patient cohorts in the UK. He has a clinical academic interest in all aspects of CTD and vasculitis, in particular myositis and ILD. His PhD was on myositis syndromes including ILD phenotypes and this work was the first to describe several novel autoantibody markers. He has published on myositis overlap syndromes, autoantibodies, CTD-ILD reviews and guidelines. He is a lead member of UK Myositis network, Myositis UK patient charity scientific committee, and the British Society of Rheumatology Myositis Guidelines Group. He was British Society of Rheumatology Heberden committee member (2019 – 2023), which is responsible for organising the BSR annual conference and he co-convened and chaired the plenary Essentials sessions. He is a member of the BSR ILD guidelines working group.

Organisation:
NHS

Chris Gillespie

Advanced Occupational Therapist

Chris Gillespie is an Advanced Occupational Therapist (OT) who has worked for the NHS for over 12 years. He is the first dedicated OT for patients with ILD in the UK after starting his role with Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospital Trust in February 2023.He is passionate about promoting independence and ensuring an enhanced quality of life for patients with ILD. The focus of his role is to apply a supportive care approach to tackle the physical, social, and psychological impact caused by the condition.Prior to starting his ILD role Chris’s main clinical background was working with renal patients and those undergoing a wide range of types of organ transplantation within the inpatient setting. Until recently, he worked as a clinical lecturer for Northumbria University delivering the occupational therapy programme whilst also working on ITU and the Covid wards during the Pandemic

Clare Donohoe

Lecturer

Clare Donohoe is wife to Tom, and Mum to Hannah and Ryan. Clare is a Trustee of Pulmonary Fibrosis Northern Ireland. Clare has co-written a children’s book to help families navigate the difficult conversations around the diagnosis of Pulmonary Fibrosis with their children/grandchildren. This book, inspired through her own family’s experience, (her husband Tom was diagnosed with IPF age 43, when her children were aged 15 and 6), aims to raise awareness of PF across the world, as it is believed to be a world first.

Janet Bamford

Actress

I have been involved in Pulmonary Fibrosis Northern Ireland (PFNI) pretty much from its inception, becoming an ambassador in 2022. Having lost a number of relatives to Pulmonary Fibrosis and watching my mum and aunt currently living with and battling this awful disease, I am passionate about raising awareness and funds to help the charity with all the amazing work it does.

Organisation:
Trinity College Dublin

Dr Carita Bramhill

registered nurse and registered systemic psychotherapist

Carita Bramhill is a registered nurse and registered systemic psychotherapist. She is an Irish Research Council scholar undertaking a PhD in Trinity College Dublin. She holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Nursing (General), Trinity College Dublin; Master’s in public health and epidemiology, University College Cork; Master’s in Science, University College Dublin, Postgraduate Higher Diploma in Health Promotion, University College Galway; Postgraduate Higher Diploma in Psychology, Dublin Business School. Caritas research focuses on pulmonary fibrosis, quality-of-life and unmet needs. Carita values PPI in her research recognising the significant contribution patients and carers can make to meaningful research.

Abstract Submission

We invite submission of abstracts for presentation at the ILD-IN Annual Conference 2024. Please review abstract guidance and submit your abstract using the form below by 5th July 2024 at 11:59pm.

Award Nomination

We invite patients, carers and ILD interdisciplinary team members to nominate healthcare professional(s), colleague(s) and/or team member(s) for recognition of their contribution to ILD and for going above and beyond to make a difference. Nomination deadline is 2nd September 2024.

There are 3 award categories:

1. Patient (nominated) Award sponsored by Rotherham Respiratory and Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis – only patients can nominate.

2. Rising Star Award sponsored by Rotherham Respiratory – any member of the ILD team (this includes the wider team of healthcare professionals, administrative team, charity organisations, pharmaceutical companies) can nominate. The nominee can be any member of the interdisciplinary team, e.g. healthcare professionals, administrative team.

3. Innovation and/or use of Digital Technology Award sponsored by Rotherham Respiratory and patientMpower – any member of the ILD team (this includes the wider team of healthcare professionals, administrative team, charity organisations, pharmaceutical companies) can nominate. The nominee can be any member of the interdisciplinary team, e.g. healthcare professionals, administrative team.

Conference Sponsors

Boehringer has financially sponsored this conference where the company has an exhibition space, symposium slot and company information on the conference website and on future mailings from the ILD IN.

Join ILD-IN Today

The ILD Interdisciplinary Network (ILD-IN) aims to provide a supportive network for health professionals of all disciplines working in interstitial lung diseases. ILD-INs purpose is, to provide support, promote ILD specialty practice through education and professional development and to influence the policy of ILD care.

Join ILD-IN today and become a vital part of the ILD healthcare revolution!

Annual ILD-IN Conference 2025

The 2024 conference was held on 6–7th October and has now passed.

Thank you to all our attendees, speakers and sponsors. Full details of the next annual conference will be available here soon!