Welcome message from the Congress President

It is my pleasure as Congress Chair, and president of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand, to welcome you to the 2007 joint Congress of the APSR and the American College of Chest Physicians on sunny Queensland's famous Gold Coast. Plans are already well underway to make this the best APSR Congress yet. As the APSR membership grows and its reputation as a dynamic organisation that reflects the breadth and depth of respiratory medicine in the Asia-Pacific region is established, we have an opportunity to showcase the best respiratory science we can. The local organising committee, chaired by A/Prof. Paul Reynolds, has some innovative and exciting programme ideas to help attendees gain the most from this meeting. The program has also benefited from substantial input from the American College of Chest Physicians and the conference co-convenor Dr. Mark Rosen, ACCP President, as well as the Australian and New Zealand Society of Respiratory Science.

This year, the symposia will focus on emerging infections (including major sessions on Avian Flu), childhood respiratory health and the environment, therapy for cancer, pulmonary hypertension and airways disease (all the latest on COPD and asthma), and a special emphasis on advances in critical care.

Pre-conference courses will cover interventional bronchoscopy, advances in physiology, emerging infections, practical epidemiology methods, critical care, evidence-based medicine, physiology and essentials of pulmonary radiology.

So there is something for everyone and we hope you will come to Queensland to learn, be stimulated, enjoy the company of colleagues, and the exceptionally warm and welcoming Australian people. Of course, the location is special, and we hope that visitors to Australia in December will make the most of this lovely time of year, either before or after the Congress.

Christine Jenkins
Congress President