As summer comes to an end, we are in full swing, preparing for a busy autumn of events and advocacy. At the EADV Congress in Paris, EFA will co-present with a dermatologist about Artificial Intelligence and discuss if AI can truly support patients with atopic eczema. A few days later we will bring the #KeepBreathing campaign and our COPD Beyond Care report to discussions on lung health and share the LungHealth4Life Community of Practices model for research impact at the ERS Congress in Amsterdam. Then, at the European Health Forum Gastein 2025, the biggest EU health policy conference, we will host a lung health policy session with the European Lung Health Group, advocating for the importance of prevention, treatment and access to care for all. 

As for me, I will be co-leading a workshop on “Anaphylaxis at school across the world: towards a harmonised approach”, and presenting on the impact for patients at risk of anaphylaxis and their families of the recent European Court of Auditors ECA Report which highlights the need for EU harmonisation of precautionary allergen labelling in Europe at the GA²LEN GA²FA Conference in Padova. 

Back at home, our community is busy gearing up for World #AtopicEczemaDay 2025, ready to share stories, raise awareness and engage patients across Europe in the #AtopicEczemaJourney. Stay connected with us throughout September to follow all the action and updates! 

Warm regards,

Marcia Podestà
EFA President

17-20 September | Paris

EFA will represent the European atopic eczema patient community, alongside with many members, at this year’s EADV Congress. On 18 September at 08:30, our Director Susanna Palkonen will bring the patient perspective to the session “AI and social media strategies in dermatological practice”, addressing an important question: can AI provide reliable treatment and care advice?

You will also find EFA at our booth in the Patient Organisations Area. We look forward to engaging with the dermatology community on how to ensure innovation and research truly supports patients across Europe.

EFA will attend the European Respiratory Society Congress to bring the European patients’ perspective and the #KeepBreathing campaign into discussions on lung health across Europe. The Congress will also be the opportunity to disseminate and engage the Respiratory community on the needs and priorities for COPD patients across Europe, according to the findings and recommendations of our Report: “Raising the bar for better standards of care for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease”. Finally, on 1^st October our Community Engagement Manager will deliver a presentation on EFA's experience in engaging different stakeholders in EU funded project, ensuring sustainability, effectiveness and patient-centricity of research, bringing forward the case of the LungHealth4Life project.

Our delegation will connect with EFA Community members, our partners and follow the latest research and policy developments in asthma, COPD and respiratory care. We will put patients at the heart of the discussions and support collaborations that make prevention, treatment and access to care better for all to #KeepBreathing.

After 11 years of dedicated service for the allergy, asthma and COPD patient community, we sadly said goodbye to Isabel Proaño earlier this month. EFA is grateful for the excellent job Isabel did in shaping our communications and policy work and in representing our community at the highest levels. While we say goodbye to Isabel, we are delighted to welcome to the team EFA’s new Policy Coordinator Frazer Goodwin, who brings his strong and long-term experience in EU health policy to support our community of members in our joint European policy work. Before the summer break, we also welcomed Evangelia-Christina Andreadi, who joined EFA as Project Manager, bringing her experience and background in International and European Studies to implement EFA’s portfolio of projects which are focused on prevention.