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Meet the EpiCreators

EpiCentral has been developed with the expertise and guidance of global experts; read on to meet our EpiCreators and hear from them about why they are excited about EpiCentral.

Professor Enrico Heffler, MD, PhD

Professor Heffler is both a clinical physician and a research investigator, with a strong involvement in international scientific societies. He investigates immunological mechanisms of allergic respiratory diseases with a specialism in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.

Professor Enrico Heffler, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, Humanitas University

Milan, Italy

Professor Heffler is Associate Professor of Internal Medicine (Biomedical Sciences) and Director of the Postgraduate School of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (Biomedical Sciences) at Humanitas University of Milan, Italy. He is Head of the Personalized Medicine, Asthma and Allergy unit at the IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital in Milan, Italy.

His main clinical interests focus on inflammatory airway diseases, immunological mechanisms of allergic diseases, asthma, rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, anaphylaxis and food allergy, with a particular research interest in the inflammatory mechanism of severe asthma.

Professor Heffler currently chairs the Immunotherapy Interest Group of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), the World Allergy Organization (WAO) Adult Asthma Committee and the Publication Committee for the Severe Asthma Network in Italy (SANI). He has also served as President of the Italian Academy of Nasal Cytology (AICNA) and Scientific Coordinator of the Italian Society of Allergy, Asthma and Clinical Immunology (SIAAIC).

Professor Heffler is the author of more than 275 publications.

“My main clinical interests focus on inflammatory airway diseases, immunological mechanisms of allergic diseases, asthma, rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, anaphylaxis and food allergy.”

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Professor Claire Hopkins, BM BCh, FRCS(ORLHNS)

Consultant ENT Surgeon and Professor of Rhinology at King’s College

“My research focuses on improving outcomes of medical and surgical treatments for nasal conditions.”

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Professor MeiLan Han, MD, MS

Professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Michigan Health System and Director of the Michigan Airways Program

“My research interests are related to large clinical trials in COPD, defining disease phenotypes, new screening methods and treatment interventions, as well as the impact of smoking and smoke exposure on lung health.”

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Dr Anju Peters, MD

Professor of Medicine and Associate Chief of Clinical Research and Practice Innovation, Northwestern University

“My primary research focus is in chronic rhinosinusitis and comorbid conditions. I have published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles in this field.”

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Professor Dr Klaus Rabe, MD, PhD, FERS

Professor of Pulmonary Medicine, University of Kiel and Director of the Department of Pneumology, LungenClinic Grosshansdorf

“My research encompasses several fields of respiratory medicine, including asthma, COPD and lung cancer, with the aim to investigate the mechanisms of airway inflammation, early determinants of lung health and the pathophysiological links between respiratory and cardiovascular disease.”

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Associate Professor Gilda Varricchi, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, University of Naples Federico II

“My research area of interest is on the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma and allergic diseases, including the roles of eosinophils, basophils, mast cells, macrophages and specific cytokines in allergic disorders.”

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Professor Ian Pavord, MA, DM, FRCP, FERS, FMedSci

Professor of Respiratory Medicine, University of Oxford

“My research focuses on identifying and validating biomarkers of eosinophilic, Type-2 airway inflammation in asthma and COPD.”

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Dr Tanya M. Laidlaw, MD

Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School

“My primary research focus is on the causative mechanisms of AERD, severe asthma and nasal polyposis.”

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Professor Teal S. Hallstrand, MD, MPH

Professor of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, University of Washington

“My particular interests are the management of difficult-to-control asthma and the pathogenesis of airway hyperresponsiveness including exercise-induced bronchoconstriction.”

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Associate Professor Delbert (Del) Dorscheid, MD, PhD

Associate Professor, Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, University of British Columbia

“I am currently investigating how repeated cycles of injury and repair of the airway epithelium contribute to the development of asthma.”

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Dr Simon Couillard, MD-MSc

Assistant Professor in Medicine, Université de Sherbrooke

“EpiCentral is an important platform to tackle our rapidly evolving knowledge of the airway epithelium as the epicentre of asthma.”

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Professor Pascal Chanez, MD, PhD

Professor in the Department of Respiratory Diseases, University of Aix-Marseille

“My particular interest is in the bronchial epithelium and its relation to allergy and environment in chronic severe bronchial diseases.”

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Assistant Professor Marco Caminati, MD

Assistant Professor in Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Verona

“My research interests focus on immunological and allergic diseases, in particular severe asthma and rare dysimmune conditions with hyper-eosinophilia.”

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Professor Christopher Brightling, PhD, FMedSci

Clinical Professor of Respiratory Medicine, University of Leicester and Glenfield Hospital

“My particular area of interest is airway diseases, in particular severe asthma, and trying to understand what are the underlying mechanisms.”

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Professor Celeste Porsbjerg, MD, PhD

Professor of Severe Asthma, Bispebjerg Hospital

“I am an expert in severe asthma, and I have a longstanding interest in the airway epithelium.”

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Professor Gianni Marone, MD

Professor of Medicine, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II

“Our team is working in the Center for Basic and Clinical Immunology Research of the University of Naples Federico II and focuses on inflammatory mediators in allergic diseases.”

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Professor Louis-Philippe Boulet, MD, FRCPC

Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Laval University

“In the last three decades, I’ve been involved in research in asthma and respiratory allergy, as well as in education and knowledge translation in respiratory health.”

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Professor Bruce Levy, MD

Division Chief, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Division, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

“I have a longstanding interest in exploring the fascinating biology of the airway epithelium and its role in health and disease.”

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