PATS AND RESOK 2023 CONGRESS UPDATE

The 3rd Biennial Pan African Thoracic Society Conference was held in collaboration with the Respiratory Society of Kenya from 07 – 10 June 2023 in Mombasa, Kenya. The conference was a great success with over 100 delegates from different parts of Africa and beyond. The theme of the conference was “The African Environment and Lung Health” which aimed to explore the relationship between the African environments effect of physical elements such as air pollution and climate change, and also social factors like poverty, overcrowding, and displacement on lung health in the African context. 

The program featured distinguished speakers and experts in respiratory health and thoracic surgery.  Very exciting and informative workshops took place which included, TUPUMUE Study Dissemination Workshop, Spirometry, Pulmonary Rehabilitation, Air Quality Monitoring, Thoracic Ultrasound, IMPALA Consortium Dissemination Workshop and were very successful. During the Congress Annual General Meeting was held and new executive members were selected. 

A total of 13 young doctors were awarded travel grants to present their abstracts at the conference, highlighting their outstanding research contributions.

In conclusion, the 3rd Biennial PATS & ReSoK Congress was a successful event that brought together experts from different fields to discuss issues related to respiratory and the African environment. The conference highlighted the need for increased awareness, prevention efforts, and collaborations between different stakeholders in order to reduce the burden of respiratory disease on the continent. The conference also provided an opportunity for networking and knowledge sharing amongst participants which will help to further advance the field of respiratory health in Africa.