Logo Helmholtz Munich

German-French Lung Retreat in Paris, France, September 12-13, 2018

Marc Humbert, Doreen Franke, Christophe Guignabert, Roger Marthan, Kristell Dervieux, Nathalie Grivel, Claudia Staab-Weijnitz (Picture by Antje Brand)

Shortly before the international ERS Congress, MD and PhD students and post-docs from the German-French Lung School met for a two-day-retreat in Paris to discuss scientific topics as well as to build up and foster their bilateral network.

The German-French Lung School was founded in 2013 as cooperation between the German Center for Lung Research (DZL) and the French Institute National De La Santé Et De La Recherche Médicale (Inserm) with the aim of promoting young scientists and providing new impetus in international lung research. This year’s retreat was organized by Doreen Franke and Claudia Staab-Weijnitz (Helmholtz Zentrum München, CPC-M), as well as Nathalie Grivel, Christophe Guignabert, Marc Humbert, and Roger Marthan (Inserm). 

The event offered great opportunities for building new research connections. The conference started with a short welcome speech by Christian Boitard (IT / ITMO PMN), Marc Humbert, and Claudia Staab-Weijnitz from the organizing committee, followed by a keynote lecture given by Bradley Maron from the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. During the evening event - a dinner cruise on the Seine - all participants had ample opportunities for networking and scientific discussions in a wonderful and scenic setting. 

On Thursday, the young scientists took the opportunity to present and discuss their results in scientifc sessions and in two poster sessions and walks, addressing a plethora of topics in respiratory research: Pulmonary Hypertension, Lung Fibrosis, Asthma & Allergy, Environmental Challenges for the Lung, Lung Cancer, and Novel Technologies in Experimental Lung Research and Bioengineering. 

The conference concluded with an informal career mentoring session accompanied with red and white wine. Antje Brand (CPC, Helmholtz Zentrum München), Peter Dorfmüller (University of Giessen and Inserm Paris), and Oliver Eickelberg (Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus) discussed important aspects of professional choices and shared advice on career decisions. As unique as the personal stories of each person were, they jointly agreed in one thing: Follow your aptitude and be passionate about what you do. Roger Marthan concluded the session with acknowledging all scientific contributions and thanking the organizers for a successful German-French Retreat.