Welcome to the ECFS Board Elections 2026

The following information is to guide you through the election process.

Open positions for election:

President Elect
3 Board Members

Election period:

15 May 14:00 CEST polls open
29 May 14:00 CEST polls close

How to vote?

Log in to open one session to cast your votes for the Board members (please choose two candidates) and for the president elect.

Eligible voters:

Those with a 2026 ECFS Membership as of 13 May 2026 can vote in the elections once.


Article 3 of the ECFS Constitution on Membership


ECFS President Elect

The President is the senior officer within the Society. He or she provides the leadership required to ensure that the society fulfils the mission statement:
 

The European Cystic Fibrosis Society is an international community of scientific and clinical professionals committed to improving survival and quality of life for people with CF by promoting high quality research, education and care.


For a full job description: ECFS President

Dear Colleagues,

In our constitution, we have an election for a President Elect one year prior to the current President’s end of term.  This enables smooth handover of one year.  We have received one application for President Elect and subsequently President of the ECFS sent by Prof. Pavel Drevinek from Charles University, Prague.

Pavel is a long-standing ECFS member, an active member of multiple working groups and has served two terms on our Board previously, gaining valuable insight into the workings of the Society.

He has played a pivotal role in establishing and fostering European collaboration leading the Standards of Care Working group and participating in multiple ECFS scientific and clinical networks, including the Clinical Trials Network (CTN), the Twinning Project and newly as leader of the Bacteriophage working group.

In our constitution, and  in the interest of democracy, we do require to have a vote on Pavel Drevinek’s application.  There is an opportunity if anyone wishes to express a NO vote to Pavel in the voting system. It is very important for us in the Society to clearly express our support for those elected and appointed to lead the Society and I would be very grateful if you would take the time to express your opinion on Pavel’ s application.

Jane Davies
ECFS President

ECFS Board Members

Members of the ECFS Board serve an important role within the organisation. The current responsibilities and future development of the Society are ensured through the active participation of its Board. There are significant expectations of involvement, participation, support and commitment to the Society’s mission.

President Elect - Candidate

 

Paul Drevinek

Pavel Drevinek is Professor of Medical Microbiology and Director of the CF Centre at the Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague. His ECFS engagement spans two decades — as elected Board member, Twinning Project coordinator, Standards of Care director, CTN site and ECFSPR national representative, Scientific Committee member, and co-lead of the Bacteriophage Therapy Working Group. His research centres on CF microbiology, phage therapy, and clinical trials. If elected, he will focus on pan-European inclusion, research excellence, and strengthening the bonds that unite our community.

Nominations
Personal Statement
CV

Dear ECFS Members,

The European Cystic Fibrosis Society Board has three vacancies this year. Prof. Sands and Prof Schwarz finish their second term and we wish to express our deepest thanks to both for their contribution to the Board over the past 6 years. Prof. Carlos Farinha is moving into his new role leading the Journal of Cystic Fibrosis and stepping down from the Board. 

We have received nominations for five senior figures of the CF community. Please read their short summaries carefully, consider their potential contributions and vote accordingly.  

The Board should represent the ECFS membership in all aspects of our activities and should be drawn from a number of different European countries and reflect important areas of our activity. 

It is very important for us in the Society to clearly express our support for those elected and appointed to lead the Society and I would be very grateful if you would take the time to express your opinion on the five candidates’ applications.

Many thanks, 
looking forward to seeing you all soon in Lisbon, 
Jane Davies
ECFS President

Board Members - Candidates

 

Elke De Wachter

Prof. Elke De Wachter is head of the CF clinic at UZ Brussel (Belgium) and has been a pediatric pulmonologist focused on CF since 2003. She earned her PhD in 2017 on diagnostic challenges in CF. From 2019–2025, she coordinated the ECFS-Diagnostic Network Working Group and represented it on the ECFS Education Committee. She has contributed to the CFTR-Related Disorders group, led by Carlo Castellani. Since 2021, she has been twinned with Cluj-Napoca’s center (Romania) via the ECFS-Twinning project.

Nominations
Personal Statement
CV

 

Ioanna Loukou

Dr Ioanna Loukou is a paediatric pulmonologist and Director and Head of the CF Department at Athens Children’s Hospital “Aghia Sophia”, the largest CF centre in Greece, where she has worked continuously since 1999. She is dedicated exclusively to CF care and has been leading the centre since 2016. She is involved in national CF initiatives, including newborn screening and registry activities, with a focus on linking early diagnosis to consistent, high-quality care and improved long-term outcomes for people with CF.

Nominations
Personal Statement
CV

 

Halyna Makukh

Dr. Halyna Makukh brings over 25 years of dedicated contributions to CF care and research in Ukraine— from establishing molecular diagnostics and authoring the study of CFTR mutation distribution, to advancing the national newborn screening programme. She is a long-standing ECFS member and the Ukrainian country representative to the ECFS Patient Registry.

Nominations
Personal Statement
CV

 

Nicoletta Pedemonte

Dr. Pedemonte is a Principal Investigator at the Gaslini Institute with over 24 years in CF research, with a focus on CFTR molecular mechanisms and developing pharmacological therapies. To ensure no person with CF is left behind, she leads the Italian 'theratyping' network for rare mutations, based on patient-derived models, and supported by international grants, bridging the bench-to-bedside gap. Her long-standing ECFS commitment includes serving on the Scientific (2017-2021) and Steering Committees (since 2024), and chairing the Basic Science Conferences (2022-2023) and Webinars (since 2021).

Nominations
Personal Statement
CV

 

Mirjam Stahl

Prof. Mirjam Stahl is a Pediatric Pulmonologist, head of one of the largest CF centers in Germany at the Charite - Universitätsmedizin Berlin.
She is a recognized expert in CF in patient care, clinical trials and  contributed to a consensus document on pulmonary endpoints in clinical trials in infants. She was recipient of an ECFS Young Investigator award in 2018 and is a current member of the ECFS-CTN imaging standardization group. 
Her research interest is CF lung disease.

Nominations
Personal Statement
CV

 

Board Composition 2025-2026 - Elected members

Jane Davies, UK 
Jürg Barben, CH
Pierre-Regis Burgel, FR
Carlos Farinha, PT – Stepping down
Charles Haworth, UK
Dorota Sands, PL – ending second mandate
Carsten Schwarz, DE – ending second mandate
Silke van Koningsbruggen-Rietschel, DE