Structure

The Scientific Committee is made up of at least 30 members from different areas of CF expertise.

The Committee will have up to 9 different Assemblies to ensure all aspects of CF are represented when building the conference programme. Each assembly will have an Assembly Leader.

Categories:

  • Genetics/Screening
  • Microbiology
  • Basic Science/Cell Biology/Physiology
  • Immunology/Pulmonology
  • Gastroenterology/Nutrition/Endocrinology/Liver
  • Psychosocial/Nursing
  • Physiotherapy
  • Epidemiology/Registry
  • Clinical Trials/New Therapies

A Steering Committee will be appointed by the ECFS Board. The main duty of the Steering Committee is to supervise the scientific content of the conference and to ensure there is no overlap. The Steering Committee is comprised of the ECFS President, the Conference President, the Conference Vice-President (if applicable) and committee members representing different areas of CF clinical care and research. The specialist members of this committee have a 3-year tenure. They will be required to attend the abstract review meeting in February to facilitate the final assignment of abstracts for oral presentations in Workshops.

Terms of Reference

Members of the Scientific Committee must be members of the ECFS.
Members of the Scientific Committee will have a 3-year tenure; however a 30% turnover per year is required in order to refresh the intellectual pool. Members who have served for 3 years may not be selected again for at least 2 years.

At the winter Board meeting, the ECFS Board will select suitable candidates for the Committee based on recommendations from the Assemblies.
Invitations to selected candidates for the Committee will be issued 18 months prior to the conference (e.g. in January of the year prior to the June Conference).

  • Members will be responsible for collectively discussing proposals for plenary topics, symposia, workshops and round table discussions, and also for suggesting appropriate speakers, moderators, and round table leaders for the different sessions. 
  • The Assembly leader will be the focal point for coordinating the submissions from their group and informing the ECFS office of the group’s decisions.
  • The ECFS Office will, in coordination with the Steering Committee, prepare a timetable for the Scientific Committee. Traditionally this will include:
     
  • Round table discussions at the Scientific Committee meeting held on the last day of the annual conference (June). The suggestions resulting from these discussions will be amalgamated into a draft programme and sent out to the Committee following the meeting.
  • Further details for the programme will be required prior to September. At this time the Steering Committee will review the draft programme. The revised programme will be resent to the Committee for final details with a deadline of 31 October.
  • Mid-November, the ECFS Office will issue the invitation letters to speakers. Abstract submission opens.
  • Assemblies will be asked to nominate suitable candidates for the Scientific Committee for the following year (prior to the winter ECFS Board meeting).
  • Late January - the Abstract deadline closes. The Scientific Committee will be asked to review abstracts and to select those appropriate for presentation in the conference workshops. As part of this process, reviewers will be asked to select abstracts that would be suitable for a Young Investigator Award and Travel Grants. All accepted abstracts will be included in a supplement to the Journal of Cystic Fibrosis.
  • Assembly leaders will be asked to renumber the abstracts by subject within their areas of expertise.
  • In February the Steering Committee will meet and review the inputs received from the Scientific Committee/Moderators for a final decision on those abstracts selected for oral presentation in the scientific programme, and will also make the final selection of abstracts warranting a Young Investigator Award and the Travel Grant awards.
  • Members of the Scientific Committee may be requested to assist the ECFS Office in nominating alternate speakers should invited speakers decline or not be available.
  • Assembly leaders will be asked to nominate suitable leaders for the Guided Poster Walks

The meeting held in conjunction with the annual conference is generally held on the last day of the conference. Members of the Scientific Committee are entitled to request an ECFS refund for one additional hotel night should they not be able to return on the same day as the meeting.