The European Respiratory Society, or ERS, is a non-profit organization

Non-profit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

 based in Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 founded in 1990 in the field of respiratory medicine

Pulmonology

In medicine, pulmonology is the specialty that deals with diseases of the respiratory tract and respiratory disease. It is called chest medicine and respiratory medicine in some countries and areas...

. The organization was formed with the merger of the Societas Europaea Physiologiae Clinicae Respoiratoriae (founded in 1966) and the European Society of Pneumology (founded 1981). The organization's membership is made up of medical professionals and scientists working in the area of respiratory medicine.

Activities

The ERS publishes academic journals and monographs as well as hosting events aimed at educating health professionals. The organization's stated goal is to "alleviate suffering from respiratory disease and promote lung health through research, sharing of knowledge and through medical and public education."