World Symposium on Pulmonary Hypertension – February 27 to March 1, 2013, Nice, France

The 5^th World PH Symposium was the most important scientific event in the field of pulmonary hypertension in the course of 2013.

The World Symposia on Pulmonary Hypertension (WSPH) started in Geneva in 1973 and have been held every five years after its convocation in Evian, France in 1998.The symposia have traditionally reviewed progress made in pulmonary hypertension science and paved the way for further advancement in research, diagnosis and treatment. It was a great honour for PHA Europe to be asked, along with PHA and leading medical societies in Europe, to grant it’s patronage to the Fifth WSPH, which took place in Nice, France from February 27 to March 1, 2013. The presence of PHA Europe and PHA at the meeting was cordially noted from the podium and both groups were afforded an information booth at a central location of the conference venue. Indicative of the collaborative reception PHA Europe received was the inclusion of a scientific poster submitted by the organization for display at a dedicated poster session. The poster, “The Impact of PAH on the Lives of PAH Patients” was exhibited alongside major medical studies concerning the disease and outlines the results of a study on the psycho-social needs of PH patients and their carers. The study has influenced thinking and policy concerning approaches to PH treatment and integrated support.

Five delegates from PHA Europe attended the WSPH: President Gerald Fischer (Austria), Vice Presidents Pisana Ferrari (Italy) and Mélanie Gallant Dewavrin (France), Yosef Gotlieb (Israel) and Hall Skaara (Norway). They were accorded great courtesy by the organizers including participation at official dinners and other events. The symposium was attended by over 1,000 medical professionals and other specialists from all over the world. It provided an excellent opportunity for exchanges between the conferees and the patient associations delegates and enabled networking with key PH stakeholders including clinicians, researchers, and leading staff of pharmaceutical and biomed concerns. Further, the meeting provided a unique channel to become updated by the most prestigious and renowned specialists around the world about recent developments in PH research, diagnosis, treatments, case management, surgical and other interventional modalities and future strategies for screening and identification of groups at risk for the disease.

A full report of the WSPH, by Yosef Gotlieb, PhD, PHA Europe, PHA Israel, was published in the Winter 2013 edition of Mariposa Journal, pages 12-19 at: Mariposa News Winter 2013