EMBARGOED UNTIL THE 28 APRIL 2004

Medicine & Me: Asthma

RSM Conference 28 April 2004
On Wednesday, 28 April the Royal Society of Medicine in association with the National Asthma Campaign and The Independent on Sunday will present Medicine & Me: Asthma, a conference on the latest developments in asthma research. The meeting, a first of its kind for the RSM, will engage medical professionals and the general public, making science accessible to the people whose lives are affected by new information about the treatments and causes of asthma.

At 5.15pm, we will be holding a 30 minute question and answer session with the speakers for journalists only.
Topics to be discussed include:

Professor Stephen Holgate, Southampton General Hospital, will talk about the significance of asthma research in the UK and across the globe, with a focus on how developments in new treatments for the disease affect patients, doctors and the NHS.

Professor Martyn Partridge, Imperial College London, will explore how effective communication between patients and healthcare professionals enhances the delivery of care. He will highlight the benefit of asthma management plans in maximising limited healthcare resources.

Dr Rob McConnell, University of Southern California, will deal with the environmental exposures that exacerbate (and perhaps cause) asthma. He will discuss the latest research into particulate pollution and children with asthma, and the need for better understanding of which exposure reduction programmes lead to health benefits.

There are a limited number of press places available for this meeting, so if you are interested in attending the entire conference, please contact Media Office on 020 7290 2904 or media@rsm.ac.uk as soon as possible.

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