HISTORY AND PURPOSE OF THE CLUB

 

The Pulmonary Pathology Club was set up in 1979 by Professor Bryan Corrin, then at St Thomas’s Hospital, London and subsequently Professor of Respiratory Pathology at the Brompton Hospital, at the suggestion of Dr David Lamb, Reader in Respiratory Pathology at the University of Edinburgh.   Its purpose was to promote the exchange of ideas on pulmonary disease and facilitate social contact between pathologists with an interest in pulmonary pathology.  The inaugural meeting was held in 1980 at Merton College, Oxford, and was hosted by Professor Michael Dunnill.  After running the Club with great distinction for 32 years, Professor Corrin handed over the Chair to Professor John Gosney, Consultant Thoracic Pathologist at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, in 2012.

 

The format of meetings has remained largely unaltered over the years, each consisting of a mixture of ‘papers’, essentially presentations of research, audits, or similar pieces of work, and ‘case presentations’, by means of which members entertain and tax the membership with interesting, rare or perplexing cases.  Latterly, meetings have included review and discussion of cases circulated in the Pulmonary External Quality Assurance (EQA) scheme.

 

Meetings initially lasted half a day and were held twice yearly on the afternoon before the summer and winter meetings of the Pathological Society, but they soon expanded to a whole day and came to stand alone.   Meetings are still held twice-yearly, usually in May or June and November or December.  Always on a Friday, they are preceded by an informal meal on the evening before and followed by a formal dinner on the Friday evening and a social day on the following Saturday.  They are characterised by the high quality of presentations and discussion, a reflection of the enthusiasm, expertise and interest of the membership, and their relaxed, friendly and informal ambience.

 

The Club has expanded over the years, both geographically and in terms of numbers, and there are now over 100 members from the UK, Republic of Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Scandinavia, many previous meetings having been held jointly with French, Dutch and Portuguese colleagues.

 

Membership is open to senior pathologists with a bona fide interest in pulmonary pathology.  Anybody wishing to know more about the Club, or who would like to join, should contact Professor John Gosney via the contact pages above.