Aim and Goals:

The Turkish Thoracic Society (TTS), founded in 1992, is a national, non-profit, educational and scientific society which mainly focuses on respiratory medicine. The goals of the society is to provide the most effective scientific methods for prevention, control and management of lung diseases as well as to improve national lung health through patient care, research, education and promotion of national policies.

Organization:

The Turkish Thoracic Society is leading by a central board that has 8 members: President, president - elected, past-president, general secretary, chair of scientific commite, Treasurer, School chair, newsletter editor, foreing affairs chair. TTS has 15 branches all over the country (Ystanbul, Ankara, Yzmir, Adana, Konya, Bursa, Eski?ehir, Diyarbakyr, Erzurum, Samsun, Zonguldak, Kayseri, Antalya, Trabzon and Van) and 16 scientific assemblies in different fields related with respiratory medicine (Lung Pathology, Lung and Pleural Malignancies, Asthma, Occupational and Environmental Lung Diseases, Respiratory Infections,Thoracic Surgery, Clinical Problems,Chronic Obstructive Lung Diseases,Pediatric Lung Diseases, Sleep-Disorders,Respiratory Intensive Care, Tuberculosis, Smoking and Health,Diagnostic Methods, Cell Biology and Genetics and Pulmonary Rehabilitation and chronically care). The members of central board, chairmen of the assemblies and the branches were established enlarged board of Turkish Thoracic Society that was the main judgement council of the Society.

The duties of the branches are maintaining the relation between TTS and members and planning the local educational activities . Each assembly meets at least three times in a year to plan the educational activities, to manage the multi centric studies. Assemblies of TTS establish and implement guidelines for optimal patient care, and promote the development and application of ethical standards.

The post graduate education activities was builded and performed by School of TTS .

Members:

The Society with over 1900 members , is the largest specialty organization related with respiratory disorders in Turkey. Chest physicians, thoracic surgeons and pediatric pulmonologist are the main groups in society. The other colleagues who are interest respiratory system are also member of the society: Radiologist, physiciologist, pathologist, general practitioners in dispensaries….

Activities:

Educational activities:
The Turkish Thoracic Society has organized many high quality educational activities in respiratory medicine since 1992. Annual Congress with an increased participation rate year by year has been a national and regional forum for physicians and scientists who work in pulmonary medicine. Our last congress in April 2006 has been accredited by the European board for Accreditation in Pneumology (EBAP) for the first time. The number of attendants was over the 2000 in 2006. Each year at least 1000 abstract were admitted to congress and of the 80% were presented.

Symposiums has been organized once in a year for a specific topic. Symposiums program with the participation, as lecturers and chairpersons, of scientists similarly renowned at international level and colleagues and researchers from regional countries. COPD, Tubbercullosis, Asthma , Tobbaco and tobbaca control symposiums were organized. In December 2006 occupational and enviriomental lung diseases symposium will be organized in Ankara.

Regional meetings: Fifteen branches all over the country organize regional meetings monthly. Case presentations, confrerences and panel discussions were including in these meetings with the attendances of local members, practionaries and other colleagues.

Lung health in Primary care symposiums organized for general practionaries for every year. Programmme is organized to gether with general practionary society.

In 2007, the first “Nursing in Respiratory Medicine Symposium” will be organized. Nurses who work in chest clinics and Tuberculosis dispensaries will join the symposium.

The Society also organizes "TTS School" programs: Winter school, Professional Career (Development) courses , Postgraduted Courses and Congress Courses and e-learning activities as part of continuous postgraduate medical training and to improve professional skills of its members. Winter school with a review programme of pulmonary medicine for junior fellows. Professional Career (Development) courses has organized for colleagues who have worked in country hospitals (non-educational) our private practice. This is a updating courses for all topics of pulmonary medicine . Postgraduted Courses has organized for specific topics or specific practical aspects ( sleep disorders, thoracoscopy, mechanical ventilation, epidemiology, study methods…).and has included theorical and practical parts. TTS school has also organized one day congress courses before every annual congress.

e-learning activities is performed by TTS schools. Members can presented their interesting cases in E- case discussions. Our members who are work alone in the country or intheri clinics can ask or share their question in e-information page. Their questions is answered by experts.

TTS is a member of Turkish Board of Pneumology. Our delegates in Board are avtively join all procedure of Board activities.

Patient care activities:

The diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines on pulmonary diseases that were prepaded by assemblies, presented to our members and 25 000 physicians throughout the country.

TTS makes efforts to determine the respiratory health problems in our country and organizes national control programs.

Society undertakes community-based intensive activities and works in close collaboration with state authorities, Ministry of Health, members of the parliament and other NGOs.

TTS organizes "Tuberculosis Week", "World Asthma Day", "World COPD Day", "Tobacco Free Day“ every year to aware general public and health care workers.

Publications:

The Turkish Thoracic Society has four different lines of publication: monographs, bulletin, booklets for patient education and journals. Each publication are performing by different editorial boards.

There are three journals

• Thorax Journal ( Turkish)
• Turkish Respiratory Journal ( English)
• European Respiratory Journal in Turkish

Free Full text is available from society’s web site for Thorax journal and Turkish Respiratory Journal .

Awards and grants:

• Science and Honour Award
• Young Investigators Award
• National Lung Health Award
• nternational Publishment Grant
• National Congress Presentation Grant
• International Congress Grant
• Project Support Grant

Regional and Global Cooperation

We are aware of the fact that the causes and the solutions of the national lung health problems have to be considered on a global scale So cooperation with regional and global organizations functioning in the field of respiratory diseases is very important. TTS is a member of following organizations:

FORUM OF EUROSIA-MEDITERRANEAN THORACIC SOCIETIES (FEMTOS)
The Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases (GARD)
FERS (Forum of European Respiratory Societies)
HERMES (Harmonised Education in Respiratory Medicine for European Specialists)
HERALD (Highlighting the impact:a European Roadmap for Action on Lung Diseases)
TTS have strong relations with European Respiratory Society (ERS) Both societies organize joint school course, have joint membership.
TTS is a organizer of Worlds Asthma Meeting 2007 –Istanbul.

Future perpective:

Going beyond the national boundries, also for applications of respiratory diseases arena in the world, become an important setting within the effective scientific activities.