The Turkish Respiratory Society (TRS) was founded in Istanbul on 22 June 1970 by the nine faculty members listed below, and represents the first non-profit, national, professional and scientific society of Pulmonologists established in Turkey (Society Registration Number: 34-08/084 Istanbul).
The first president of the Turkish Respiratory Research Society was the late Prof. Meliha Terzioğlu from the Physiology Department of the Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa School of Medicine, who took office as president for 24 years. After Prof. Meliha Terzioğlu’s 24-year (1970-1994) presidency, Prof. Müzeyyen Erk served as president between 1994 and 2000, Prof. Mustafa Yaman between 2000 and 2006, Prof. Can Öztürk between 2006 and 2011, Prof. Mecit Süerdem between 2011 and 2013 and Assoc. Prof. Filiz Koşar between 2013 and 2016. Since the election took place during the ordinary General Assembly on October 18, 2016, Prof. Arzu Mirici has been serving as president of the society.
The Council of Ministers decision concerning the cooperation between the Turkish Respiratory Research Society and the European Society for Clinical Respiratory Physiology (Societas Europea Physiologiae Clinicae Respiratoriae, SEPCR) was published in the Official Gazette on 12 July 1971. The society later received the official permission to use the word “Turkish” in its name with the Council of Ministers decision number 10483 dated 13 August 1975, and was granted the status of a “public benefit society” with the decision number 7/15094 dated 28 February 1978. The Turkish Respiratory Society is the only public benefit society in its field.
TRS organized two international symposiums with the SEPCR regarding the subjects of “chemical regulation of ventilation and associated clinical failures” and “hyperoxia and O2 toxicity” in 1972 and 1978, respectively. The presentations of these two meetings were published in the journal “Bulletin Européen de Physiopathologie Respiratoire.” The fact that Prof. Meliha Terzioğlu, the President of the TRS, was member to the SEPCR’s Steering Board between 1973 and 1977, and the Vice-Chairperson of the SEPCR’s Steering Board between 1977 and 1981, further contributed to the strengthening of scientific relations between TRS and the SEPCR and European Society of Pneumology (SEP).
The 4th National Congress of TRS held in Famagusta in 1975 was the first scientific meeting organized in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
In 1975, TRS began to organize the first Professional Development Courses known as the “Istanbul Courses.” These courses, which are regularly organized since 1975, are performed with the participation of numerous individuals from different fields of medicine, especially from pulmonology.
In 22 May 1981, TRS organized a meeting at the Istanbul Cerrahpaşa School of Medicine in commemoration of Atatürk’s centennial birthday. On 26-28 October of the same year, TRS held its national congress in the city of Diyarbakır. For the first time during its Marmaris Congress on 3-7 October 1983, TRS gave achievement awards to young researchers in order to promote their research activities; these awards were granted in accordance to the rules set by a commission specifically assigned by the administrative board. The TRS continued to grant these encouragement and achievement awards to young researches. The first issue of the RESPIRATORY journal consisted of the presentations of the congress held in Manavgat in 1976. In its first years, this journal was printed in the publishing workshop of the Nazım Terzioğlu Mathematical Research Institute. On May 1976, the Professional Development Institute in Istanbul organized a very successful fashion show for the benefit of the TRS. The income generated from this show constituted a great contribution for the society’s activities.
The structural and administrative changes performed by the administrative board during the 2004-2006 period focused, on one hand, in increasing participation and rendering the society more open to innovation and change; and, on the other hand, in placing greater emphasis on initiatives relating to “Social Education,” which are defined as part of TRS’s objectives. TRS has decided during its Administrative Board Meeting on 12 November 2006 to form separate study groups for the subjects of Lung Cancer, Asthma and Allergy, Physiology, Pulmonology, Infection, COPD, Tuberculosis, and Intensive Care. As of March 2016, there are 15 study groups and three coordination boards are in operation.
In 2005, TRS has taken the decision to establish branches in the cities of Ankara and İzmir in accordance with Article 14 of its founding charter. Owing to the innovative and progressive policies developed and implemented by TRS during this period, significant increases were observed in the number of its members, in the level of participation in its national congresses, and the number of meetings it organized both in Turkey and abroad. The founding of the TRS Academy, in particular, has enriched the variety of educational and professional development courses organized by the society outside of its national congresses.
With full awareness of its responsibilities as a society for medical specialists that is active both in Turkey and across the world; TRS has succeeded in providing its members the same means and capabilities as those provided by similar societies and organizations in developed countries. To date, TRS has provided an extensive body of publications to both its members and the public, and is continuing to produce and provide an increasing number of publications. TRS also ensures a constant flow of information to its members through its internet-based communication platform; through its content-rich website; and through its journal entitled “The Respiratory Actual,” which informs about the latest activities of the society. The COPD Study Group of the society regularly publishes a “COPD Bulletin,” while the Asthma and Allergy Study Group regularly publishes an “Asthma Bulletin.” The Turkish Respiratory Journal, the peer-reviewed journal of TRS, can be found in numerous directory systems, and supports the activities of researchers. Based on a decision taken in 2014, this journal was renamed as the “EURASIAN JOURNAL OF PULMONOLOGY, and the publication language of the journal was changed to English.
During the period between 2011-2013; the society’s scientific activities with regards to diseases, the public, and the professional development/training of individuals within the field of pulmonary diseases have continued at an increasing pace. Regulations that are inherently required as a consequence of increasing institutionalization – such as the “Regulation on Branches,” the “Regulation on Study Groups,” the “Regulation on Scientific Meetings,” the “Ethics Committee Directive” and the “Regulation on Scientific Support Funds” – were diligently prepared by the society and implemented following their approval by the Central Administrative Board.
TRS is constantly in communication and cooperation with other international organizations. In addition to the congresses it organizes annually; TRS has successfully contributed to the 17th Asia-Pacific Congress in 2003, which was the first global congress in the field, and has engaged in similar cooperative activities in the following years. Recently, TRS organized the 2nd European Congress for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology congress (ECBIP, 27-30 April 2013, Izmir) in cooperation with the EABIP, thus allowing an important European congress to be held in Turkey. Furthermore, the symposium on the “Basic Principles and Clinical Applications of Aerosol in Medicine“ was jointly organized by TRS and ISAM (the International Society for Aerosols in Medicine) on 02 October 2013 in Çeşme. The “COPD Istanbul symposium” was successfully held the same year, and a committee of international researchers have decided that this meeting should be held and repeated every year. Also TRS will organize the 4th European Congress for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology congress (ECBIP, 27-30 April 2016, Belgrade) in cooperation with the EABIP.
The Charter of the Society was amended during TRS’s Extraordinary General Assembly held in 2011. The most important change on the charter was the decision that the “original members of the Central Administrative Board may be appointed for a maximum of two consecutive terms,” and that “these members can become the President of the Central Administrative Board for a maximum of two terms, and on condition that these two terms are not consecutive.” The amendments to the charter rendered the administration of TRS more democratic, and also more suitable for broader and effective participation. In addition, the Central Office of TRS was restructured within the scope of these changes, and the organizational structure of the society was further strengthened.
During the 46 years since its founding, and motivated by its slogan “FOR AN INEXHAUSTABLE BREATH,” TRS has organized 38 national congresses; countless scientific meetings, symposiums, scientific publications and research projects; numerous international symposiums; two international congresses; and awareness-raising projects for the public regarding various health problems and conditions. TRS has also successfully conducted many activities in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, the Turkish Medical Association and other organizations.
TRS has been actively participating in the activities of the Turkish Pulmonary Diseases Competency Board (Türk Göğüs Hastalıkları Yeterlilik Kurulu, TGHYK) since its establishment.
The Study Groups of TRS includes the Asthma and Allergy, Lung Cancer, Physiology, Interventional Pulmonology, Infection, COPD, Tuberculosis, Intensive Care, Respiratory Rehabilitation, Geriatrics, Diffuse Parenchymal Lung Diseases and Pulmonary Vascular Diseases, Occupational and Environmental Respiratory Disease - Occupational Health, Sleep Disorders, Inhalation Treatments and the Tobacco Control Study Groups. TRS also consists of a Thoracic Surgery Coordination Committee, Children’s Pulmonary Diseases Coordination Committee and a Pulmonary Diseases Nursing and Technicians Committee. Through our Study Groups and Committees; we plan and implement activities that contribute to public health, and provide scientific support to our members and colleagues in their relevant fields.