The Federation of European Academies of Medicine (FEAM) is an umbrella organisation that brings together the national academies of thirteen European member states. The Federation recently held their Spring Conference in Dublin, an event which was hosted by the Irish Academy of Medical Sciences (IAMS) which is an association of leading researchers in medical sciences in Ireland.

The mission of the IAMS is to promote excellence in basic and clinical biomedical research, to facilitate cross-disciplinary research initiatives, and to drive an integrated knowledge economy, ultimately to the overall benefit of Irish society. The conference heard from a number of leading international experts including Prof. Dermot Kelleher, Dean of Medicine at Imperial College London. A patient perspective on the importance of research was provided by two speakers; Eibhlin Mulroe CEO of IPPOSI and Orla Keane of the Alpha One Foundation.

The power of a patient voice at a scientific or medical conference cannot be overestimated and attendees were spell-bound by Orla's honest and heartfelt story about living with Alpha-1. We are always grateful to our patients who have the courage to talk about their condition. A full conference report can be found here.