This article provides testimonials of the past and current chairs and co-chairs of the ECMC (@EarlyCareerERS) and a glimpse of the NEXT programme, along with participants’ experiences. https://bit.ly/3LzvqKf

In this article, early career members of the Epidemiology and Environment Assembly of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) summarise a selection of five sessions from the Society's 2022 congress, with a focus on areas of specific interest for the Assembly,i.e.epidemiology and risk factors of respiratory diseases in both children and adults. Topics covered include the characterization of obstructive respiratory diseases, their comorbidities, and their evolution, with novel insight from large cohorts. The importance of early-life factors in respiratory health was also emphasized, including maternal exposures and habits during pregnancy. As smoking behaviours have changed following the introduction of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, research remains very active to determine the health consequences and predictors of these novel uses, especially in teenagers. The impact of environmental and occupational exposures on respiratory health remains a major topic of the congress, this year with a focus on emerging risk factors such as landscape fire smoke, non-exhaust particles, and nanoparticles. Regarding workplace exposures, old and novel causes of occupational asthma and rhinitis were discussed.