During The Union World Conference on Lung Health 2024, we managed to grab five minutes with Dr Cassandra Kelly-Cirino to learn more about her motivation for becoming our new Executive Director, vision for the future and the unique role of The Union.
Why did you want to become the Executive Director of The Union?
"I'm honoured to have been appointed to the role of Executive Director. I have always been a big supporter of The Union and immensely impressed by its great work.
"Lung health and TB have been pivotal focal areas in my career, particularly with vulnerable populations disproportionately affected by communicable and non-communicable diseases. So, I felt my background and values align strongly with The Union’s mission to promote lung health worldwide and eradicate lung diseases such as tuberculosis across the globe.
"I am looking forward to working with the team to contribute to a vital mission that profoundly impacts global health.
"I'm excited to see what the future holds for the organisation and look forward to supporting The Union to achieve a healthier world for all, free of tuberculosis and lung disease."
What is your vision for The Union?
"Well I've only been in post for six weeks now, so there is still a lot more to learn about this organisation, but what I would say is that The Union clearly has an important role to play in being the voice that pushes for meaningful policy change and the uptake of evidence-based innovation, and the voice that knows what needs to happen on the ground. I want us to continue to regain our strong voice in what comes next in the fight against TB, in order to have a greater impact on global health.
"I don't plan on making radical changes for the sake of it, especially as The Union is already halfway through the delivery of a strong TB strategy. However, it is always good to reflect on what is going well and what we need to do differently.
"I would like to see The Union doing things more collaboratively, particularly with young people and communities to make sure our actions truly meet the needs of the people we are supporting.
"I'd also like to see us expand our portfolio beyond TB again, into areas such as pneumonia and asthma. I would see this broadening of scope being reflected in our training courses, journals and future Union Conferences."
What is The Union's unique role in bringing people together?
"Well, if you go back to 1920, The Union was established due to a recognition that TB could not be defeated without international collaboration and knowledge sharing.
"Ever since, The Union has been at the forefront of the fight against TB and lung disease and uniquely placed to facilitate the global sharing of expertise and knowledge with key stakeholders.
"We must continue to play this important role for the lung health community, and we are constantly looking at how we can improve our approach to make the most of this valuable time we have together.
"As I'm sure many of you are aware, we recently announced the return of the World Conference on Tobacco Control (formerly known as the World Conference on Tobacco or Health), which will take place from 23-25 June 2025.
"This is fantastic news for the whole tobacco control and public health community. The absence of this Conference has meant there has been no opportunity for the global tobacco control movement to gather, to report on successes, to share best practice in effective measures to control tobacco, campaign for improved resources and counter the advocacy ambitions of the tobacco industry.
"The Union is uniquely placed to be able to bring the tobacco control community back together, and we are extremely grateful to Bloomberg Philanthropies for their support in re-establishing this important Conference."
Innovation is vital to the fight against TB, how does The Union support the development and implementation of new tools and knowledge?
"In order to make the next great breakthrough in TB elimination we must nurture an environment where evidence-based innovation can flourish.
"Such an environment will be challenging to sustain given the current hardships we are facing globally. These times of unrest provide good conditions for TB and other lung diseases to run rampant. We must, however, remain positive and challenge ourselves to think differently, champion science and embrace evidence-based innovation to end TB.
"The Union is committed to support and enhance these innovations through the undertaking of operational research, the delivery of training based on the latest evidence and guidance, disseminating the latest advancements through our journals and this conference, and supporting the implementation their implementation at international and local levels across the globe."
What action would you like people to take off the back of this interview and the conference as a whole?
"We must take the knowledge we gain during the Union Conference and turn it into action on the ground, but most of all I want us all to recognise that we can only defeat TB and lung disease by working together.
"Let's join forces and with one united voice push world leaders and donors to prioritise a world free of tuberculosis and lung disease.
"This is a bit of a shameless plug for The Union, but one way for us to united throughout the year, is by engaging in our membership, taking our courses and reading and submitting to our journals."