Welcome

Dear friends and colleagues,

Welcome to WASOGBAL2008, the first joint meeting of the World Association of Sarcoidosis and Other Granulomatous Diseases (WASOG) and the International Group of Bronchoalveolar Lavage (BAL).

Both groups have been holding very successful but separate meetings for decades. They had scheduled their next for summer 2008, so the suggestion to combine them was very welcome and Greece was chosen as its venue. It was a great honor for us to welcome everybody interested in sarcoidosis and interstitial lung diseases: The combined 9th WASOG Congress and the 11th International Conference on BAL.

We are happy that our meeting is co-organized by the Hellenic and the Turkish Thoracic Society and honored that the European Respiratory Society is endorsing it.

We selected a see side suburb of Athens, Kavouri, in a Hotel where the Delegates will have first class Conference facilities equaled by opportunities to enjoy the Greek summer.

As you can see from our scientific program, most renowned scientists in the field have honored us with their participation. As a result, the European Board for Accreditation in Pneumonology (EBAP) has accredited our conference with 21 European CME credits. We are also honored that so many of you have decided to present their original work in wasogbal2008. Most of your contributions will be presented as posters because this was more convenient for the program. Oral and poster presentations are considered equal. The best of both categories will be published in "SARCOIDOSIS Vasculitis and Diffuse Lung Diseases", the official journal of WASOG.

Looking forward to seeing you in Athens