TU Dublin Adjunct Professor Luke Clancy recognised at European Respiratory Society Congress 2026
Professor Luke Clancy, Adjunct Professor at TU Dublin, has been recognised by the European Respiratory Society (ERS) for his longstanding contribution to respiratory medicine, research and public health advocacy.
The recognition took place during the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress 2026, held in Barcelona, Spain, from 5–9 September. The annual ERS Congress brings together scientists, clinicians, allied healthcare professionals and other experts from around the world to share the latest research and developments in respiratory medicine.
The ERS is Europe's largest scientific and clinical organisation in respiratory medicine and presents a range of prestigious awards each year, recognising scientific merit, engagement and exceptional contributions to the field.
Professor Clancy is a pioneering respiratory physician, researcher and public health advocate whose career spans more than five decades and includes more than 400 peer-reviewed publications. He has held senior clinical and academic positions including Consultant Respiratory Physician at St James’s Hospital, Dublin, Medical Director of Peamount Chest Hospital and Associate Professor of Respiratory Medicine at Trinity College Dublin.
He is the founder and Director General of the TobaccoFree Research Institute Ireland (TFRI), a role he has held since 2004, and has been an Adjunct Professor at TU Dublin since 2014.
Professor Clancy has played a significant role in some of Ireland’s landmark public health initiatives. His research into urban air pollution contributed to the evidence base supporting the 1990 Dublin Smoky Coal Ban, while his subsequent tobacco-control research and advocacy contributed to the campaign for Ireland’s 2004 nationwide workplace smoking ban.
His work continues to focus on emerging threats to respiratory health, including the changing patterns of tobacco and nicotine use among young people.
New research from the TobaccoFree Research Institute Ireland was presented at this year’s ERS Congress, highlighting the changing nature of nicotine use among adolescents and young adults.
Three studies examining trends in Austria and Ireland found that, while cigarette smoking has declined in some populations, vaping and the use of other nicotine products have increased, with evidence that some young people are beginning to use nicotine products at an earlier age.
One Irish study, led by Professor Joan Hanafin and presented by Salome Sunday, examined smoking and vaping among 5,265 15- to 16-year-olds in 2015, 2019 and 2024. It found that smoking among this group declined from 13.9% in 2015 to 11.7% in 2024, following a peak of 14.4% in 2019. However, vaping increased from 10.1% in 2015 to 15.7% in 2024, after reaching 18.1% in 2019.
The research also found a substantial increase in the proportion of young people who reported taking up vaping without having previously smoked cigarettes - rising from 50.2% of vapers in 2015 to 76.2% in 2024.
A further TFRI study, presented by Professor Luke Clancy, followed 3,380 young people from adolescence into young adulthood, examining changes in smoking and vaping between the ages of 13 and 25. The study found that both smoking and vaping generally increased as participants moved from adolescence into young adulthood. By age 25, current e-cigarette use stood at 38%, while current smoking was 25%. The study also found that those who had never vaped were the least likely to be smokers by age 25.
The findings point to the importance of looking at overall nicotine use rather than considering cigarettes and newer nicotine products in isolation.
For Professor Clancy, the research represents a continuation of a career focused on using scientific evidence to inform public health policy and reduce preventable respiratory disease.
Through his work at TFRI and his academic role at TU Dublin, he continues to contribute to research and public health discussions around clean air, tobacco control, vaping and emerging nicotine products.