Professor Wedzicha is Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, UK. Dr Wedzicha has a major interest in the causes, mechanisms, impact and prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations, and in the role of bacterial and viral infection in COPD exacerbations. Professor Wedzicha was a member of the Guideline Development Group for the revision of the National Institute for Healthcare and Clinical Excellence COPD Guidelines. Professor Wedzicha was Editor-in-Chief of Thorax from 2002 to 2010, Lancet Ombudsman till 2014 and is currently Editor in Chief for the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.