Professor Luke Clancy of TU Dublin Honoured for Contributions to Respiratory Health and Tobacco Control in Ireland

Professor Luke Clancy of TU Dublin Honoured for Contributions to Respiratory Health and Tobacco Control in Ireland

TU Dublin Adjunct Professor Luke Clancy has received formal recognition from the European Respiratory Society (ERS) for his longstanding contribution to respiratory medicine, research and public health advocacy. The honour was conferred during the ERS Congress 2026, held in Barcelona, Spain, from 5–9 September, an event that draws scientists, clinicians and allied healthcare professionals from around the world. For the respiratory research community in Ireland, the recognition underlines the international reach of work that has shaped national policy for more than three decades — from the Dublin Smoky Coal Ban to the country’s landmark workplace smoking legislation.

This article examines the career behind the award, the new evidence on vaping and nicotine use among young people presented at this year’s congress, and what these findings mean for respiratory health and tobacco control policy in Ireland. For continued coverage of research news from Irish institutions, follow our latest news articles throughout the year.

European Recognition for a Career Devoted to Respiratory Health

The European Respiratory Society is Europe’s largest scientific and clinical organisation in respiratory medicine. Each year, it presents a range of prestigious awards recognising scientific merit, engagement and exceptional contributions to the field, and its annual congress serves as the principal meeting point for respiratory professionals worldwide.

Professor Luke Clancy’s recognition at the 2026 congress reflects a career spanning more than five decades. He has published more than 400 peer-reviewed papers and held senior clinical and academic positions throughout his professional life, including Consultant Respiratory Physician at St James’s Hospital in Dublin, Medical Director of Peamount Chest Hospital and Associate Professor of Respiratory Medicine at Trinity College Dublin. Since 2014, he has served as an Adjunct Professor at TU Dublin, maintaining an active role in research and academic life alongside his leadership of the TobaccoFree Research Institute Ireland (TFRI), which he founded and has directed as Director General since 2004.

Research That Shaped Landmark Public Health Policy in Ireland

Few researchers in Ireland can point to policy changes as visible as those connected to Professor Clancy’s work. His research into urban air pollution helped build the evidence base that supported the 1990 Dublin Smoky Coal Ban — a measure that markedly improved air quality in the capital and later informed similar restrictions elsewhere in the country.

His tobacco control research and advocacy then contributed to the campaign for the 2004 nationwide workplace smoking ban. When the legislation took effect, Ireland became the first country in the world to introduce a comprehensive workplace smoking ban, a decision that has since been studied and emulated internationally. The measure reshaped social norms around smoking in pubs, restaurants and workplaces, and it remains one of the most significant public health interventions in the state’s history.

These achievements illustrate a consistent theme in Professor Clancy’s career: using scientific evidence to inform public health policy and reduce preventable respiratory disease. That same theme continues in his current research on emerging threats to lung health, particularly the changing patterns of tobacco and nicotine use among young people.

New Evidence on Vaping and Nicotine Use Among Young People

Research from the TobaccoFree Research Institute Ireland featured prominently at this year’s ERS Congress, with three studies examining trends in Austria and Ireland. Together, they document a clear shift: while cigarette smoking has declined in some populations, vaping and the use of other nicotine products have increased — and some young people are beginning to use nicotine at an earlier age.

Smoking Falls as Vaping Rises Among Irish Teenagers

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 across three survey waves in 2015, 2019 and 2024. The results reveal a striking divergence:

  • Cigarette smoking declined from 13.9% in 2015 to 11.7% in 2024, after peaking at 14.4% in 2019.
  • Vaping increased from 10.1% in 2015 to 15.7% in 2024, following a high of 18.1% in 2019.
  • The profile of vapers changed fundamentally. In 2015, 50.2% of young vapers had previously smoked cigarettes. By 2024, that figure had risen to 76.2% — meaning that more than three in four young people who vape had never been smokers.

The final point deserves emphasis. Vaping was once viewed primarily through the lens of smoking cessation or substitution among established smokers. The data now show that, among Irish teenagers, vaping has largely become a behaviour in its own right rather than an alternative to cigarettes.

Tracking Nicotine Use From Adolescence Into Young Adulthood

A further TFRI study, presented by Professor Luke Clancy himself, followed 3,380 young people from adolescence into young adulthood, examining changes in smoking and vaping between the ages of 13 and 25. The longitudinal design offers something cross-sectional surveys cannot: a view of how nicotine habits develop over time within the same group of individuals.

The findings show 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 stood at 25%. Notably, participants who had never vaped were the least likely to be smokers by age 25 — an association that raises important questions about whether vaping may act as a pathway into smoking for some young people.

Why Researchers Now Examine Nicotine Use as a Whole

Both studies point to a central conclusion: public health analysis benefits from looking at overall nicotine use rather than considering cigarettes and newer nicotine products in isolation. When vaping and smoking are measured separately, declines in one can mask increases in the other. A combined picture gives policymakers, educators and clinicians a more accurate account of nicotine exposure among young people — and a stronger basis for designing effective interventions.

What the Findings Mean for Tobacco Control and Public Health in Ireland

Ireland has long been regarded as a leader in tobacco control, and this new evidence arrives at a critical moment. Several implications stand out:

  • Regulation must keep pace with product change. The rapid rise in vaping among teenagers — and the growing share of vapers who never smoked — suggests that measures aimed at cigarettes alone will not fully protect adolescent respiratory health.
  • Age of initiation matters. Evidence that some young people begin using nicotine products earlier reinforces the case for strong age-of-sale enforcement, flavour restrictions and marketing controls that limit youth appeal.
  • Surveillance is essential. Repeated surveys of the same age groups, such as those conducted by TFRI, allow researchers to detect shifts in behaviour early. Continued investment in this monitoring should remain a national priority.
  • Prevention messages need updating. Communication aimed at young people should address nicotine addiction and lung health directly, rather than assuming vaping is understood only as a quitting tool.

None of these points diminishes the progress made. The decline in teenage smoking since the mid-2010s confirms that sustained policy effort produces measurable results. The challenge now is to apply the same evidence-led approach to newer nicotine products before patterns of use become entrenched in the next generation.

Building the Next Generation of Respiratory Researchers

Beyond his own research, Professor Clancy’s career demonstrates the value of sustained links between clinical practice, academic institutions and dedicated research institutes. His roles at TU Dublin and TFRI have helped connect university research with frontline public health advocacy, and they offer a practical model for how emerging researchers can contribute to policy-relevant science.

For students and early-career researchers in Ireland, the recognition at the ERS Congress is also a reminder that respiratory health remains a field with urgent open questions — from air quality and tobacco control to the long-term effects of e-cigarettes. Work of this kind depends on rigorous methods, long-term data collection and collaboration across disciplines and borders. Interested in pursuing research that informs public health policy? Explore postgraduate research opportunities at institutions such as TU Dublin and learn how careers in respiratory science develop in practice.

A Standard for Evidence-Led Public Health Advocacy

Professor Luke Clancy’s recognition by the European Respiratory Society honours more than an individual achievement. It acknowledges five decades of work connecting research findings to decisions that changed Ireland’s public health landscape — cleaner urban air, smoke-free workplaces and, now, a clearer understanding of how young people use nicotine.

The research presented at the ERS Congress 2026 carries that legacy forward. As vaping reshapes nicotine use among adolescents and young adults, the same commitment to evidence, monitoring and advocacy that delivered the workplace smoking ban will be needed to address the next set of respiratory health challenges.

Stay informed about developments in respiratory health, tobacco control and Irish public health policy by following our latest news articles and research updates. Have questions or perspectives on the findings discussed here? Write to us or share your comments below — and if you found this article valuable, share it with colleagues working in health, education or policy.