Our working group on Applied and Clinical Physiology and Pathophysiology (AKP) deals with various applications of physiology, including topics from work physiology, sports physiology, extreme physiology, psychophysiology and comparative physiology. Another central role is played by pathophysiological and clinical aspects, e.g. to diseases of the cardiovascular system, respiration or motor skills. System physiological questions and methods contribute significantly to the understanding of the pathogenesis as well as to the improvement of diagnosis, therapy and prevention of numerous clinical pictures. We would like to motivate especially young physiologists to include such integrative aspects in their research and would like to support this at our annual meetings.