Cheong Hui Juan Dorothy

I attended the American Thoracic Society (ATS) Conference from 17 to 22 May 2019, in Dallas, Texas, USA. I was also invited to the APSR/ISRD session to give a 3-minute presentation and was awarded the APSR/ISRD travel award.

The ATS 2019 was an eye-opening experience for me. It was the first time I attended an international conference outside of Asia. The event was well organised, maximising the experience and knowledge arising from every participant by fitting them into categories and sessions with similar areas of research. On top of that, the exhibitions put up by research organisations allowed me to explore experimental tools that were not only relevant to my field, and also gain insight on equipment used by others. Every single moment during the conference had me thoroughly engaged. The different session types were interesting, as different modes of presentation allowed participants to present their research ideas in their own ways.

I personally found the 10-minute talks the most beneficial as there was enough time to grasp the concepts presented while not draining us with an overwhelming amount of information. I was assigned to a poster discussion session which I felt was deeply beneficial. It was interesting to hear that fellow scientists conducting similar experiments shared the same concerns as me, and we exchanged probable solutions to tackle them. One takeaway I had while attending international conferences was that for every conference, new but common themes arise in a field of research, and that draws my attention to where research could be moving towards so I can check that what I am doing is still relevant. For ATS, I noticed that many had started to investigate the effects of a newly approved drug, dupilumab, for the treatment of asthma. As someone looking at the potential of a compound for the treatment of asthma, it makes me reflect and consider new directions in my research.

The joint session between the APSR and ISRD during the ATS Conference was a wonderful opportunity to network with other researchers in a smaller setting. Despite working in differing respirology fields, the short presentations and poster sessions were insightful. It provided the opportunity to listen to research occurring outside of my field of interest, which I may otherwise not be exposed to during the conference or on a normal basis.

The APSR/ISRD Award came as a pleasant surprise and I am immensely grateful to the committee that chose me. I attended the APSR 2018 Congress where I was awarded the Asthma Assembly Award for having one of the best-scoring abstracts. Being presented with another award under the APSR was truly humbling and encouraging because it reassures me that people see value in what I do. With that, I hope that this joint session in the ATS will continue to inspire young scientists for many years to come.

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