John Ray T Galamay

I am very honoured to have been chosen to receive an APSR Travel Award to attend the CHEST 2018 Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, 5-10 October 2018. This was a very informative conference with a large range of medical and scientific sessions, with many novel and innovative information being presented. The meeting was by all accounts a world-class forum that comprised individuals at the forefront of respiratory research and I was fortunate enough to be exposed to great variety of quality clinical and medical researches. Furthermore, the CHEST Annual Meeting was a perfect opportunity to interact personally with respiratory researchers and discuss promising collaborative associations.

My role at this conference was to discuss and present my research paper in a thematic poster session under Critical Care Medicine entitled "Accuracy of Gas Exchange Measurements as Predictors of Early Successful Weaning among ICU Patients of Philippine Heart Center: a Prospective Cohort Study". Gas exchange measurements such as inspired – expired oxygen concentration difference (I–E)O₂ and end-tidal carbon dioxide concentration (PETCO₂) are useful in identifying patients who are likely to succeed in liberation from mechanical ventilation. By being able to determine the accuracy of gas exchange measurements, it will greatly aid physicians in the ventilator management and weaning of patients, which would affect both morbidity and mortality.

The thematic poster session that I attended spanned a range of topics related to pulmonary and critical care with an emphasis on novel application to aid the diagnosis and treatment of several pulmonary and respiratory pathologies to improve lung health. Learning from the constructive discussions I had at the session with world-class and front-runners in pulmonary medicine and experienced researchers attending my poster presentation, was one for the books and truly a memorable experience for me. The opportunity to network with the like-minded professionals in the field was invaluable and I feel very fortunate to be a part of such inspiring group of people.

I would like to thank my institution, the Philippine Heart Center and the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, together with my research advisers Dr Maria Encarnita Blanco-Limpin, Dr Teresita S de Guia, Dr Aileen Guzman-Banzon, Dr Rommel Bayot and Dr Fernando Ayuyao, for being an inspiration as leading researchers in the field and for giving me the opportunity to carry this research work at the CHEST 2018 Annual Meeting; and to all my colleagues for their help and support.

Lastly, I would like to sincerely thank the APSR committee and staff for honouring me with the APSR Travel Award and for giving me the opportunity to attend the CHEST 2018 Annual Meeting. It was truly an excellent experience for me!