John Ray T Galamay

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the APSR for having given me the opportunity to represent the Philippine Heart Center, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine in the mini-oral presentation of ISRD-APSR Joint Session in the American Thoracic Society Annual Convention 2018 (ATS 2018) 19 May 2018 in the San Diego Convention Center. The meeting also provided new insights in the field of pulmonary and critical care medicine through the sessions that I attended.

The American Thoracic Society (ATS) is a prestigious organization that aims to hearten research, expand clinical practice through teaching and promote the exchange of knowledge among Respirologists all over the world. It was held on 18–23 May 2018 in the San Diego Convention Center. It was fortuitous that I was able to attend it as a delegate and as a presenter. It has always been my dream to attend the American Thoracic Society Annual Convention and what better way to attend it than to have the privilege of presenting my research paper in the ISRD-APSR Joint Session.

Distinguished speakers from all over the globe imparted their wisdom and expertise through their lectures on variegated topics related to Pulmonary Medicine that can be applied for adult and/or pediatric patients we might encounter in our practice.

The highlight of my attendance in this session was the mini-oral presentation of my research paper entitled "Association of Serum Uric acid Levels and Outcomes of patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: a Prospective Cohort Study". Speaking next to Dr Marc Moss (President, ATS), Dr Chunxue Bai (Director, ISRD) and Dr Kwun M Fong (President, APSR) is definitely one for the books. I am now inspired to work harder. There were also other delegates from the Asia-Pacific region who were selected for oral and poster presentation of their note-worthy researches.

Indeed, it was a prolific learning experience for me to be able to broaden my perspective beyond the walls of my Institution.