Eugene Roscioli

I was gratefully selected to receive a travel award by Professor Kwun Fong and the APSR Executive Committee (in conjunction with the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand), to attend the 2018 Japanese Respiratory Society Annual Scientific Meeting hosted in Osaka, Japan. My role at this conference was to discuss my research describing the molecular and cellular origin of COPD, and I was also give the opportunity to chair the COPD basic research session.

The conference was by all accounts a world-class forum that comprised individuals at the forefront of respiratory research and I was exposed to a great variety of quality clinical and basic research. In addition to the broad and innovative content delivered through the research seminars and symposiums, importantly for me, I benefitted from the basic research component of the conference. A particular highlight related to this was an exciting new method of culturing primary alveolar epithelial cells. The development of this laboratory know-how has been greatly anticipated in the respiratory research sphere for outcomes related modelling complex pathophysiological effects in the COPD airway. This technology has not been described in any other forum to my knowledge. Hence, I am now able to apply a new focus to my research aims which will add significant value to my publications and grant applications.

Further, the JRS was a perfect opportunity to interact personally with respiratory researchers, and I discussed two promising collaborative linkages. One was with a Japan-based research team lead by A/Prof Atsuyasu Sato (Kyoto University) who attended my presentation and subsequently inquired about methods to further their laboratory's work into airway serine protease activity as a causative factor for the pathogenesis of COPD. The other involved Prof Marc Moss who was my co-chair during the COPD basic research session, and a fine individual who conducts outstanding research into the management of acute lung injury. He generously offered to support my efforts to pursue a collaborative link within the USA. I am eager to cultivate these professional relationships as they hold great potential to add new lines of inquiry and add efficacy to our respective research.

These interactions were possible with the support of the APSR and the qualities afforded by the JRS ASM which enables an early career researcher such as myself to directly interact with (for example) a leading internationally-recognised researcher such as Prof Moss (President of the American Thoracic Society).

Equal to the fantastic professional opportunities provided by the conference, I greatly enjoyed the Japanese culture, both as part of JRS/APSR social programmes and through my own experiences while discovering Osaka. The social programme showcased an unending array of delicious Japanese delicacies, a fascinating kabuki puppetry education session and performance, and the length the Japanese support teams went to ensure our experience was comfortable and trouble free was exceptional. Indeed, this was a quality inherent each of the Japanese individuals I encountered throughout Osaka.

As a result, I will look back on my involvement with the Osaka JRS convention as much more than an educational conference. It was an experience that furthered my professional development, allowed me to develop real links with world-class researchers, and I was able to immerse myself in the rich culture of Japan. It was without a doubt the highlight of my formative years as a respiratory researcher. I am indebted to the APSR, the JRS and TSANZ for cooperating to allow early career researchers to take such an amazing journey.

Left to right: Dr Sotheary Chhorn, Prof. Yoichi Nakanishi (APSR Secretary General), Prof Kwun Fong (APSR President), Dr Eugene Roscioli