Shingo Takahashi

It was an honor to receive such a prestigious award and to have the opportunity to participate at the CHEST annual meeting. It was my first time attending the meeting, so I was really looking forward to it.

On the first day, I had time to look around the conference center. When I first entered the New Orleans Convention Center on the 20th of October, I was overwhelmed by its size. It was much bigger than any conference center in Japan.

On the second day, I went to look at the various institutions’ booths, and one of them caught my eye. That booth displayed new drainage kits which were much longer than the ones used in Japan. From the medical devices, I could see the difference between Japanese and American physiques. This was an interesting experience for me.

I acquired a lot of new knowledge and information about treatment methods by listening to others’ presentations. One of the most memorable and enjoyable sessions was a luncheon seminar on severe asthma. We were put in a small group where we discussed the treatments we administered on a day-to-day basis. It was such a pleasure to talk with people from different countries and backgrounds.

Thinking about my presentation, I had butterflies in my stomach from day one. I knew the presentation would be a major event and wanted to make sure not to make any mistakes. I also wanted to mentally organize everything that I wanted to present. Furthermore, I was not familiar with e-poster presentation formats, so I was extremely nervous. But once my turn came, surprisingly I managed to control my nerves and became calmer. The presentation was very interactive, and I got several questions; fortunately, I also had time to share my opinions with the other attendees. It was an unforgettable moment for me when one of the facilitators approached me and praised my study. He said "It’s a very interesting theme. It’s good data showing the usefulness of forced oscillation technique." When I heard this from him, I was relieved. This was the moment when all the hard work and effort I had put into this study paid off. At the same time, it motivated me to continue my clinical studies and research.

Finally, I would like to express my deep gratitude for this opportunity. I will apply the knowledge acquired from this experience to my practice. I would also like to share it with my colleagues.