E-news

With 2012 being an important and busy year for HBPRCA, we’ll be sending an e-news monthly – most of them will be short and will emphasise Hypertension Sydney 2012 – but our packed quarterly issues will highlight new members and new initiatives. Don’t forget – it’s time to renew your membership  - whether student or full member.

Rob Widdop, HBPRCA Secretary

President’s Message – Jaye Chin-Dusting

Happy New Year and I hope everyone managed to have a lovely and restful time over the break. The big buzz this year is ISH 2012 as all our eyes turn towards Hypertension Sydney in September to create the best ISH Conference possible. HBPRCA is of course the official host of this meeting and I am therefore personally calling for your best support and contribution to make this event a one to talk about in years to come. The dateline for Abstract submission is March 23 and HBPRCA will award the council member with the highest number of submissions (as per authorship) free membership for a year.

2011 Student Symposium – Faline Howes

Thanks to all students who attended the student symposia. We aim to have the powerpoint presentations from our presenters up on the HBPRCA website in the near future. I took the advice of Stephen Harrap and joined the ISH New Investigators Network (ISHNIN) and I encourage you all to do the same. It aims to serve as a platform for interaction between students and new investigators allowing new avenues for communication, collaboration and education. Those joining the Network will be provided with ISH sponsored mentorship opportunities, information on national and international hypertension symposia, and opportunities for financial support. All hypertension research trainees are welcome, including those that are not yet ISH members or Research Fellows. www.ish-world.com/Nin

ISH 2012 – Hypertension Sydney

Are you going to ESH in London? We’ve had great success in previous international meetings when Aussies ‘man the booth’ over the refreshment breaks – it’s not rocket science, just an opporunity for internationals to ask “where is Sydney?”., “will it be a good meeting?” etc…. If you are planning on being in London, please let the Secretariat know and a roster will be prepared.

ISH 2012 – As you are all aware, the HBPRCA will be hosting ISH 2012 in Sydney, 30 September – 3 October. As members of the HBPRCA, we would like you to advertise the Symposium, by downloading this slide and including it at the end of your presentations. Please click here to download.

• Have you included the logo in your email signature or made sure you have the slide for use in presentations? All members are encouraged to use these images whenever possible

• Abstracts open October 26 – and close March 23

• Check out the website for updates on the Satellite Meetings as they occur

Click here for the e-blast re registration and abstracts now being open.

Membership News from Janna Morrison

Membership subscriptions are now due and the Executive would be delighted if you renew. Fees are just AUD125 per year for full members (plus GST for Australians). Student members pay no fee, but MUST review via the website to receive benefits such as travel grants and be eligible to student prizes.

Please do so by March 31 – via the Meetings First website, where you will need to update your background information.

If you do not wish to renew your membership, we’ll be sorry to see you go, but please let the Secretariat know so that we may avoid unnecessary followup communication.

Member Initiatives – Bronwyn Kingwell reports on her Parisian travels

Thanks to the HBPRCA and the Franco-Australian Exchange Award I was fortunate to spend the three months from mid-August till mid-November of last year in Paris as visiting Professor, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, working in the Dyslipidémies, Inflammation et Athérosclérose dans les Maladies Métaboliques with Prof John Chapman at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital. Our common interests were HDL (or “ashDL” as I fondly came to know it) and lipidomics. The focus of the visit was to develop a collaboration which refined some of my recent work with BakerIDI colleagues on whole plasma lipidomic models1 for prediction of coronary plaque rupture (unstable coronary artery disease, CAD) using the HDL lipidome. John has amazing networks which extend from the research and clinical community through to industry both in Paris and internationally. There was a constant stream of visitors to the lab representing a who’s who of lipid research and enabling access to samples, new compounds and collaborations. John also used these networks to put me on the speaker circuit in and around Paris to further my links. This is what I learnt about the French way of doing things:

• More is accomplished over a single lunch (preferably a long one at the local 1 star Michelin) than at multiple meetings over several weeks.
• Research regulations and governance issues don’t really matter if you’re well established and part of the inner circle, but can be extremely problematic if you’re not
• Be sure to schedule time in your day to socialise with your colleagues and to wish them the all-important “bons” (jour, journée, appétit, déjeuner, après midi, soir, soirée, weekend, rendezvous, voyage just about anything really). These and other social niceties are very important to a cohesive French lab.
• The Australian medical research system and scientific institutions are highly efficient and functional and we have a lot to be thankful for!
• Writing is much more creative when you have the best view of Les Invalides in Paris to inspire you (see the photo of the view from my Paris apartment)

My French collaboration continues to progress well with initiation of recruitment of a large cohort of stable/unstable CAD patients from the Cardiac Care Unit at the Institute of Cardiology at the Pitié and a joint review and NHMRC project proposal currently in progress. Samples are flying back and forth across the globe and we have some likely candidates for post-doctoral and student exchanges. My knowledge of HDL biochemistry, lipidomics and bioinformatic approaches has expanded considerably and I have benefited from the luxury of time out to think and reevaluate – faire le point.

I’m extremely grateful to the HBPRCA and Servier for this opportunity and allowing me to develop connections which will no doubt necessitate regular return trips! My sabbatical in Paris was also supported by an Endeavour Executive Award from the Dept. Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

1. Meikle PJ, Wong G, Tsorotes D, Barlow CK, Weir JM, Christopher MJ, Macintosh GL, Goudey B, Stern L, Kowalczyk A, Haviv I, White AJ, Dart AM, Duffy SJ, Jennings GL, Kingwell BA. Plasma lipidomic analysis of stable and unstable coronary artery disease. Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology. 31(11):2723-32, 2011