High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia |
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HBPRCA Email
Newsletter
December 2009
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Welcome Note from
Geoff Head
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ISH2012 – As
you are all aware, the HBPRCA will be hosting ISH2012 in Sydney, 30 September
– 3 October. As members of the HBPRCA, we would like you to advertise the
Congress, by downloading the slides and including them at the end of your
presentations. Please click here to download. ISH2010 – will
be in Vancouver on the 26th-30th September. PowerPoint
slides for this meeting are available here. 2009 Annual Scientific Meeting News Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) Working
Group Initiative |
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President’s Message from Stephen Harrap |
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2009 PRESIDENT’S REPORT Council-Sponsor Initiatives We particularly
appreciate the dedicated ongoing support by Sponsors for our Council and its
many activities during difficult times. 1.
Better Blood Pressure Measurement
Initiative ·
Two “Off The Cuff” DVDs completed and
distributed thanks to presenters, Elixir Healthcare Education and
Bristol-Myers Squibb Australia ·
Over 16,000 semi-automated BP machines
distributed to General Practitioners and Medical Specialists across Australia
thanks to Servier Australia and OMRON. ·
Semi-automated BP machines available for
research projects in Tasmania (Mark Nelson), India (Amanda Thrift),
Indigenous Australians (Melinda Carrington) and Queensland (Jim Sharman)
thanks to Servier Australia and OMRON. ·
New Better Blood Pressure Measurement
Initiative research funds (thanks to Servier Australia) awarded to: ·
Dr Faline Howes, Dr Emily Hansen, Prof Mark
Nelson from the Menzies Research Institute, University of Tasmania for “A
qualitative study to explore the implementation of hypertension (HT)
management guidelines into general practice.” $5000. ·
Dr Audrey Adji, Prof Michael O’Rourke for a
study to make a critical analysis of evidence regarding central carotid and
ascending aortic pressure waveforms and their clinical utility. $4000. ·
Deployed posters emphasizing the importance of
blood pressure in General Practices across Australia with the message
“Measure, Evaluate, Control” thanks to Medical Media and Ray Turner. ·
Support for development of a BP Measurement
Teaching Module at the University of Sydney thanks to Susie Mihailidou. 2.
Initiated the incorporation of brief biographies
from our Sponsor Highlights in e-News with thanks to Barbara
Iliopoulos (JLM Accutek Heathcare), Ira Alvarez (Novartis), Robert
Buenaventura (sanofi-aventis). 3.
Raising Blood Pressure Awareness in
Government has been developed to a certain stage with thanks
to John Funder and the other members of the discussion group (including our
sponsors), but the precise strategy and funding have not been determined. 4.
Support for the Franco-Australian Exchange
Awards in collaboration with the Société Française d'Hypertension
Artérielle funding Erin O’Callaghan in her visit to Paris and Dr Pathak Atul
in his visit to Melbourne. Thanks to Servier Australia, Bruce Neal and
Geoff Head. Council Relations 1.
Continued our successful Young Investigator
Exchange with the British Hypertension Society thanks to Bruce Neal. 2.
Supported Michael Da Silva to travel to Chicago
and present as a guest of the AHA Council for High Blood Pressure Research.
Achieved agreement with the AHA Council for High Blood Pressure Research to have
a reciprocal Young Investigator Exchange thanks to Rhian Touyz, Bruce Neal
and Kate Denton. 3.
Established formal representation of the
Council on the Program Committee of the Cardiac Society of ANZ thanks
to Louise Burrell and provided suggestions for the Gaston Bauer Lecturer
award. 4.
World Hypertension Day supported by the Council through the publicity regarding salt
and blood pressure thanks to Bruce Neal and AWASH. 5.
Strengthened relations with the Heart
Foundation of Australia through the joint efforts on the 24-hour
Ambulatory BP Project thanks to Geoff Head. 6.
Completed and submitted a major manuscript on 24-hour
ambulatory BP Project thanks to Geoff Head and his strong team of
researchers. 7.
Liaised closely with the ISH as an Officially
Affiliated Society of the ISH International Forum. 8.
Strengthened the Workshop as key
component of the ASM thanks to Geoff Head and his Program Committee. Membership Now over 300! New “Special
Circumstances” category to help early post-doc members avoid membership
subscription charges while they are overseas or those on maternity leave.
Thanks to Doug McKitrick. Website New improved
“Resources” section and capability to include Council related publicity
including video clips. e-News An extremely valuable
means of communication and information, thanks to Geoff Head and Athina
Patti. Executive Committee A strong team with
great ideas, enthusiasm and ability, most of who will retire at the end of
2010. Thanks, goodbye and good luck to Ardiuno Mangoni who is going to
Aberdeen to assume a Personal Chair in Medicine of Old Age. ISH2012 Hosted by the HBPRCA,
Garry Jennings is chairing the Organising Committee and we are working with
arinex as our Professional Conference Organiser according to a well-defined
plan. Secretariat Athina Patti, Jennifer Seabrook and the team at Meetings First continue to provide us with the best support that one could imagine. |
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2009 Annual Scientific Meeting News from Kate Denton and Markus Schlaich
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A busy meeting as
usual, which I hope you enjoyed. We had some excellent presentations by
our invited speakers, Frans Leenan, Michael Cowley and Alex Brown.
These presentations depend on your nominating exceptional speakers in
each category; please continue to send in your suggestion in response to our
call. I would also like to recognise Mark Glover, the BHS winner on his
excellent presentation, this relationship continues to draw our societies
together. And congratulations
to all our prize winners- ·
Student Oral Presentation Award and winner of
the CHBPR Award; Sonia Tesnovic, Department of Pharmacology, Monash
University ·
Early Career Investigator Oral Award and winner
of the BHS Award; Melanie Armitage, Centre for Vascular Health, Monash
University ·
Early Career Investigator Poster
Award: Sarah Hennebry, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute ·
Student Poster Presentation: George
Lindesay, Macquarie University
In the New Year we will
be sending out a questionnaire to canvas the membership regarding ways in
which to re-organise the timing of the meeting program to allow greater
recognition of posters and to allow increased time for interaction between
the members. If you have some suggestions, I would be delighted to hear
form you. |
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Mark this in your diaries! 1 – 3 December 2010 |
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Workshop News from Geoff Head
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With over 80
registrants, the "Environmental Influences on Cardiovascular disease
from Fetus to Adult" was an outstanding success thanks to the excellent
presentations from all 23 speakers and to the excellent
"programming" of by the committee. The talk from our international
guest speaker Kevin Grove was a particular highlight. Thanks to all
those involved. Next year we are back
in Melbourne for the ASM and we would like to hear from council members about
their preferred topics for the workshop, which will most likely be back to
the Wednesday slot.
Workshop Committee:
Geoff Head, Kate Denton, Markus Schlaich, Louise Burrell, James Armitage,
Mary Wlodek, Bruce Neal and Annemarie Hennessy |
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Student Liaison News from Ann
Goodchild and Erin O’Callaghan
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It was great to see so many students attend the 2009 ASM of the HBPRCA. The council prides itself on its support of students and early career researchers which comes in the form of travel support, mentoring challenges and an array of prizes that range from books to international trips to attend the Council for High Blood Pressure Research (USA) and the British Hypertension Society Annual Scientific Meetings. Our sponsors kindly support these initiatives including sending the Student Oral winner to either the Council for High Blood Pressure Research (USA) or the British Hypertension Society Annual Scientific Meetings and Clinical Science for Early Career Poster Award.” We would like to
thank our very informative and entertaining speakers at the student symposium
who joined enthusiastically in the discussion following. These included
Professor Frans Leenen, Dr Phil Kearney (Merck) and Dr Michelle Kett (Monash
University). We would like to
acknowledge and thank the mentors who participated in the student judging
round. These included Carolyn Barrett, James Armitage, James Pearson, Sarah
Hennebry, Karen Moritz, Eugenie Lumbers, Tamara Paravicini, James Sharman,
Mark Butlin and Rob Widdop. To best represent the
student and early career researchers we need to hear your views. Please
contact our student representative Erin O’Callaghan (erinocal@gmail.com) or myself (ann.goodchild@asam.mq.edu.au). We welcome all suggestions. Feedback on the
meeting (just cut, paste and send it back!) Please rate the
following with a scale of 1-5 with 1 being excellent and 5 being poor. A)
Student Symposium: Please provide suggestions for improvements- including topics to
be covered, structure, timing etc B)
The mentored student judging of posters
initiative: Please provide criticism or suggestions for
improvement C)
The moderated poster sessions: Please provide criticism or suggestions for improvement D)
Any other comments on the meeting |
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Membership News from Doug
McKitrick
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We thank everyone who
has this year made an effort to encourage or support colleagues, staff or students
to become members of the HBPRCA. The results have been outstanding. As
announced at the Annual General Meeting, the number of applications for
Ordinary membership in the HBPRCA in 2009 rose solidly and even more strongly
for Student memberships, giving us a combined membership (all categories) in
excess of 300 for the first time. Speaking of Student
memberships we remind all supervisors that student membership in the HBPRCA
is free and is a requirement for student presenting authors at the Annual
Scientific Meeting (ASM). Membership application forms and the simple
application instructions are available in the Membership area of the HBPRCA
website. And with the memory of the fantastic 2009 Sydney meeting still fresh
don't forget to encourage your colleagues - scientists, clinicians and health
professionals - to consider joining the HBPRCA. |
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Society Liaison News from Bruce
Neal
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The United
Kingdom The British Hypertension
Society was represented at our recent Annual Meeting by Dr. Mark Glover from
the Clinical Pharmacology Unit at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. Mark gave a great presentation on ‘The
thiazide-sensitive Na-Cl co-transporter in the distal nephron and followed
this with a visit to the laboratory at the University of Queensland. The next Annual Scientific Meeting of the
British Hypertension Society will be held from 13th – 15th September 2010, at
St. John’s College, Cambridge. The British Hypertension Society extends an
invitation to members of the HBPRCA to submit abstracts and attend the 2010
meeting. We will be sending Melanie Armitage from Monash University, who was
the winner of the Early Career Investigator Oral Award at this year’s meeting. Melanie will be presenting her abstract
titled “Endothelial dysfunction in aged spontaneously hypertensive rats is
reversed by NADPH oxidase inhibition”. France It’s now just a few months
until Erin O’Callaghan, departs for Paris where she will be spending three
months working with Genevieve Nguyen at the College de France Center for
Interdisciplinary Research in Biology at INSERM. Erin was the winner of
this years Franco-Australian Exchange travel grant. A little later in the year Pr Pathak Atul from Tolouse will be
coming across to Australia to spend time with Professor Gavin Lambert at the
Baker Institute in Melbourne. The United States of America In November, Michael
De Silva made the trip to the 63rd High Blood Pressure Research Conference in
Chicago to present his abstract on "Defining the Role(s) of
Nox2-containing NADPH Oxidase in the Cerebral Circulation." Michael also
visited two laboratories in the US during his visit and we look forward to
hearing from him about his experiences in the next edition of e-news. At this
year’s meeting we made the second award under this scheme and Sonja Tesanovic
from Monash University will be attending the US conference in 2011 to present
her abstract titled “Athero-protective effects of the ACE inhibitor,
perindopril, are partially mediated via activation of both mas and AT2
receptors in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.” We are also delighted to report that the US has now
reciprocated with the winner of the prestigious Goldblatt Award to attend our
meeting and present each year. This
will kick in from next year and we look forward to welcoming our first
awardee in Melbourne in 2010.
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Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) Working Group Initiative
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Members: Geoff Head,
Susie Mihailidou, Karen Duggan, Alexandra Bune, James Sharman, Arduino
Mangoni, Peter Howe, Narelle Berry, Diane Cowley, Michael Stowasser, Lawrie
Beilin, Jonathan Hodgson, John Chalmers, Carla Morey, Mark Nelson, Mark
Brown, Barry McGrath and John Ludbrook Our current
findings comparing clinic measurements from staff and physician and the
ambulatory blood pressure equivalents were reported to the Council at the
recent meeting in Sydney. Currently several members of the working group
are participating in a joint working group with the national Heart
Foundation to update the ambulatory guidelines with a view to
incorporate our findings. The group has met and set out a path to
achieve this by the middle of next year. One of the
issues to come out of this process is a need to incorporate home monitoring
evaluations as well. In light of this, we would be interested to see how many
members of the ABPM working group might be willing to extend their current
participation with a home monitoring co-hort. I would be pleased to receive
opinions (either way) to discuss with the working group early in the New Year
ideas to develop a new national prospective study. |
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Upcoming Meetings
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The 23rd Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Hypertension
REGISTER
NOW! Click here to register. The one-year Countdown
to the 23rd Scientific Meeting of the International Society of
Hypertension (ISH 2010) to be held September 26 - 30, 2010 in beautiful
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is on! This important International
Meeting, focussing on Global Cardiovascular Risk Reduction will be at
the forefront of new concepts in basic, clinical and population science.
Be sure to register by January 15, 2010 to take advantage of
the Super Early Bird rates. ONLINE
ABSTRACT SUBMISSION ISH 2010 is
already accepting abstract submissions. Early decisions on acceptance of
abstracts will give participants who require travel visas a longer lead time
for applications. The three major program tracts are Basic Science, Clinical
Science, and Population Health / Public Policy. The target audience includes
Basic Scientists, Clinicians (Cardiology, Endocrinology, General Medicine,
Neurology, Nephrology, Primary Care Physicians, Nurses, Nutritionists and
Pharmacists), and Population Health and Public Policy specialists and is
inclusive of all individuals interested in cardiovascular health. Complete
guidelines and directions on how to submit an abstract can be found on the ISH 2010 website. MEETING
OBJECTIVES The ISH 2010
theme, Global Cardiovascular Risk Reduction, will capture the newest
information in the field of hypertension and will also focus on all aspects of
cardiovascular risk. Future perspectives, new research, treatment and
prevention will be showcased over four days of invited plenary talks and oral
and poster presentations. Special Symposium initiatives include an
Alaskan Cruise and several high profile Summits to discuss priority needs and
actions for non-communicable disease prevention. The meeting will provide a
forum for scientific exchange, global interaction and global initiatives with
the objective of a legacy of new initiatives in Global Cardiovascular Risk
Reduction. ACCOMMODATION
& OPTIONAL TOUR AND SOCIAL EVENT PROGRAM ISH 2010 has
arranged for a selection of hotels close to the Meeting venue that will meet
everyone’s budget. The Meeting has also arranged a fabulous optional Tour and
Social Event program exclusively for ISH 2010 attendees. Accommodation as
well as Tours and Social Events can be booked conveniently during the online
registration process, or you may update your registration with Accommodation
and/or Tour and Social Event Participation once your travel arrangements are
made. EVERYTHING
AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Visit the ISH 2010 website for detailed information on the Meeting including Scientific Program,
Registration, Abstract Submission, Accommodation, Tours and Social Events.
The Main Announcement is available on the website as a pdf download to review
at your leisure. We look
forward to seeing you in Vancouver! |
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Articles of interest
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Hungry
Jack's burger raises salt issues (Bruce Neal quoted) Hungry Jack's
has been roasted over the nutritional value of one of its new burgers, which
was found to contain well over a person's recommended daily intake of salt… read more Hungry
Jack's chipped over monster burger (Bruce Neal quoted) HEALTH experts
are demanding warning labels be put on a new burger that contains almost
twice as much saturated fat and 40 per cent more salt than the recommended
daily intakes… read more Healthy
diet costs double for poor families (Brian Morris quoted) A HEALTHY diet
would cost 40 per cent of the disposable income of a welfare-dependent
family, twice as much as for those on an average income, a study published
today says… read more If
you have been quoted in the media, please email us the link to hbprca@meetingsfirst.com.au PCBs hike blood
pressure No one would
choose to eat polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs — yet we unwittingly do. And
a new study finds that the cost of their pervasive contamination of our food
supply can be high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart
disease… read more Mummies
reveal heart disease plagued ancient Egyptians ORLANDO, Fla.
— The curse of the mummy may truly be fatal. An examination of mummified
bodies has revealed that ancient Egyptians suffered from hardening of the
arteries in surprising frequency, suggesting that blame for heart disease
extends beyond the modern culprits of smoking, fast food and the remote
control… read more |
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ASMR News
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October Newsletter Click here to download. ASMR Workforce Survey We are
delighted to provide you with a copy of our newly released survey Planning the
Health and Medical Research Workforce 2010-2019. ASMR
commissioned Dr Deborah Schofield, Associate Professor and Director of
Research Northern Rivers University Department of Rural Health (NRUDRH),
School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney to conduct
the study. At the launch
in Parliament House this morning, ASMR's President Dr Sarah Meachem said,
“Australia needs a program which creates a self-sustaining and agile
workforce able to meet head on, challenges in indigenous health, the overt
diseases associated with the ageing population and the emerging covert health
risks associated with climate change. The development, design and
implementation of informed, innovative and visionary policy reform is
essential to attract and retain our best human capital and to expand
international partnerships and collaborations.” Also speaking
at the launch, Mr Mark Butler MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Health
congratulated the Society on the report and referred to the importance of the
study in highlighting the pressures of demographics and workforce retention
faced by the sector. Some key
findings are: Australia has
15,200 PhD's within a health and medical research workforce of 23,400. 6,250 members
of the health and medical research workforce will leave the sector by 2019,
and of these, 4,000 will hold a PhD or equivalent. To maintain
current PhD levels as a working population ratio to 2019, we must replace the
4,000 lost and add another 1,700 persons at a cost of around $810 million. Australia
would need to expand 2.5 fold to be on par with knowledge-based workforces
such as the European workforce. Australia would require about 5,700
additional health and medical research PhD graduates to be comparable with US
levels, about 22,800 to be comparable with German levels and about 38,000 to
be equivalent with Switzerland. ASMR extends
particular thanks to those organisations who have given their financial
support for this study. Catherine West Snr. Executive
Officer ASMR Update – November 2009 It is with
great pleasure that I introduce myself as the incoming President of
ASMR. I consider it a real privilege to lead this prodigious Society
over the coming months as it continues with its vital role of public,
political and scientific advocacy. My thanks go to the immediate Past-President,
Sarah Meachem and the outgoing Directors, Andrew Brown, Martin Delatycki,
Andrew Laslett and Fabienne Mackay for all their hard work and dedication
over the past year.
Due to the
episodic and unpredictable nature of Federal funding to our sector, we are
once again faced with the very real possibility of NHMRC funding being cut in
the 2010 Federal Budget next May. This will be nothing short of a
disaster with grant and fellowship success rates set to plummet to almost
unsustainable levels. Meanwhile, the future health of our nation faces
enormous challenges from an ageing population and the potential impact of
climate change on health – challenges that can only be met by a strong,
vibrant and flexible health and medical research sector, underpinned by solid
and realistic funding. ASMR has commenced its campaign to get this
message across to both sides of government, you can still make a difference
and I urge you all to fully participate in the process. Please write
and visit your local MP, write to the PM, the Health Minster and the
Treasurer sending a strong and clear message of the vital role played by HMR
in the future health of the nation and the critical importance of maintaining
the NHMRC budget in 2010. Details of the campaign including key
messages, template letters and email/contact addresses of MPs are all
available on the ASMR website (www.asmr.org.au) under ‘Political advocacy’. The ASMR NSC
‘Neurogenetics on the Apple Isle’ held in Hobart from November 15-17 was a
huge success and my congratulations go to the Convenor, Martin Delatycki and
the Scientific Program Committee chaired by Nigel Laing, for putting together
such a high calibre meeting. Finally,
please find click here to view the ASMR Annual
Report 2009 containing the President’s report and audited financial statements
for the past year. President |
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HBPRCA would like to acknowledge the support of
the following companies: Corporate members
Corporate Sponsors
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Meetings in 2010 |
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Meetings in 2011 |
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HBPRCA Secretariat
Athina Patti at Meetings First 4/184 Main Street LILYDALE VIC 3140 Phone +61 3 9739 7697 Fax +61 3 9739 7076 |
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