High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia
HBPRCA Email Newsletter December 2006
This is a brief e-news before everyone disappears for the holidays. The main reason is to provide a link to all the great photos from the Brisbane meeting. For a post-meeting wrap see Jaye’s section. Please click here to view photos from the HBPRCA 2006 Annual Scientific Meeting. With best wishes, Associate Professor Geoffrey A Head
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE from Stephen Harrap 2006 has been another marvellous year for the Council with sizable increases in our membership and a sense that momentum continues to build. I’m particularly pleased to see so many new young people joining our ranks. As a senior member of Council said in Brisbane, “I don’t recognise many of the young people here, but that is a great sign of the vitality of the Council”. While staying within its means the Council has continued to initiate new projects that will increase our visibility nationally, and in the process raise awareness of blood pressure more widely. This is also a long-term investment in establishing the importance of blood pressure on the political/funding agenda. We still retain research as the basis of the Council and the quality of the Brisbane meeting is a testimony to our strength in this regard. I received today a message from Fred Luft, our RD Wright Lecturer, that our Brisbane ASM was one of the best hypertension meetings he has attended. High praise indeed from such a distinguished scientist. Finally, may I wish each and every one of you the very best for Christmas and the New Year.
MEETING NEWS from Jaye Chin Dusting What a lot of fun!  For me, the 28th Annual Scientific Meeting of the HBPRCA held in Brisbane last week was a memorable stand-out not only for the excellent science and robust discussions but indeed because I can't remember when I last had such a lot of fun at a conference.  Kudos to the local organisers, Malcolm West and Michael Stowasser for the provision of such a relaxed backdrop - Brisbane sure is a happening place.
The Science - Top of the pops was the RD Wright Lecture delivered with such class by Prof Friedrich Luft. Prof Luft took us all on a research journey in search of the genetic link between short digits and high blood pressure.  The masterly telling of his story reminded us all what curiosity, sheer tenacity but mostly, intellectual imagination can yield.  His approach, for me, truly highlights the best of what we are all trying to do. No doubt many will, like me, now await with bated breath for the final chapter in this sleuthing exercise.  Prof Luft also showed the way with his staying interest throughout the entire meeting, and his thoughtful questions,  all clearly provoked by genuine intellectual curiosity.  A/Prof Mark Febbraio, the CI Johnston Lecturer, impressed with his vibrancy while Austin Doyle Lecturer Prof John Mattick whizzed us through a labyrinth of genetic biology. Members of the council responded with equal fervour and robustness - highlights of which included the various Award Finalists sessions.  The HBPRCA/BHS award (an invited talk at the BHS summer conference) went to Early Career Investigator James Sharman (University of Queensland), the Clinical Science Award to Rohit Ramchandra (Howard Florey Institute), the Students Oral Award to Amanda Sampson (Monash University) and the Poster Award to Ngan Huynh (Baker Heart Research Institute).  Emma Mead, the BHS awarded investigator delivered her talk on kisspeptins with aplomb and proved herself another worthy ambassador for the BHS. Top of the many positive comments I received pertained to the moderated poster sessions, - which drew remarkably large audiences, all fascinated with how much information one can convey in 3 minutes.  It is not with a little pride that I share with you Friedrich Lufts' comments on how favourably impressed he was with the scientific calibre displayed by all at the meeting.
In closing this wrap up of the scientific section - can I ask that all members of the council mull over how we can top this year's conference; nominations for our 2007 Invite Lecturers are now being sought. The fun - where do I begin?  I confess I was not present at all the happenings but my network tells me that social highlights included a marriage proposal at Australia Zoo (a big hug and all our very best wishes to young Emma Mead), karaoke at the local pub - I understand that Roger Evans and Harald Schmidt gave performances to die for and a Bar-B-Q dinner which led to a hunt for a very special undergarment (for those in the know - I'll say no more; for those not in the know - there's a clue in the photo archives).  That's it from me.  Take it easy on the roads and compliments of the season to you all.
HBPRCA Secretary __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ HBPRCA Secretariat Athina Patti at Meetings First t 61 3 9739 7697 f 61 3 9739 7076 e hbprca@meetingsfirst.com.au w www.hbprca.com.au
SPONSORS HBPRCA would like to acknowledge the ongoing support of the following sponsors:
MEETINGS IN 2007
UK Consensus Conference on Early Chronic Kidney Disease 6 – 7 February 2007 Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh Click here for meeting website				Society for Endocrinology BES 2007 5 – 8 May 2007 Birmingham Click here for meeting website
8th International Conference of Nuclear Cardiology - ICNC8 29 April – 2 May 2007 Prague - Czech Republic Click here for meeting website				American Society of Hypertension 19 – 23 May 2007 Chicago Click here for meeting website
Lindon Wing Festschrift 24 – 15 May 2007 Adelaide, Australia				Heart Failure 2007 9– 12 June 2007 Hamburg - Germany Click here for meeting website
Europace 2007 24 – 27 June 2007 Lisbon – Portugal Click here for meeting website				ESC Congress 2007 1 – 5 September 2007 Vienna – Austria Click here for meeting website