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In this issue:
ASCEPT 2009 Annual Scientific Meeting
Attention: ASCEPT Post Doc's temporarily moving overseas
AHMRC 2010
ASCEPT Mentoring Program 2009
ASCEPT sponsored meetings
Travel Grants
ASCEPT Travel Grant Reports
News from other organisations
Forthcoming Conferences
August 2009 E-Newsletter
of the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists
Welcome to the August edition of ASCEPT eNews.
If any would like to contribute any items to eNews, please send it along to Meetings First for consideration.
Roselyn Rose'Meyer
ASCEPT Newsletter Editor
ASCEPT 2009 Annual Scientific Meeting
The 43rd ASCEPT Annual Scientific Meeting will be held at the Sydney
Convention and Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, November 29 - December 2,
2009.
Abstract submission deadline
CLOSE OF ABSTRACTS IS TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 1, 2009
You may only submit your abstracts online. Please click here and use your details to log in to the Meetings First website.
ASCEPT offers travel support to student members as well as student awards – encourage your students to submit an abstract!
Registration
You can register for this Meeting via the Internet or by the paper registration form
Early Bird Registration deadline October 20, 2009
Meeting Highlights
10 Symposia/Workshops
Free Public Lecture (Sunday 29 November 1 pm)
Possible NH&MRC Grant Forum (Monday 30 November) – please let us know if you’re interested in attending and we’ll put the wheels in motion (email ascept@meetingsfirst.com.au)
During the forum you’ll hear from ASCEPT members who have served on NH&MRC panels how to better position your grant
Conference Dinner – Tuesday night
To view the current meeting program, please click here or copy and paste this link
http://www.meetingsfirst.com.au/meetings/ASCEPT09/Images/Program.pdf into
your web browser
Please click here to register online or copy and paste this link http://www.meetingsfirst.com.au/login.asp into your web browser.
You will require your password to log into the Meetings First website, if you have forgotten your PIN please contact Meetings First on 61 3 9739 7697 or ascept@meetingsfirst.com.au
Attention: ASCEPT Post Doc’s temporarily moving overseas
Section 27 of the Constitution states:
‘Members usually domiciled in Australia or New Zealand who temporarily move overseas or who are on long term unpaid leave (both for greater than 1 year) may apply to pay a concessional membership rate set at the student rate for that period entitling them to maintain member benefits and eligibility for awards on their return to full membership. This rate will not be available to members on paid sabbatical leave.’
If you are moving overseas in the near future be sure to let the ASCEPT Secretariat (details below) know so you can remain a member of ASCEPT and still retain all the benefits.
AHMRC 2010
Following considerable discussion with members of ASCEPT through the special interest groups, ASCEPT Council has decided not to proceed with an expression of interest to attend the AHMRC 2010 meeting. Of primary concern to Council was the notable difference in ASCEPT member attendance numbers for annual meetings held in conjunction and not in conjunction with AHMRC meetings. Approximately half the number of ASCEPT members have attended AHMRC meetings (2002, 2006, 2008) compared with alternate ASCEPT meetings. The reasons identified for the discrepancy include the November timing of AHMRC meetings, compared to early December timing for regular ASCEPT meetings and the consequences of a longer meeting time required for AHMRC. ASCEPT will continue to address these issues through direct consultation with the organizers of AHMRC with the hope of attending the 2012 AHMRC Meeting.
Peter Molenaar
Secretary
ASCEPT Mentoring Program 2009
A mentoring program was established by ASCEPT in 2008. This program has been a great success as indicated by quotes from mentees in the current program:
- “I think it has been very worthwhile. I'm glad I enrolled (in) this program and credit to … for being a good mentor”
- “ … it has been great to have someone outside my lab to talk to about research experiences. … I feel that the mentoring program is benefiting me, and allowing me to discuss many things such as lab dynamics, funding, publications, and post doctoral opportunities.”
You might like to consider becoming a mentor in this program. Feedback from mentors, indicates it has been a rewarding experience. As Rebecca Ritchie said: “I actually think its going really well … I'd say it was great!”
If you are interested in becoming involved in this program as a Mentor or Mentee please read the Mentoring Guidelines. Mentees need to consider their goals with respect to this program – the Mentee Goals form might be useful in this respect.
Please complete the profile form for Mentees or Mentors and email the completed form to angela@meetingsfirst.com.au. The deadline for submission is Friday 30th October 2009.
The Mentoring Program Committee will match each mentee with a mentor who has volunteered to contribute his/her expertise. It is envisaged that matching will occur in November so that mentees and mentors will have the opportunity to meet face-to-face at the Annual Scientific Meeting in Sydney. At the first meeting with your mentee or mentor, you will be required to sign and submit to ASCEPT@Meetings First a Mentee or Mentor letter of agreement, as appropriate.
Please put links in this notice in the newsletter to the ASCEPT website documents below (all on the membership benefits page):
- Mentoring guidelines
- Mentee goals
- Mentee profile form
- Mentor profile form
ASCEPT sponsored meetings
ASCEPT Cardiovascular Special Interest Group Student-Supervisor Day
Monday 28th September, 2009
AMREP Seminar Room
Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institue
Melbourne
This one day scientific forum will provide a platform for postgraduate students to present their research either as an oral or poster communication, and network with their peers and senior researchers in a relaxed setting. In addition the program will include a number of seminars on topics pertinent to early career researchers.
Registration for the Student-Supervisor Day is free.
Abstract deadline is 31st July 2009 and early registration is 28th August 2009
Please click here for flyer, registration form and abstract guidelines
Abstracts and registration forms should be sent to Nitya Jani (n.jani@pgrad.unimelb.edu.au).
Further information: n.jani@pgrad.unimelb.edu.au or alyson.miller@med.monash.edu.au
Pharmacogenomics Special Interest Group mini-meeting
The PGx SIG will be holding a mini-meeting together with our AGM from 9.30am until 12 noon on Sunday Nov 29th at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre prior to the annual ASCEPT meeting.
The programme is as follows:
9.30 - 10.05: Ass Prof Martin Kennedy, Activities of the Carney Centre for Pharmacogenomiics at the University of Otago, Christchurch NZ
10.05 - 10.40: Dr Malcolm Simons, Latest diagnostic advance in Pharmacogenomics, Haplomic Technologies Pty Ltd
10.40 - 11.00: Morning tea 11.00 - 12.00: SIG AGM Please forward items for discussion at the AGM to Janet Coller by Nov 14th.
ASCEPT and Society for Free Radical Research (SFRR) Joint Symposium
OXIDATIVE STRESS AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE SYMPOSIUM
December 2nd & 3rd, 2009
University of Sydney Veterinary Science Conference Centre
A joint symposium between ASCEPT and the SFRR entitled 'Cardiovascular Disease and Oxidative Stress' will be held during the SFRR Annual Scientific Meeting. The symposium will commence on the afternoon of Wednesday 2nd December (immediately following the conclusion of the ASCEPT ASM) and finish the morning of Thursday 3rd December 2009. The program will include international and national speakers; Professor John Keaney (USA), A/Prof Chris Sobey (AUS), A/Prof Tony Kettle (NZ), A/Prof Merlin Thomas (AUS).
ASCEPT members are being offered a registration fee of $70 to attend this symposium. A number of free communication slots and posters will be available for full and student ASCEPT members to present their research.
Abstract deadline is 14th September 2009 and early bird registration is 9th October 2009.
To register for this symposium follow this link http://www.pathology.usyd.edu.au/sfrra2009.htm.
Further information: Barbara.Kemp@med.monash.edu.au or alyson.miller@med.monash.edu.au
Travel grants
SOT/AstraZeneca Travel Awards
Available for the SOT Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah
Once again, the Society of Toxicology (SOT) and AstraZeneca are very generously sponsoring ten $2,000 travel fellowships for scientists to attend the SOT Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, UT (March 7 - 11, 2010). Applicants may be either junior or senior scientists, reside in countries where toxicology is underrepresented, and have an active research program or currently be active in the practice of toxicology.
Please click here to view a flyer and application with eligibility requirements. I urge you to share this information with members of your society, colleagues in your workplace, and other interested parties. Applications are due by October 9, 2009, and awardees will be announced in November. Since IUTOX is administering this awards program, candidates may direct their questions to (iutoxhq@iutox.org).
Thank you for your assistance in getting the word out about this exceptional opportunity. We want to ensure that as many eligible scientists as possible may take advantage of this funding to attend the world’s largest toxicology meeting!
Donna Breskin
The BJCP Young Investigator Prize
The British Pharmacological Society (BPS) will award an annual prize of £1000, a certificate and 1 year honorary BPS membership for the best paper by a trainee published in the print version of BJCP during a calendar year. Those eligible will be clinical trainees (of whatever specialty), or basic scientists in training registered for a PhD (or equivalent).
On acceptance of a manuscript the authors will automatically, as part of the Manuscript Central system, be sent a reminder about the BJCP prize and will be invited to fill in an application form, giving information about the provenance of the work and the precise role played by the potential award-winner. The judges will be the editors of the Journal, but they may call for expert assistance in making their decision, which will be final.
Andrew Somogyi (BJCP- Australasian Editor)
ASCEPT Travel Grant Reports
Danijela Gnjidic
I would like to thank the ASCEPT for the International Travel Award which allowed me to attend and present my work at the 9th Congress of the European Association for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (EACPT) in Edinburgh, United Kindom, 12-15th July, 2009.
The conference scientific program was excellent. The meeting covered a broad spectrum of clinical pharmacology, basic science and education programmes. The highlights of the conference included plenary lectures presented by eminent clinical pharmacologists including Professor Sir Colin Dollery, Professor Garret Fitzgerald, Professor Patrick Vallance and Professor Alastair Wood. The plenary lecture by Professor Sir Colin Dollery on the past, present and future of the clinical pharmacology was very enlightening. Another highlight was two sessions on the optimising pharmacotherapy for an ageing population. These sessions were particularly helpful for me as my current research is on optimising prescribing for older people. I was able to obtain ideas for current and future studies, and listen to leading international experts in geriatric clinical pharmacology.
Plenary poster and prize award sessions were held each day as part of the conference programme. These sessions provided a good opportunity to hear about work being undertaken by attendees, and to interact with researchers with similar research interests. The meeting also provided an excellent opportunity for me to present my PhD work, and promote my research unit and institutions to an international audience of pharmacologists. My poster presentation attracted great interest amongst attendees. I was able to discuss my current study with other attendees, gain better understanding with respect to presentation of findings, and obtain helpful inputs which I might incorporate for future studies.
I also have enjoyed Scotland’s beautiful scenery. The welcome reception took place in the Edinburgh Castle with magnificent views of the city. The congress dinner was held at ‘Our Dynamic Earth’ which overlooks the Queen’s official Scottish residence. I am very thankful to ASCEPT for providing me with an International Travel Award to attend the EACPT scientific meeting.
Sarah McCann
I would like to express my gratitude to ASCEPT for providing generous support that allowed me to attend the XXIVth International Symposium on Cerebral Blood Flow, Metabolism and Function & IXth International Conference on Quantification of Brain Function with PET in Chicago, IL, USA from June 29 – July 3.
The meeting attracted key international scientists conducting research in areas including cerebral blood flow, cerebral metabolism and cerebral functions in physiological and pathophysiological states. The stimulating scientific program featured a strong emphasis on cerebral ischemia, my area of research.
Of particular value was the first day of the conference which consisted of Educational Courses involving a number of speakers and topics. I attended sessions on ‘Ischaemia Models’ and ‘Anaesthesia in Stroke’ followed in the afternoon by ‘Experimental Design to Publication’. In this session Ulrich Dirnagl highlighted problems in pre-clinical studies that have led to the disappointing results of neuroprotectants in improving the outcome of stroke patients in clinical trials. To try and overcome these problems he outlined important aspects of study design, data analysis and reporting in publications.
Highlights of the scientific program for me included symposiums on neurovascular coupling and cortical spreading depression after brain injury and in particular ‘The Role of Prostaglandins in Brain Physiology and Pathology’ which is directly relevant to my current research. Especially interesting were talks by Josef Anrather and Francesca Bosetti on the effectors of COX-2-dependent neurotoxicity and the differential roles of COX-1 and COX-2 in neuroinflammation.
I presented my current research on the role of endogenous prostacyclin signalling in protecting the brain after stroke as a poster entitled ‘Increased Cortical Infarct after Transient Ischaemic Stroke in Mice Lacking the IP Receptor for Prostacyclin’. I received helpful feedback about my work which along with the symposiums and workshops has given me insights into the field as a whole and guidance on the directions of my own work.
Overall the conference was a very rewarding experience, providing not only invaluable scientific exposure but also social networking opportunities including the conference dinner cruise on Lake Michigan and the chance to enjoy beautiful Chicago. I would like to thank ASCEPT again for making my attendance possible.
Sarah Mitchell
I would like to extend my gratitude and appreciation to ASCEPT for awarding me an International Travel Grant for 2009. This funding allowed me to travel to Edinburgh, Scotland to attend and present my work at the 9th Congress of the European Association for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, July 12-15th.
The scientific program was very engaging. Plenary lectures were given by Professor Sir Colin Dollery, Professor Garrett Fitzgerald, Professor Patrick Vallance and Professor Alastair Wood. It was fascinating to attend the opening plenary by Professor Sir Colin Dollery, an expert in the field. He spoke on the past, present and future of Clinical Pharmacology and was very enthusiastic.
Poster presentation sessions were held daily and gave me the opportunity to observe and engage with other researchers to discuss ideas. Furthermore the oral sessions gave me numerous ideas for my own research. The highlight of the scientific program was being able to attend the session on drug induced hepatotoxicity where the excellent presenters spoke about paracetamol, the drug I am particularly interested in. The structure of the session, from drug discovery to development to safety, was fantastic as it was understandable for researchers with both clinical and laboratory backgrounds.
The social program for the congress was very exciting with the welcome reception taking place at Edinburgh castle. Time in the castle allowed for viewing of the crown jewels and the magnificent scenery of Edinburgh. The conference dinner was held at ‘Our Dynamic Earth’ and was followed with traditional Scottish entertainment.
The presentations of both my poster and oral talk were well received and the discussion I received was invaluable.
Once again I would like to express my sincere gratitude to ASCEPT for their invaluable support.
News from other organisations
Working Party on Units for Reporting Drug Concentrations
Click here to view the draft for comment
Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies (FASTS)
The science work force: The changing nature of science based work (20 August 2009)
Successful bids 11th CRC round just announced (11 August 2009)
Royal Society of New Zealand
Alert 584: 13 August 2009
Research Australia
Research Matters - Winter Edition
“Thank You” Day - Friday, 20 November – Become involved in 2009!
The annual “Thank You” Day campaign is an opportunity for the public to acknowledge the importance of health research in addressing illness and promoting health. It also provides an opportunity for the research community to
acknowledge the support of the public, government, industry and philanthropy.
You can get involved and help raise awareness of by holding an event, involving the media and promoting the campaign through your networks and colleagues. You can visit www.thankyouday.org in early August to download your promotional kit.
“Thank You” Day Awards are the leading event in the health and medical research community calendar. They celebrate the achievements of the individuals and organisations that have helped further Australian health and medical research excellence. Past recipients have included Frank Lowy AC, chairman, Westfield, The Hon. John Brumby, Premier of Victoria, Ricky Ponting, cricket legend and Wesfarmers Ltd. Members of the community are invited to join leading business, government and members of the health and medical research community at the 2009 “Thank You” Day Awards on Friday, 20 November, 6.30pm at BMW Edge, Federation Square, Melbourne. Tickets will be available shortly. Visit www.thankyouday.org to find out more.
Research Australia National Youth Ambassador for Health Research
The essay based competition involves high school students from around Australia who identify the major health challenges facing young people. Visit www.youthambassador.researchaustralia.org
Shaping Policy
Health and medical research is influenced by policy decisions at all levels of government, as well as in organisations such as universities, hospitals and research institutions.
For this reason, Research Australia seeks to engage with policy makers to support more, better quality and higher impact health and medical research in Australia. Our members are involved in:
Research Australia Philanthropy
We provide strategic guidance, tools and resources to support effective partnerships between health and medical research and philanthropy. We encourage your researchers to utilize our philanthropy register. This assists us to identify research opportunities that match the selection criteria provided by philanthropists. It may also assist researchers identify philanthropic service providers. Visit http://www.researchaustraliaphilanthropy.org/ to find out more.
BPS Pharmacology Matters e-Bulletin
August 2009
Australian Society for Medical Research (ASMR)
Newsletter (July 2009)
ASMR NSC 2009
Are you interested in muscles diseases, migraines, movement disorders, stem cell therapies and new born screening? If so you will be interested to know that a stellar program of speakers discussing these topics and more at the ASMR National Scientific Conference themed ‘Neurogenetics’ which is to be held in Hobart in November. I urge you to attend and take advantage of the discounted early bird registration cost that closes in August. For more details visit http://www.asmr-nsc.org.au
Research Careers
ASMR is dedicated to providing mid career researchers (around 5-12 years post PhD) with a fighting chance. To achieve this ASMR is running an executive-style professional development training day to develop your skills in running your own lab and attracting funding, in the ultimate pursuit for a long lasting career and to achieve your full potential. This unique days training will focus on “How to deliver the messages you want to politicians and funding bodies”. Beware it will be highly informative, interactive and enjoyable. It is to be held for one day only in Melbourne on the 19th August. Places are limited ...register early to avoid disappointment. Register now at www.asmr.org.au/Career.html
Australian Academy of Science
President's Note (22 July 2009)
Forthcoming Conferences
Congress of Toxicology in Developing Countries CTDC7
6 - 9 September 2009
Crowne Plaza Darling Harbour, Sydney
Sun City, South Africa
Host: Toxicology Society of South Africa (TOXSA)
http://www.7ctdc.co.za/
HBPRCA 2009 Workshop Day
Environmentally Influenced Cardiovascular Disease: From Fetus to the Adult
1 December 2009
Sydney, Australia
Click here to view the flyer
WorldPharma 2010
17 - 23 July 2010
Copenhagen, Denmark
http://www.worldpharma2010.org/
To All IUPHAR Member Societies and Sections,
Further to our mail of 19 May (see below) we have been delighted with the excellent response to our suggestion that IUPHAR societies and sections should hold workshops or society meetings either on the Sunday (18 July) before the official opening, or in the midday slots (12.30-14.30) Monday through Thursday. Given this most encouraging interest, we have revised our budget to accommodate the resulting increase in our expectations of attendance. Thus, we are pleased to announce that we will waive the charges for AV and auditorium rental.
As before, workshop organizers must cover any speakers costs, and all participants must be registered for the congress. The full programme for the congress including the currently arranged workshops and satellites may be found on www.worldpharma2010.org. Others are already in the pipeline.
There is still space for extra workshops or society meetings and we look forward to receiving your suggestions. Please click here for the form.
Sincerely,
Michael Mulvany / Kim Brøsen
WorldPharma 2010 Organizers
International Congress of Toxicology XII (ICTXII) ***NEW DATE***
19 - 23 July 2010
Barcelona, Spain
Host: Spanish Association of Toxicology (AETOX)
http://gestion.pacifico-meetings.com/www/iutox2010/
Registration is now underway for the ICTXII meeting set for next July 19 – 23 in the beautiful venue of Barcelona! The abstract submission deadline is January 31, 2010 and more information about travel fellowships will be available soon.
Please visit the Congress Web site at www.iutox2010.org for all the details.
Please mark your calendars so we’re sure to see you there!
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