Dr Christopher Yu at ESC 2022
Dr Christopher Yu, Nepean Clinical School, University of Sydney.
I was fortunate to be awarded the 2022 CSANZ ESC Travel Fellowship. This year, the conference was held in Barcelona, Spain and was the first face to face conference in three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was surreal to find my long-lost passport and get back onto a long-haul flight.
I was excited to present part of my PhD at the conference, with two abstracts accepted as moderated poster presentations. The first abstract was a subgroup analysis of the SUCCOUR study assessing the role of baseline left atrial strain in predicting cardiotoxicity. The second abstract was assessing the role of cardiac magnetic resonance relaxometry in detecting anthracycline related changes compared to left ventricular ejection fraction. The presentations were well received, and it was great to receive feedback from the doyens of cardio-oncology. My PhD is under the supervisor of Professor Kazuaki Negishi, Nepean Clinical School, University of Sydney, to whom I am grateful for his supervision and mentorship.
The conference felt particularly special as the first ever cardio-oncology guidelines were launched by Dr Teresa Lopez-Fernandez and Dr Alex Lyon. The main hall was overflowing with attendees, and it was a highlight to feel the buzz and excitement at the largest cardiology conference in the world. It also demonstrated to me that there is so much work to be done in the field to improve the cardiovascular outcomes of our cancer patients. Other highlights included meeting fellow antipodeans and overindulging Catalan food and wine together.
I am extremely grateful to the CSANZ for supporting me to attend this fantastic conference. It has given me inspiration to expand my network and continue my research in cardio-oncology.