I am thankful to have been awarded the BALR ATS Travel Award, which allowed me to attend the ATS Conference 2019, held in Dallas, Texas.
This was the first time I presented the work from my PhD project in an international meeting and it was a great experience. I participated in a Poster Discussion Session where I had the chance to discuss my work with other researchers in the field. It was very motivating to see that people were interested in my work and had valuable feedback.
The ATS was also a great opportunity to learn about the wide-ranging work being carrying out in the area of respiratory research. I attended several talks that inspired me and was able to learn of the work of researchers that are also interested in the role of mitochondria in lung disease, as I am. There were also a few symposia focused on the therapeutic use of stem cells, which is another interest of my PhD. It was exciting to have the chance to network and discuss ideas with different people, from PhD students like me, to clinicians and well-known professors. I was also able to meet collaborators from outside the UK that otherwise I might not have the chance to meet.
I would like to thank the BALR for supporting my attendance at the ATS. Overall, the ATS was a remarkably insightful and enjoyable experience. I left the conference with new ideas, new contacts and highly motivated to continue my research.