Padding out the CV
Posted on Thursday 29th May 2008
As mentioned yesterday, I went to Melbourne today for a symposium on ExtraCorporeal Membrane Oxygenation. While not an expert in this field, I was formerly an ECMO Fellow at Glenfield in Leicester so have more than just a passing knowledge of the subject. As such, I was asked to chair the session on the use of this therapy to treat patients with severe respiratory failure. Co-incidentally I have recently published a review article on this precise topic, so felt equipped to lead the session.
It is surprisingly stressful chairing a professional meeting. The invited speakers have the luxury of being able to prepare their speech in advance, whereas the chair has to ad-lib much of their material. Fortunately it all went smoothly, the presentations were delivered and I lead the question session. At the end we were all thanked by the organisers and I returned home to Adelaide.
This day will be a great addition to my curriculum vitae as many people speak at conferences, but it is a rare honour to be invited to chair a session.
Incidentally while I didn’t exactly enjoy the flights today, they weren’t too bad, so there is still hope!
