Dr Aaysha Cader

Hello everyone. I’m Aaysha Cader. I’m an interventional cardiologist based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and also a social media editor for the Journal of the Asia Pacific Society of Cardiology. That is JAPSC, which is the official journal of the APSC. This year's APSC Congress has some very interesting sessions on women in Cardiology. And to discuss a little bit more about this, I have with me Assistant Professor Low Ting Ting, who is a senior consultant cardiologist and Director for Women’s Heart Health Program at the NUHCS. Welcome, Dr. Low.

Dr Ting Ting Low

Hi. I'm really excited for this session that is going to be on 15 July, Saturday morning. On a bright, beautiful Saturday morning, all the excellent female cardiologists are going to come together in a room and we're going to share some stories of our career journey as well as some personal stories for growth. And we hope that this lively, moderated discussion will also cover topics on embracing leadership and talking about work-life balance. We also need to hear something like that, and you will also be sharing some tips with mentorship and the importance of role modelling. The women in Cardiology networking is still in its beginnings, I think, for the Asia Pacific region. And now with so many people from different countries coming together, I think it's going to be a very robust and exciting discussion put together.

Dr Aaysha Cader

I agree. I think a diversity in the cardiology workforce is so important and it's really awesome that the APSC is taking steps to enhance it within the region as well. I’m really looking forward to it. Could you tell us just a little bit more about the inspiration behind building these sessions and how you came up with the topics that are of relevant interest to women in cardiology?

Dr Ting Ting Low

Well, I think the women in cardiology are kind of relatively silent about the struggles and some tribulations that we have in training. And sometimes coming together in a moderated session allows us to put forth any difficulties and challenges that we have. We can discuss whether the glass ceiling is real, whether it's something we imposed on ourselves. Female cardiologists make up a small proportion of the entire cardiology community and we hope to be able to uplift everybody at different stages of their career. Whether you are just junior in training or even senior and wanting to take up leadership positions or thinking how you can uplift the juniors along with you in growth. Coming together for a session like this I think is really like a professional home for everybody to improve, networking and collaborate and grow together in strength, in taking on new roles or multiple hats along the way.

Dr Aaysha Cader

As our journey evolves in cardiology, I think that’s so well said, allyship is very important within the cardiology workforce for all of us, and I look forward to speaking as well as participating in that Women in Cardiology session. And I hope to see you all at this session at 08:00 a.m. On the 15 July at APSC, Singapore.

Dr Ting Ting Low

See you there.