I am a Professor of Cardiovascular Immunology at the University of Glasgow (UK), based within the School of Infection & Immunity. I also serve as the School’s International Lead and Director of the ARUA/Guild Africa-Europe Centre of Excellence in Non-Communicable Diseases and Multimorbidity. Additionally, I hold an adjunct appointment as Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Naples Federico II (Italy). I am an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, the British Pharmacological Society, and the European Society of Cardiology. My leadership roles include serving as Vice-President and Chair of the Engagement Committee of the British Pharmacological Society (BPS); Chair of the Immunopharmacology Committee and Vice-Chair of the Basic and Translational Section of the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (IUPHAR); and Chair of the Translational Research Medical Review Panel for Heart Research UK (HRUK). I am also a Nucleus Member of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Working Groups on Atherosclerosis & Vascular Biology and Cellular Biology of the Heart, and a member of the Executive Committee of the British Atherosclerosis Society (BAS). Additionally, I serve as Vice-Chair of the Immunotherapy Committee of the International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS), a member of the Translational Clinical Studies (TCS) Grant Panel for the Chief Scientist Office (CSO), and a collaborator on the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) project. In the editorial sphere, I am Deputy Editor of Cardiovascular Research and Associate Editor of Pharmacological Research. My research is driven by a longstanding interest in the role of the immune system in cardiovascular diseases. I conduct both basic and clinical investigations aimed at elucidating and targeting immune and inflammatory mechanisms involved in atherosclerosis, hypertension, and heart failure, with a dedicated focus on cardiovascular disease in Africa. I have authored over 140 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals such as Nature Genetics, Nature Reviews Immunology, Nature Reviews Cardiology, The Lancet Global Health, Immunity, European Heart Journal, Circulation, and Circulation Research.

Professor Grant Drummond is a pharmacologist and vascular biologist with over 30 years’ experience in research and tertiary education. He holds senior leadership roles at La Trobe University, including Co-Director of the Centre for Cardiovascular Biology and Disease Research, and Associate Dean (Research Partnerships) in the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment. His research investigates the roles of oxidative stress and immune mechanisms in hypertension and its complications, including kidney disease, heart failure, atherosclerosis and aortic aneurysm. Professor Drummond has authored more than 190 publications, which have collectively received over 19,800 citations. His work has been continuously funded by the NHMRC and the Heart Foundation of Australia for more than two decades.

Susan Leung is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy of the University of Hong Kong. She obtained her BSc in Pharmacology from the University of Bristol, and PhD in cardiovascular pharmacology from the University of Hong Kong. Following receipt of the Croucher Foundation Fellowship, she undertook post-doctoral training at the University of British Columbia in Canada. She was Research Assistant Professor and then Assistant Professor at the University of Hong Kong. Her research focuses on examining the vascular tone regulatory signaling under physiological and pathological conditions, and the effects of different pharmacological agents on vascular responses. She has published more than 70 original articles, and has written several reviews on the signaling pathways underlying the regulation of vascular tone. She is one of the founding members of the Asian Society for Vascular Biology. Currently, she is an Executive Committee Member of Hong Kong Pharmacology Society, and a Council member of the Institute of Cardiovascular Science and Medicine. She has been actively involved in the organization of over ten international meetings, and is a co-director for the Croucher Summer Courses held in Hong Kong on “Arterial Aging”.