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By Sabine Karam, immediate past chair of the ISN Young Nephrologists Committee 

When I was asked “How old are you?” five years ago, I would have never imagined that my answer would be an essential first step to joining a mission that would be instrumental to both my personal and professional growth: the ISN Young Nephrologist Committee (ISN YNC). 

Since then, I have had the immense privilege to interact with a unique range of talents from all over the world, play an active role in ISN advocacy, education and research endeavors for capacity building, and actively contribute to shaping the society’s mission: advancing kidney health worldwide. 

The possibilities to help me grow professionally and academically have been immense. To name a few:  

• I wrote about several “Breakthrough Discoveries” in a series of 60+1 narratives of historical discoveries of significant impact on the nephrology community released by the ISN to celebrate its 60th anniversary 

• I participated as a member of the ISN Scientific Working Group and as an abstract section chair in several editions of the World Congress of Nephrology 

• I represented the YNC and played an active role within the ISN Education Working Group  (EWG) to curate and deliver educational content in the form of curriculums and webinars 

• I contributed my perspective and input during the elaboration phase of the 2023 ISN- Global Health Kidney Atlas (ISN-GKHA). I was then entrusted with the role of primary author for the Middle East report of the 2023 ISN-GKHA and was subsequently awarded the title of ISN-GKHA Fellow 

Faculty involved in the YNC session “Hot Topics From the Tropics” at WCN’25 

Within the YNC, supported by an exceptional group of colleagues who became friends and then family, I tremendously enjoyed participating in the inception and growth of the Young Nephrologists Network (YNN). This platform offers interested and talented YNs an opportunity to get involved in developing ISN activities and initiatives based on their clinical and research interests or the regional scope of the projects. Such activities include a capacity-building course, “How to Interpret the Scientific Evidence,” and expanding and updating the “ISN Fellowship Foundation Course” in collaboration with the ISN Fellowship Committee. We also developed and launched the “Toolkit on Creating a Young Nephrologist Committee” to assist young nephrologists worldwide in building their own regional or national committee. Finally, our introductory course to clinical research, “Basics of Statistics for a Successful Start in Clinical Research,” has been one of the most accessed courses at the ISN Academy. 

Although my time with the YNC has come to an end, my journey with the ISN is only just beginning. Nurtured by exceptional advice and mentorship, I am excitedly looking forward to helping further advance the society’s mission through other committees and workgroups, notably the EWG, the @ISNEducation Social Media Team, the Renal Disaster Preparedness Working Group, the ISN-ACT Global Trials Focus Group and the Middle East and North America Regional Boards.

With Bianca Davidson (South Africa) as chair and Kornchanok Vareesangthip (Thailand) as deputy chair, the future of the YNC looks brighter than ever. Under their leadership, the YNC will continue to grow its impact, supporting the ISN’s mission with the creativity, initiative, and enthusiasm that define its members. I encourage all young ISN members to get involved and make their mark!