This month we had the privilege to connect with the chair and vice chair of the Membership and International Outreach Committee (MIOC), Ole Pless and Athanasia D. Panopoulos and the chair and vice chair of the Early Career Advisory Committee Evan Graham and Alessandro Bertero. At the core of our Society are our members, our commitment to create an enriching environment for the next generation of scientists and to embrace the internationality of our community.

I am continuing the theme of using my monthly messages to highlight the contributions of ISSCR committees and the members who dedicate their time and talent to advancing the field and the mission of the Society. This month, I’ve had the privilege to talk with Melissa Carpenter and Tennielle Ludwig, the chair and vice chair of the Manufacturing, Clinical Trials, and Regulatory Committee (MCTR), and to learn more about the work of the Public Policy Committee, led by Sean Morrison. The contributions they are making address critical priorities of the ISSCR and reinforce why membership in the Society is so vital – it supports initiatives that ease pathways for research and clinical advances so they may thrive.

We often equate scientific excellence with products (i.e. papers that report scientific discoveries), which are often attributed to a single individual. We struggle to define scientific excellence as encompassing equally important contributions such as the processes by which these papers were generated or the scientists, within and outside a lab, with whom co-creation of those papers has occurred.

I am still reflecting on the incredible experience at the ISSCR 2024 Annual Meeting in Hamburg, Germany last month listening to groundbreaking science at the talks, posters and in informal chats. Connecting with members of our community provided me with tremendous insight and inspiration. This highly successful annual meeting was created through the vision of Malin Parmar and Agnete Kirkeby in partnership with the members of the 2024 Program Committee, and under the leadership of Amander Clark. This hallmark annual event, along with the scientific programming the ISSCR offers throughout the year, would not be possible without the incredibly talented group of ISSCR staff members who support our program organizers. Their contributions every day to our Society cannot be overstated.