I am truly honored and humbled to have been elected as the next President of the ISSCR. I have been a member of this society for nearly two decades. My research centers on using stem cells to understand the development of the nervous system—especially the brain—and to explore ways to promote regeneration in disease contexts. Through ISSCR, I have had the privilege of engaging with leading experts across a vast spectrum of disciplines, from fundamental biology to translational and clinical research. I am grateful for the opportunities and mentorship I have received, and I now see it as my responsibility to give back to this incredible community.

For my last Message from the President, I had the opportunity to connect with the Co-Chairs of the ISSCR’s Best Practices for the Development of Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Therapies Jacqueline Barry and Kapil Bharti and the Co-Chairs of the Embryo Models Working Group Amander Clark and Janet Rossant to discuss these strategic initiatives. The Society often assembles members from across the world with specific expertise for short-term projects. These two groups are among them and have produced exceptional work on behalf of the field.  

This month, I caught up with Eugenia Piddini and Jaime Imitola, the Chair and Vice Chair of the Education Committee to learn about their work in general as well as the latest major contribution to build the first continuing education course on stem cell medicine. This work exemplifies how committees have come together to produce new and exceptional opportunities with lasting impact on our field. One strong theme that came through in our conversation is the deep belief of the critical role that education plays in all we do, and the need to present current information in ways that bridge experts across different specialties (i.e., clinicians, basic scientists) and areas of stem cell science and regenerative biology for the benefit of medicine and patients.  

It has been a great pleasure to talk this month with Ethics Committee Chair Kazuto Kato and Vice Chair Rosario Isasi – their work along with the committee members is critical to connect scientific advances in the stem cell field with implications for the public and society. Scientific advances require an ethical framework, and without that framework science cannot be done. Their passionate work is critical to properly guide science as well as for their capacity to consider what new ethical frameworks are necessary as research advances.