The “Young Metabolic Society”: An interest group for young professionals in the field of metabolic medicine

Abstract

The field of inborn errors of metabolism has become highly dynamic in recent years. Advances in metabolic and genetic methods lead to a faster and more reliable diagnosis even for extremely rare conditions. It is therefore all the more important that the future generation of metabolic professionals receive early support and the best possible training. The “Young Metabolic Society (Junge Stoffwechselmedizin, JSM)” was founded as an interdisciplinary interest group of the German “Arbeitsgemeinschaft für pädiatrische Stoffwechselstörungen (Association for pediatric metabolic disorders, APS)” with the vision to advocate for future generations of metabolic experts. Clinicians, laboratory staff, dieticians, researchers, and scientists in early stages of their career are welcome to participate and actively contribute to shaping the future of metabolic medicine in Europe. With its foundation in early 2020, the focus of the JSM was placed on German-speaking countries, but the desire to expand activities all over Europe is growing. Our goals include promoting and developing educational opportunities to widen and distribute knowledge of inborn errors of metabolism. A frequent webinar series serves to convey basic knowledge of disease-relevant case histories and helps participants understand the fundamentals of metabolism-based laboratory medicine. Our website (www.junge-stoffwechselmedizin.de/) will publish up-to-date information on our activities. In order to promote personal exchange, we will launch a Metabolic Summer School where renowned experts will present relevant clinical cases to improve understanding of metabolic pathways and their regulation. We will organize get-togethers to promote the connection of like-minded people during the APS Annual Meetings and the Annual SSIEM Conferences. We are working toward harmonization of international curricula for metabolic expert training and we would like to contribute to the availability of expertise and knowledge on the management of rare metabolic diseases throughout the European Union. We also strongly believe in improving health care access and promoting knowledge of rare disease in developing countries. Our aim is to establish a network with other national and international (junior) professional organizations, to promote cooperation between disciplines such as pediatric neurology and epileptology and pediatric metabolic medicine and to raise awareness about metabolic diseases across disciplines. Our vision is to bring experienced professionals and newcomers together and build sustainable structures to improve education and networking. Our ultimate goal is to improve the quality of care for patients with inherited metabolic diseases. We warmly welcome anyone who shares our vision of shaping the future of metabolic medicine in Europe to join us and to get in touch via [email protected].