Building Your Network at ISAPP: Mission (Im)possible?

By Caroline Dricot

Every time I attend a conference, I set a simple goal: have one or two meaningful conversations with fellow attendees—whether they're from academia or the private sector. That, to me, is what makes a conference successful. It’s advice my supervisor, Sarah Lebeer, gave to help comfort our inner impostors. At the 2024 ISAPP meeting in Cork, Ireland, I’d say I exceeded that goal.

The ISAPP-SFA organizing committee kicked things off with a brewery tour on Monday evening. Yes, you read that correctly—science and beer. It’s like a dream come true for most microbiologists. We learned all about the brewing process and got to taste the results. Although I must admit, aside from my (unpopular Belgian) opinion that all beer tastes like soap, I heard the brews were delicious. After a long day of travel, I opted for an early bedtime to get some much-needed rest before diving into the science the next day.

Fast-forward to Tuesday and the first SFA session—surprise! I'm feeling just as socially awkward as ever. I stumble through my one-minute “Who am I?” introduction and decide that the grand socializing plans I had in mind will have to wait for “later.” Not sure exactly when “later” would be, but it sounded like a good idea at the time. On the bright side, the scientific sessions were going fantastic. The SFA sessions were designed for open discussions, and to my surprise I actually felt like I belonged in the conversation.

A few standout moments for me included the ‘Innovation Workshop: Outside The Gut’ and talks by Glenn Gibson and Shalome Bassett, who shared invaluable advice for early-career scientists. Later that evening, we attended the Welcome Reception with a speech by Paul Ross at the University College Cork, which kicked off the official “open conference,” meaning non-SFA attendees could join.

**Gala night, Caroline Dricot (middle) together with Joke Van Malderen (left) and Leonore Vander Donck (right).**

My team and I had a blast, mostly sticking to chatting with each other, but we did meet some new faces—thanks to the networking magic of my colleagues Sarah Ahannach (from the ISAPP-SFA organizing team) and Sarah Lebeer (ISAPP board member). By the end of the night, I had already made a few new connections. Mission accomplished on Day 2? I'd say so.

Wednesday brought more exciting science. I particularly enjoyed Douwe Van Sinderen’s talk on ‘Mother-baby transmission of bifidobacterial strains,’ which tied directly into my own research interests. The special session on ‘Probiotics for Premature Infants’ was also memorable. It brought together professionals from various fields—pediatricians, scientists, industry members, and even legal authorities—for an open discussion on the topic. What made it even more impactful was the presence of a mother who shared her personal experiences, adding an emotional layer to the conversation. The afternoon was filled with award-winning lectures, including a standout presentation by Boushra Dalile on fiber-rich diets, SCFAs, and the microbiota-gut-brain axis.

Then came Thursday evening—the Gala night. Where do I even start? Picture this: a deserted jail. I know it sounds like the beginning of a bad horror movie, but trust me, the venue was stunning. The food was top-notch, the drinks were fancy (hello, gin tonics), and there was live music, including a surprise Irish dancing performance. Some of us even joined in and danced the night away. I mean, how many people can say they performed an Irish dance with Maria Marco? Talk about a mission aced on Day 3.

Picture 1: Caroline Dricot (oral talk) — **Caroline Dricot (oral talk)**

By Thursday morning just hours before ‘Le moment suprême’—my oral presentation—I was feeling surprisingly confident. Sure, I was still a bit nervous (who wouldn’t be, about to present their PhD work to the experts of the field?), but I wasn’t in full “hide under the table” panic mode. Having my supervisor Sarah there as the discussion leader was like having a safety net. If I blanked out or was asked a question I couldn’t answer, I knew she’d have my back.

And then, it was time. I hear Sarah announce, “The next speaker is a member of my own team…” Aaaand I’m up. Smile. Walk. Don’t fall. Smile some more. And then—boom—the title of my talk is projected:

“A Multifaceted Exploration of Lactobacillaceae-Derived Vitamin B2 in the Vagina - Vitamins for Vaginal Victory”

Yep, you read that correctly. Cool, right? That’s when I cracked a joke about kissing Ireland’s famous Blarney Stone for eloquence. (Mainly Irish humor.) Laughter. Ice broken. Phew.

Looking back on the entire conference, what truly makes ISAPP special is the atmosphere. It’s not just about presenting ground-breaking research or obsessing over the latest experiments (although, let’s be real, those things are awesome too). It’s about creating an environment where genuine, human-level conversations can happen with fellow scientists and PIs—and where you can occasionally laugh at yourself. I can’t wait for the next ISAPP meeting, if only for the networking opportunities!

**Caroline Dricot kissing the Blarney stone for eloquence.**

Will my riboflavin research have a glow-up in 2025? Who knows. We might have done something epic at the end of 2024. In the meantime, you can catch up on our recent review. Stay tuned and follow us on Instagram (isala_uantwerp)!

References

https://isala.be/en/study/vitamins-for-your-vaginal-health/

Dricot, C.E., Erreygers, I., Cauwenberghs, E. et al. Riboflavin for women’s health and emerging microbiome strategies. npj Biofilms Microbiomes 10, 107 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-024-00579-5

ISAPP_SFAMarch 7, 2025