Ioannis’ story

I believe that the ERA short-term fellowship programme is an outstanding opportunity for young nephrologists early in their careers. It provides structured clinical training in leading European centres and facilitates exposure to different standards of care and established clinical practices. By supporting international mobility and cooperation between renal centres, the programme plays a crucial role in broadening clinical perspectives, strengthening professional skills, and fostering long-term European collaborations.

Absolutely! The clinical fellowship from ERA is a highly relevant and prestigious experience that deserves to be highlighted on my professional CV. In addition to the fellowship itself, ERA has strongly supported my early career through best abstract awards at the ERA Congresses in 2024 and 2025. This support has been a significant source of motivation, encouraging me to further invest in high-quality scientific work and continuously improve my clinical practice for the benefit of my patients.

My fellowship experience in Oxford was transformative. Training at a recognised centre of excellence in kidney transplantation allowed me to deepen my knowledge and refine my approach to patient care within a highly structured, multidisciplinary environment. The valuable guidance and mentorship of my supervisors played a key role in shaping both my clinical thinking and academic development.

Equally important, the fellowship enabled me to build a strong professional network with leading European and International transplant experts, fostering collaborations that I intend to sustain through future academic and clinical partnerships. This growing network will be instrumental in developing joint educational and clinical projects and facilitating the exchange of expertise between Greek and European centres.

Now that I have started my official nephrology training in Greece, I feel significantly more confident and better prepared for my specialty, both clinically and academically. Looking ahead, I aspire to remain actively engaged with the ERA Young Nephrologists’ Platform (YNP) and the ESOT Young Professionals in Transplantation (YPT) communities, promoting collaboration, mentorship, and continuous education among early-career clinicians. The fellowship has inspired me to combine clinical practice with academic contribution, helping advance kidney transplantation standards and patient outcomes both nationally and within the broader European transplant community.

During my fellowship at the Oxford Transplant Centre and the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Oxford, I gained hands-on clinical experience across the full spectrum of kidney transplantation, including both deceased and living donation. This included donor and recipient assessment, perioperative management, and post-transplant follow-up. I actively participated in outpatient transplant clinics and multidisciplinary meetings, which strengthened my clinical judgement and enhanced my confidence in managing complex transplant patients.

A particularly valuable aspect of the fellowship was working as part of a truly multidisciplinary transplant team, alongside nephrologists, transplant surgeons, pathologists, specialist nurses, transplant coordinators, and data scientists. This collaborative environment reinforced the importance of team-based care, effective communication, and shared responsibility, while fostering a strong sense of collective commitment to optimal patient and graft outcomes.

In parallel with my clinical training, I was involved in large-scale registry-based research and translational projects, including analyses of post-transplant outcomes and biomarker research. These experiences enhanced my skills in data interpretation, evidence-based medicine, and the integration of clinical and analytical perspectives. Overall, the fellowship provided a unique combination of advanced clinical training, multidisciplinary collaboration, and research exposure, equipping me with knowledge and competencies that I am now applying in my clinical practice in Greece. This experience comes at a critical time, as Greece is expanding its national transplant capacity through the establishment of the new National Transplant Center and initiatives to strengthen organ donation across the country. I aim to contribute to this national effort by transferring the clinical standards, collaborative practices, and evidence-based approach developed during my fellowship.