2022 G.E.R.M. Program provides research funding for medical students interested in ID or HIV careers

2022 G.E.R.M. Program provides research funding for medical students interested in ID or HIV careers

In 2019, nearly 80% of U.S. counties had no infectious diseases specialists, leaving too many jurisdictions ill-prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic. The field of HIV medicine faces similar challenges. In 2019, more than 1.2 million people were living with HIV in the U.S., with the need for HIV care outpacing the number of new clinicians entering the field.    As the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated,…

COVID-19 stories from the front lines: Lessons learned from HIV and a diagnosis of COVID-19

COVID-19 stories from the front lines: Lessons learned from HIV and a diagnosis of COVID-19

The first role infectious diseases specialist Michael Saag, MD, FIDSA, played in the COVID-19 pandemic was that of a patient.   He had just arrived home in Alabama after a 20-hour car ride from New York City with his son, Harry, on March 12, 2020, when Harry spiked a fever. Within days, Dr. Saag also developed symptoms, and he and Harry both tested positive…

ID specialists or PCPs: Who should manage HIV primary care?

ID specialists or PCPs: Who should manage HIV primary care?

When antiretroviral therapy first arrived in the mid–1990s, people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) required highly specialized care that demanded an awareness of the latest treatment agents, common drug-drug interactions and other HIV-associated complications and infections. This complex care was best handled by infectious diseases specialists, who had the specialty training and knowledge needed to give each patient the best chance at survival.   Today, a typical…