Officially recognized by the U.S. government in 1976 by President Gerald Ford, Black History Month serves as a time to acknowledge and celebrate the essential achievements of Black Americans across all time periods in the U.S. The concept of dedicating time to educate the public about the often-forgotten accomplishments of Black Americans was first introduced…
The Infectious Diseases Society of America Foundation recently awarded more than $1.7 million in grant funds to advance novel research into possible links between infectious diseases and the causation of Alzheimer’s disease. The grant funds, which were awarded through the Foundation’s Microbial Pathogenesis in Alzheimer’s Disease Grant program, were dispersed among 11 researchers representing a wide range of research fields and institutions across the U.S. “We’re excited that this grant program has…
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,…
If you’ve ever wondered whether a career in infectious diseases can involve stimulating lab work, a job at a major pharmaceutical company, your own clinical practice and a leadership position at an internationally respected medical center, all while balancing family and pursing your passion, ask Helen Boucher, MD, FACP, FIDSA. Dr. Boucher’s work has taken her…
When Kathy Bischoff retired, she had plans to live out her dreams to travel and settle down in the Ozark Mountains. That dream quickly turned into a nightmare when she experienced her first diagnosis of Clostridioides difficile. Despite affecting nearly 500,000 Americans each year, very few patients hear of C. diff before their diagnosis. Bischoff herself faced seven reoccurrences of this life-threatening disease within two-and-a-half years. Now, she is a volunteer for the C Diff Foundation and shares her story to…
Sometimes you choose your career path, and other times your career path chooses you. That statement is certainly true for Anne Gershon, MD, FIDSA, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Heavily influenced by fate, Dr. Gershon landed in pediatrics, infectious diseases and vaccinology, and the impact of her work with the varicella-zoster virus (commonly known as chickenpox) has been felt on…
Infectious diseases claim the lives of 17 million people around the world every year, and that number has risen due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the average U.S. life expectancy dropped by a year and a half compared to 2019 – the largest decline since World War II. This decrease was even greater among historically marginalized populations. The events…
According to Christopher da Costa, MD, PhD, FIDSA, there is very little in medicine that’s quite as exciting as infectious diseases. The unpredictability of an outbreak of a highly contagious infectious disease that could emerge without warning is fascinating – and the COVID-19 pandemic has been no exception. With more than 20 years of clinical practice experience and over 15 years of experience working predominantly in vaccine and infectious diseases therapeutics clinical development for…
In April 2020, Virginia Banks, MD, MBA, FIDSA, was giving a talk on COVID-19 to the National Association of Black Journalists chapter in Cleveland, Ohio, when a question stopped her in her tracks: “Are you aware of the disparities in COVID-19 cases among African American and Latino populations?” they asked. An infectious diseases specialist in Youngstown, Ohio,…
With diseases like polio and measles declared eliminated in the U.S. and smallpox eradicated worldwide, it’s hard to believe there was a time when these infections could be easily acquired. Many infections that once caused widespread illness and death are now simply anecdotes of the past, and at the heart of many of these successes are highly effective vaccines. August is National Immunization Awareness Month, and in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, there has never…