infectious disease

More than $1.7 Million in IDSA Foundation Grant Funds Attracts Diverse Minds to Alzheimer’s Research

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…

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,…

C. diff Talk: Addressing the burdens of C. diff through research, advocacy and hope

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…

Anne Gershon, MD, FIDSA: A Woman of ID

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…

ID workforce shortage: Why it’s crucial to support tomorrow’s ID leaders – today

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…

COVID-19 stories from the front lines: Vaccine and therapeutics development for diseases with pandemic potential

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…

COVID-19 stories from the front lines: The grueling pace of public health in a pandemic

COVID-19 first arrived on U.S. shores in January 2020 with the return of a Snohomish County, Washington, man who had traveled to Wuhan, China, and unwittingly brought back the deadly souvenir. Within weeks, the Seattle region had become the epicenter of the first COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S., and Jeffrey Duchin, MD, FIDSA, had the…

IDSA Foundation Honors Hispanic Heritage Month with Dedication of Hispanics in ID Executive Conference Room

The Infectious Diseases Society of America Foundation recently announced the dedication of its new Hispanics in ID Executive Conference Room at its offices in Arlington, Virginia. The dedication will serve to celebrate and recognize the achievements of current and former Hispanic trailblazers while raising critical funds to support the next generation of Hispanics in the…

COVID-19 stories from the front lines: Shining a light on health equity and mental health

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,…

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…