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

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…

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

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…

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

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

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…

Vaccines 101: Celebrating Science’s Greatest Superpower

Vaccines 101: Celebrating Science’s Greatest Superpower

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…

Adaora Adimora, MD, MPH, FIDSA: A Woman of ID

Adaora Adimora, MD, MPH, FIDSA: A Woman of ID

An experienced clinician and accomplished researcher, Adaora Adimora, MD, MPH, FIDSA, has spent her career studying the epidemiology of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections in historically marginalized populations across the country. Her work is key to addressing racial disparities in health care, and the IDSA Foundation is proud to honor Dr. Adimora as a 2021 Women of ID honoree.  Former HIVMA Board chair, recipient of the 2020 HIVMA Clinical Educator Award and featured speaker for the Edward H. Kass Lectureship during IDWeek, Dr. Adimora serves as an educator and mentor…

Serving the Underserved – Faces of ID: Teena Chopra, M.D., MPH

Serving the Underserved – Faces of ID: Teena Chopra, M.D., MPH

Do you think serving underserved and underrepresented populations is one of the most important issues facing our country?  Us too. And this doctor is doing just that.  This is an IDSA member who shares her time, talent and treasure with the IDSA Foundation. But that isn’t (exactly) what makes her special. What makes her special will be obvious…