As much as there is to be celebrated as the end of the year approaches, it’s more important to look ahead than behind. That’s why the IDSA Foundation has set an ambitious goal: to raise $50,000 by the end of the year to directly support our ID community at all career levels. 

To meet this goal, we need your help. Thanks to the generosity of Ferring Pharmaceuticals, any gifts you make to the Foundation before Dec. 31 will also be doubled, allowing the impact of your support to spread even further.  

When you make a special year-end gift to the Foundation today, you are doubling your investment in the ID heroes of tomorrow. Give today! 

ICYMI: Watch HIV Speaks: History, Healing & Hope, a live webinar that brought greater attention to a disease that was once the leading cause of death for young people in the U.S. 

In honor of HIV/AIDS Awareness Month, this insightful webinar, which is part of the Foundation’s recently launched Dr. John G. Bartlett Education Series, featured leaders in infectious diseases whose careers intersected the height of the HIV epidemic in the U.S. Watch now! 

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 from a lab in Boston to consulting opportunities in the U.K. and now to Tufts University School of Medicine, where she was recently appointed interim dean. The IDSA Foundation is proud to honor Dr. Boucher as a 2021 Women of ID honoree. 

To support the Women of ID — past, present and future — please consider making a gift to the Foundation today. 

Apply for the 2022 G.E.R.M. Program   

Applications for the 2022 Grants for Emerging Researchers/Clinicians Mentorship (G.E.R.M.) Program are now open. HIVMA and the IDSA Foundation developed this program to provide grants to medical students interested in a career in ID or HIV medicine. Awardees will receive a $4,000 stipend to complete their project and will be paired with an IDSA or HIVMA member who will serve as a mentor. Medical students from populations underrepresented in medicine are encouraged to apply.  

The deadline to apply for the program is Feb. 7, 2022. Email HIVMA staff with questions. 

2021 Microbial Pathogenesis in Alzheimer's Disease Grant   

As we prepare to announce the recipients of this year’s Microbial Pathogenesis in Alzheimer’s Disease Grant program in January, we’d like to recognize and warmly thank the members of our review panel for their thorough and thoughtful review of all 78 of this year’s submitted applications. 

2021 Review Panel: 

• David Andes, MD, (co-chair), University of Wisconsin School of Medicine 

• Cindy Sears, MD, (co-chair), Johns Hopkins School of Medicine 

• Brian Balin, PhD, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine 

• Barbara Bendlin, PhD, University of Wisconsin 

• Laura Cox, PhD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital  

• Bhanu Priya Ganesh, PhD, UTHealth McGovern Medical School 

• Lindsay Kalan, PhD, University of Wisconsin 

• Angela Kamer, DMD, MS, PhD, New York University 

• Edward Mocarski, PhD, Emory University School of Medicine  

• Rodrigo Morales, PhD, UTHealth McGovern Medical School 

• Phillip Pellett, PhD, Wayne State University 

• George Perry, PhD, University of Texas at San Antonio 

• Federico Rey, PhD, University of Wisconsin 

• Sangram Sisodia, PhD, University of Chicago 

• Christoph Thaiss, PhD, University of Pennsylvania 

• Tyler Ulland, PhD, University of Wisconsin  

• Venu Venna, PhD, UTHealth McGovern Medical School 

• Richard Whitley, MD, UAB School of Medicine 

Keep an eye out in early January for the announcement of this year’s recipients and information on their respective projects! 

We’re committed to sharing insights from ID specialists across the country and providing the latest IDSA Foundation news. Check out our picks for the top five blogs of 2021! 

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

• ID across generations: A father and son’s perspective 

• Mentor and mentee reflect on importance of relationships within the ID community 

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

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

Read our annual report 

The Foundation had much to celebrate this year, including its 20th anniversary, the impact the Foundation and its members have made in the past, and the part they are currently playing in mitigating today’s pandemic and preparing for the next. The 2019-2020 annual report celebrates these ID heroes by telling their stories – stories of facing their own fears, putting their own lives on the backburner and setting their own health aside for the good of those around them. Read the report today to join us in reflecting as the year comes to an end.