Thanks to our generous industry partners, the IDSA Foundation supports lifesaving research, funds innovative programs and cultivates the next generation of diverse infectious diseases professionals. We’re proud to highlight Roche and showcase what it does best.

 

Roche is a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics focused on advancing science to improve the lives of individuals everywhere. The combined strength of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics, with growing capabilities in the area of data-driven medical insights, help Roche deliver truly personalized health care. Roche is working with partners across the health care industry to provide the best care for each person.

 

As the world’s largest biotech company, Roche produces truly differentiated medicines in oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and diseases of the central nervous system. Roche is also the world leader in in vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics, and a frontrunner in diabetes management. In recent years, the company has invested in genomic profiling and real-world data partnerships and has become an industry-leading partner for medical insights.
 

Each year, the United States observes National HIV Testing Day on June 27, raising awareness about the importance of testing for HIV and getting an early diagnosis. In conjunction with this observation, the IDSA Foundation is hosting two HIV webinars in June. Sponsored by Roche, and part of the John G. Bartlett Memorial Education Series, these webinars are intended for health care providers, people with HIV and patient advocates.

This webinar will help improve clinicians’ understanding of whom to offer HIV PrEP and how to screen and monitor patients on PrEP.

 

With the new CDC PrEP guidelines, we can considerably reduce HIV transmission, especially in populations who contend with one or more social determinants of health that impede access to care. The webinar aims to help health care providers with the various aspects of HIV testing needs, including when and how to screen and monitor different populations so that recent HIV infection is not missed.

 

	•	Incorporate PrEP into primary care;
	•	Understand key differences in available testing algorithms for HIV;
	•	Provide recommendations for HIV screening prior to initiating PrEP; and
	•	Highlight the importance of testing and type of testing for different population groups.

 

Moderated by Rupa Patel, MD, MPH, the webinar’s faculty are Errol Fields, MD, PhD, MPH; Joseph Yao, MD, FIDSA; and Teresa Loera, FNP-C.  

This webinar will help raise awareness on which, when and how individuals should get tested for HIV.

 

	•	The types of HIV testing (including NAAT) and their importance for the general population and people on PrEP;
	•	PrEP awareness, including who should get PrEP and how to get it;
	•	The importance of PrEP adherence and the requirement for frequent testing;
	•	How to overcome barriers (including stigma, perceived cost and more); and
	•	The role that U=U can play in helping increase uptake of testing.

 

Moderated by Rupa Patel, MD, MPH

The webinar’s advocacy organizations include the following:

 

	•	AIDS United – Carl Baloney Jr.;
	•	Prevention Access Campaign – Murray Penner; and
	•	The Well Project – Bridgette Picou, LPN.

 

Building an inclusive ID workforce, representative of the communities we serve, is critical to addressing health care disparities. At the IDSA Foundation, we ensure underrepresented medical students and residents have access to the resources, education and experience needed to identify and pursue a career in infectious diseases. In addition to our workforce development efforts, the IDSA Foundation also supports the IDWeek Mentorship Program. This program has been expanded and enhanced for 2022 to include more funds for travel stipends directed to Black students and residents.

 

On Juneteenth, we observe and celebrate the tremendous advancements and impact of African American ID professionals – especially our friend George W. Counts Jr., MD, FIDSA. Dr. Counts was not only a visionary leader in infectious diseases; he was also an educator committed to advancing health and systemic equity through mentorship, recruitment and professional development.  

 

When I think of Dr. George Counts, “mentor” is the first word that comes to mind. Our specialty was made better by Dr. Counts, and we all can follow in his example. This means paying it forward by serving as a mentor to others and supporting initiatives that help bring his vision to life – more representation of women and underrepresented populations in the field of infectious diseases.

– Virginia D. Banks, MD, MBA, IDSA Fellow

Consider becoming a part of the IDWeek Mentorship Program or encourage a student or resident to learn. Mentors and mentees can visit here for more information and to register.

 

Additionally, please consider a contribution to the George W. Counts, MD, Mentorship Fund. This fund is dedicated to expanding mentorship opportunities and recruitment efforts that support inclusion and encourage Black medical professionals to select ID as their subspecialty. The more philanthropic support we can draw to this effort, the more mentees we can engage.

Only together can we eliminate systemic barriers and better acknowledge and expand the talents, experiences and perspectives a diverse workforce brings.  

Dial Hewlett Jr., MD, FIDSA, is a champion of health equity. He has been a force in infectious diseases medicine since 1976, having worked with patients throughout Harlem and the Bronx. After a 23-year career at Pfizer Inc., Dr. Hewlett enjoys his retirement by serving as the medical director of disease control and deputy to the commissioner at Westchester County Department of Health. In this position, he serves as chief of tuberculosis services. He also supported health department activities aimed at COVID-19 prevention and mass vaccination of adults and children.

Dr. Hewlett is a passionate supporter of the diversification of the ID workforce and has found a partner in the IDSA Foundation. He serves on the board of the IDSA Foundation and is a founder of the Dr. George Counts Interest Group at IDSA. “The Counts group is encouraging more African Americans to join ID. Our group also leads the mentorship of early-career African American ID professionals,” Dr. Hewlett says. “I continue to give to this effort because I know it is truly making an impact, especially for our underserved patients.”

Dr. Hewlett has contributed to the efforts of the Counts Interest Group several times by directing an honorarium to the IDSA Foundation. This method of philanthropic giving is particularly advantageous because honorariums are considered taxable income. “Giving this way makes so much sense,” he says. “More of the funds go directly to a cause that means so much to me because the IDSA Foundation is a tax-exempt organization. If the funds came to me, and then I made a donation, less of the funds would be ultimately directed to the IDSA Foundation.”
 
In most cases, giving to the IDSA Foundation through direction of your honorarium from industry or organizations, through speakers’ bureaus or from journal participation entails a brief email connecting the granting organization with the IDSA Foundation. Our director of philanthropy, Allison Brouillette, can answer your questions and handle the details of your generous honorarium gift. She can be reached at [email protected].

Applications are now open for the 2022 IDWeek Mentorship Program. Through this program, the IDSA Foundation connects experienced ID researchers and clinicians with medical students and residents. Three key elements are the focus:

 

	•	Professional development;
	•	Education; and
	•	Vision of the mentee’s future career.

 

If you are a medical student or resident, we invite you to sign up as a mentee for this exciting opportunity provided by the IDSA Foundation. As a mentee, you will have the opportunity to learn more about the ID specialty and receive unique insights from the expertise of ID mentors.

 

If you are an ID researcher or clinician, we invite you to sign up as a mentor. As a mentor, you will be empowered to guide early career professionals and make an impact on the future of their careers. During IDWeek registration, you will have an opportunity to contribute to the IDSA Foundation. All donations made during registration support the activities and expansion of the Mentorship Program. Join us in sharing all that the field of infectious diseases has to offer and supporting the next generation of ID experts.

Mentorship is a critical part of cultivating a diverse, talented ID workforce and advancing the field. Applications for the IDWeek Mentorship Program close Aug. 18.

Enjoy this inspiring Mentorship Program success story!

The 2022 IDea Incubator will accept applications until Aug. 4. A pitch-style competition, IDea Incubator encourages innovators and early-stage ventures to share original inventions, products and ideas focused on improving infectious diseases care.

 

Accepted presenters will be notified of their status the week of Aug. 22. Finalists will be judged by representatives from the business, medicine and technology industries Oct. 20 at IDWeek in Washington, D.C.

 

The 2022 IDea Incubator is generously sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS and BLUE KNIGHT™. Stay tuned for the monetary prize listing!

IDWeek 2022 will be held Oct. 19-23 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. 

 

If you are a health care professional in infectious diseases, research, epidemiology and prevention, this is a can’t-miss opportunity. IDWeek is for professionals who want to stay current and apply innovative science to clinical care and research. Pull out your business cards, dust off your networking skills and plan to attend this in-person conference!

 

For more information, visit IDWeek.

Invest in the future of infectious diseases medicine.

The IDSA Foundation welcomes Erin Mathews and Amari Pearson-Fields to our staff.

Erin brings eight years of fundraising experience to her role as planned giving officer. She has managed volunteer groups, led strategic initiatives and managed planned giving programs for various organizations in Baltimore. 

Through her fundraising career, she has earned a Master of Laws degree in taxation and a certificate in estate planning. With her guidance, the IDSA Foundation is growing a robust Planned Giving Program founded on relationships and a deep connection to the IDSA community.

“I am always thinking about the future,” Erin says. “Legacy planning helps ensure organizations that share your priorities last. It couldn’t be a better time to support the mission of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.”

The IDSA Foundation has named Amari director of programs for the Foundation. She brings 30 years of public health experience to this role. Over the course of her career, she has served in numerous senior leadership positions in government and nonprofit settings, particularly focusing on racial justice and health equity.

Most recently, she has been engaged in working with community members to create a roadmap of program services that meet the needs of underserved women in the District of Columbia.  

“I am excited about the opportunity to bring together my experience in program development with a strong focus on metrics and outcomes to enhance the impact of the IDSA Foundation,” Amari says.

Your support is an investment in the future of ID medicine. Join us in advancing research, workforce development and diversity and inclusion in the field of ID.

The IDSA Foundation’s industry partners provide critical financial support to advance the future of infectious diseases medicine. We welcome new supporters with great enthusiasm to help us expand ID for the next generation of ID practitioners. Learn how to become an IDSAF Industry Partner, or contact Diane LaVigna, director of industry relations, at [email protected].

 

Visit our newly designed Industry Partners web page!