Paper Describes Unique Opportunities for ID, HIV Professionals to Inform Improved Public Health Responses

A paper jointly published in Clinical Infectious Diseases and the Journal of Pediatric Infectious Diseases describes how the frontline experiences and perspectives of infectious diseases and HIV health care professionals have made pivotal differences to critical public health responses, from informing domestic and global efforts to prevent and contain pandemics to prompting federal action to contain the worldwide threat of antimicrobial resistant infections.

The paper, “ID/HIV Physician Ambassadors: Advancing Policy to Improve Health,” examines the role of infectious diseases and HIV physicians and other health care professionals in shaping legislation in areas that have included federal funding for biomedical research yielding improved diagnostics, treatments and vaccines and improved access to health services through the Affordable Care Act. At the same time, infectious diseases and HIV physician advocates also have led efforts to inform legislators of the need to ensure the continued development of future infectious diseases and HIV investigators.

Describing activities designed to inform legislators that include email, letter and telephone outreach campaigns, congressional briefings and meetings and hosting legislator visits to clinics and research institutions, the paper includes “An Advocacy Primer for Infectious Diseases and HIV Clinicians and Researchers,” as well as case studies of successful advocacy efforts.

Maximo O. Brito, M.D., MPH, FIDSA, is the paper’s lead author, and is joined by Caitlin M Dugdale, MD

Michelle Collins-Ogle, MD, FAAP, AAHIVS,  Jessica Snowden, MD, and David A Wheeler, MD FACP, FIDSA.