Daniel P. McQuillen, MD, FIDSA, Named IDSA President

Five new members join Board of Directors to continue the fight against COVID-19 and promote the value of ID specialists

Arlington, Virginia—Sept. 27, 2021—The Infectious Diseases Society of America is pleased to announce Daniel P. McQuillen, MD, FIDSA, as the society’s new president beginning Oct. 4. Joining Dr. McQuillen will be a team of dedicated, experienced board members and newly elected representatives who will lead IDSA’s ongoing commitment to promote excellence in patient care, education, research, public health and prevention relating to infectious diseases.

“Nearly two years into this pandemic, the critical role of physicians and scientists who specialize in infectious diseases has never been clearer,” Dr. McQuillen said. “From tracking new outbreaks to treating those with severe illness to developing effective vaccines, ID has been central to the effort to address COVID-19. During this pivotal time, it is an honor to represent the hardworking professionals who are fighting this disease and other infections in communities around the world.”

In addition to leading the society during the ongoing pandemic, Dr. McQuillen will also work with the Board of Directors to continue implementing the society’s strategic priorities. These include advancing the fight against antimicrobial resistance and advocating for greater recognition of the value of the ID specialist with the goal of achieving fair compensation and attracting the next generation of physicians and scientists to the field.

Dr. McQuillen is a senior physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Beth Israel Lahey Health - Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, where he also directs the Solid Organ Transplant Infectious Disease service, and an assistant professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. A past president of the Massachusetts Infectious Diseases Society, his interests include preventing and treating transplant infections, antimicrobial stewardship, tick-associated infections, management of C. difficile infections, HIV medicine and general ID.

An active member of IDSA for over two decades, Dr. McQuillen has served on the Board of Directors and was a member and chair of the society’s Clinical Affairs Committee and its Valuation Workgroup as well as the IDWeek Program Committee. A co-author of three research papers documenting the value of the ID specialist, he is committed to addressing one of the greatest challenges facing the specialty: fair reimbursement for infectious diseases services.

New IDSA Board Members
Dr. McQuillen is pleased to be working with newly elected IDSA board members including:

Lilian M. Abbo, MD, FIDSA, is a professor of medicine and clinical infectious diseases at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. For the past year, Dr. Abbo has been leading COVID-19 preparedness and response efforts at Jackson Health System, the largest county hospital in Florida, where she also serves as chief of infection control and prevention and chief of antimicrobial stewardship. A dual citizen of the U.S. and Venezuela, she has had a long commitment to the advancement of minorities, women, and Hispanics in IDSA and has expanded the society’s footprint globally through her network of collaborators, clinical expertise in transplantation and multidrug-resistant infections, and participation in multiple organizations. As a member of IDSA, she has served on several committees, including the Standards and Practice Guidelines Committee and the Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Task Force, and looks forward to supporting the society’s efforts to advance its priorities and representing its members.
Adaora A. Adimora, MD, MPH, FIDSA, is the Sarah Graham Kenan Distinguished Professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and a professor of epidemiology in the Gillings School of Global Public Health, both at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. An accomplished clinician, educator, researcher, and mentor for more than 30 years, her research focuses on the clinical and social epidemiology of HIV and sexually transmitted infections. A previous chair of the HIV Medicine Association Board of Directors, Dr. Adimora has been a member of several IDSA committees, including the Awards Committee, the Governance Task Force and the Task Force on Gender Disparities in ID. She has seen the society play a critical role in amplifying the voices of ID professionals and is committed to supporting this work, from developing guidelines that maximize clinicians’ ability to deliver optimal care to clarifying the value of ID physicians and providing input to help shape public health policy.
Maximo O. Brito, MD, MPH, FIDSA, is a professor of medicine in the College of Medicine at the University of Illinois and chief of Infectious Diseases at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, both in Chicago. An active member of IDSA, Dr. Brito has served on the Training Program Directors Committee, the Global Health Committee, and the HIVMA Clinical Fellowship Program Committee, in addition to representing the society at a congressional briefing on the importance of the ID workforce and at a United Nations hearing on tuberculosis eradication. He is committed to supporting IDSA’s national and global advocacy priorities and the society’s educational and mentoring missions. Eager to advance the organization’s commitment to foster a new generation of diverse health care workers and leaders who mirror the people they serve, Dr. Brito’s research interests include HIV prevention and early treatment, global health, and the epidemiology of epidemic and endemic arboviral diseases.
Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH, FIDSA, was elected to serve as the board’s treasurer and as a member of the Executive Committee. Dr. Marrazzo is the C. Glenn Cobbs Endowed Chair in Infectious Diseases and director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she also co-directs the Center for AIDS Research. Her research focuses on the management and prevention of sexually transmitted infections, the vaginal microbiome and reproductive tract infections in women. Dr. Marrazzo has been involved in IDSA leadership for the last decade, first through membership on the IDWeek Program Committee, and more recently as a member of the board for the past four years. Through this service, she has gained a deep understanding of, and helped promote, IDSA’s goals in numerous areas. In addition to her experience leading an ID division of more than 50 faculty and overseeing a large annual budget, Dr. Marrazzo will bring her deep appreciation for and commitment to the organization’s strategic priorities and vision to the role of treasurer.
Steven K. Schmitt, MD, FIDSA, was elected to serve as the board’s vice president and as a member of the Executive Committee. Dr. Schmitt is vice chair of the Department of Infectious Disease at the Cleveland Clinic and head of the department’s Section of Bone and Joint Infections. He also serves as an associate professor of medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio. A strong advocate for fair payment policies for ID physicians, he has served on numerous society committees working on these and related issues, including the Clinical Affairs Committee, the Value of ID Specialists Task Force, the Physician Compensation Task Force, and the Leadership Institute Task Force, among others, in addition to serving on the board from 2013-2016. He is committed to using his experience to ensure that ID specialists have a seat at the leadership table, to help attract the next generation of physicians and scientists to the field and to ensure that ID specialists are fairly compensated for their contributions to patient care and the health care system.

In addition to Drs. McQuillen, Marrazzo, and Schmitt, the IDSA Executive Committee includes President-Elect Carlos del Rio, MD, FIDSA, Emory University School of Medicine and Grady Health System, Atlanta, Georgia; Secretary Angela M. Caliendo, MD, PhD, FIDSA, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island; and Immediate Past President Barbara Alexander, MD, MHS, FIDSA, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina.

Members continuing their service on the board include:

Cesar A. Arias, MD, MS, PhD, FIDSA, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas
Wendy Armstrong, MD, FIDSA, Emory University School of Medicine and Ponce de Leon Center, Grady Health System, Atlanta, Georgia
Rana Chakraborty, MD, MSc, PhD, FIDSA, Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
Kimberly E. Hanson, MD, MHS, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
John B. Lynch III, MD, MPH, FIDSA, University of Washington School of Medicine and Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, Washington
Jasmine Marcelin, MD, FIDSA, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska

About the Infectious Diseases Society of America
The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) is an organization of physicians, scientists, and other health care professionals dedicated to promoting health through excellence in infectious diseases research, education, prevention, and patient care. The society, which has over 12,000 members, was founded in 1963 and is based in Arlington, Va. For more information, see www.idsociety.org.