Grants for 13th International Congress on Infectious Diseases,
06/08
The International Society for Infectious Diseases recently received a grant from the
Gates Foundation to support travel expenses for young women with careers in infectious
diseases to attend the 13th International Congress on Infectious Diseases. The 13th ICID
will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on June 19-22, 2008. The grant is intended to
support women from developing countries including countries in Africa.
http://www.isid.org/13th_icid/13thICID_dev_grant.shtml?
International Society for Infectious Diseases Receives Grant from Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation to Support Women Healthcare Workers from Developing Countries
Grant will allow women health professionals to attend the 13th International Congress
on Infectious Diseases
Boston, MA - December 4, 2007 -- Selected women health professionals from Africa,
Asia and the Asian subcontinent will be able to attend the 13th International Congress on
Infectious Diseases, thanks to a grant to the International Society for Infectious
Diseases (ISID) from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The conference takes place
June 19-22, 2008 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
A crucial part of ISID's mission is to improve global infection control by providing
training of and ongoing education support for physicians, scientists, and other healthcare
workers. In developing countries, women particularly suffer the consequences of infectious
disease and they are under-represented in the medical field.
"Retaining and supporting women healthcare workers from developing countries is a part
of the society's mission to address the global physician shortage and improve the care of
women with infectious diseases," says Dr. Richard Wenzel, MD, MSc, the principal
investigator on the grant and President of the International Society for Infectious
Diseases. "This grant will allow approximately 70 women under the age of 40 with careers
in medicine, nursing, public health or infectious diseases to attend the conference free
of charge."
The goal of this program is to aid the professional development of women healthcare
workers from developing countries so they may become agents of change in their own
country. At the conference, the delegates will attend a special reception to meet one
another and with current, former and upcoming leaders of ISID. ISID will also provide
introduction to specialists the women would like to meet to foster mentor-student
relationships. After six months, ISID will follow up with the delegates to check in on
their progress and any changes implemented as a result of the grant.
The grants will be awarded to qualified applicants. Interested women can find out more on the web at http://www.isid.org/13th_icid/.
The 13th International Congress on Infectious Diseases will bring together infectious
disease experts from around the world to present and discuss the most recent and relevant
information in the field. The conference, held every two years, unites approximately 3,000
attendees from over 100 countries.
About International Society for Infectious Diseases Created in 1986, ISID and its
20,000 members are committed to improving the care of patients with infectious diseases,
the training of clinicians and researchers in infectious diseases and microbiology, and
the control of infectious diseases around the world. The Society recognizes that
infectious diseases cross all national and regional boundaries and that effective
long-term solutions require international scientific exchange and cooperation. The Society
and its members are dedicated to developing partnerships and to finding solutions to the
problem of infectious diseases across the globe.
Eric F. Summers MD, PhD
Program Co-Director
International Society for Infectious Diseases
1330 Beacon Street, Suite 228
Brookline MA, 02446
+1 (617) 227-0551
mailto:eric.summers@isid.org
Page Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar, Ph.D.