European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
AbbreviationESCMID
FormationFebruary 12, 1983; 41 years ago (1983-02-12); known as European Society of Clinical Microbiology (ESCM) before 1990[1]
HeadquartersBasel, Switzerland
Region
Europe
FieldsMedical microbiology, Infectious Diseases
Membership11K people (in 2024)
President
Dr. Robert Leo Skov
Executive Committee
  • Prof. Jon S. Friedland (President-elect & Secretary General)
  • Prof. Annelies Zinkernagel (Immediate past president & Treasurer)
  • Dr. Gülsen Özkaya Sahin (Scientific Affairs Officer)
  • Prof. Emmanuelle Cambau (Education Officer)
  • Prof. Anu Kantele (Professional Affairs Officer)
  • Dr. José Ramón Paño-Pardo (Publication & Guidelines Officer)
  • Prof. Fidelma Fitzpatrick (Pandemic Preparedness Officer)
Key people
Simone Brüderli (COO of ESCMID Office)
AffiliationsEUCAST
Websitewww.escmid.org

The European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) is a non-profit international organization with headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. An important activity of the society is the organization of the annual scientific congress ESCMID Global (formerly known as ECCMID).[2]

The congress began as a biannual event, with about 1,500 participants at its inaugural occurrence in 1983. It became an annual event in 2000, and it has grown since then, now attracting over 16,000 participants annually.[3] More than 5,000 scientific abstracts are submitted for inclusion each year by researchers from multiple countries. The most recent ESCMID Global was held in April 2024 in a hybrid format, both online and onsite, in Barcelona, Spain.[4]

Structure

ESCMID is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. The main governance organ is the executive committee (EC), which is elected by ESCMID members, and divided further into several subcommittees with specific functions (professional affairs, education, scientific affairs, ECCMID program, publication, international affairs, ethics advisory, guidelines). The Assembly of Members takes place at the annual ECCMID, which serves as a forum for discussion and resolution of professional matters of common interest. The EC elects a president for a two-year term. The current President is Dr. Robert Leo Skov of the Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, Denmark. The President-elect and Secretary General is Prof. Jon S. Friedland of St. George’s, University of London in London, United Kingdom.[5] ESCMID currently counts professionals from 133 countries across the world among its members.[1][6]

Activities

Guidelines

ESCMID also promotes the development and dissemination of clinical and laboratory practice guidelines according to the principles of evidence-based medicine, to harmonize European diagnostic, therapeutic, and infection control procedures. Main operational procedures for guideline development are reported in the ESCMID manual for clinical practice guidelines and other guidance documents. Examples of recently published documents focused on drug treatment and clinical management of COVID-19,[7] Lyme disease,[8] Sepsis,[9] Clostridioides difficile infection.[10]

ESCMID Study Groups

ESCMID study groups are special interest groups consisting of society members who are involved in the study of specific areas of clinical microbiology and infectious diseases. The study groups are involved in proposing scientific symposia, educational workshops, and meet-the-expert sessions for ECCMID, proposing educational courses/workshops, and publishing scientific articles in ESCMID's name.[11] During the COVID-19 pandemic, several study groups began producing virtual content, such as web-symposia series or online conferences.

ESCMID Global (formerly known as ECCMID)

ESCMID Global is recognized as the largest international forum for presentations and discussions of research in the fields of clinical microbiology and infection for academic, clinical, and industry experts. The first European Congress of Clinical Microbiology (ECCM) was organized in 1983 in Bologna, Italy. After the inclusion of infectious diseases in the late 1980s, the first ECCMID was held in 1991 in Oslo, Norway. Initially a biannual congress, ESCMID Global has been an annual event since 2000. Since its initiation with around 1,500 participants, the congress has grown and now attracts around 14,000 participants every year.[4][1] The number of submitted abstracts has risen to over 5,000, of which roughly 70% are accepted for oral or poster presentation. A large pharmaceutical exhibition site alongside a broad-based program in clinical microbiology and infectious diseases. In 2024 the name of the congress was changed from ECCMID (European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases) to ESCMID Global.

Clinical Microbiology and Infection

Clinical Microbiology and Infection (CMI) is the official peer-reviewed ESCMID publication, which publishes monthly issues and additional supplements devoted to special themes. The scope of the journal comprises basic and applied research relevant to therapy and diagnostics in the fields of microbiology, infectious diseases, virology, parasitology, immunology, and epidemiology as related to these fields.[12]

Professional Affairs

ESCMID supports the career development of members by creating a platform for them to connect with experienced professionals in their field.

One such activity is the Observership program, which allows infectious diseases specialists and clinical microbiologists to visit renowned centers outside their country.

The Mentorship program is accessible to full ESCMID and young scientist members, who can receive guidance for research and career development from a senior ESCMID member.

The ESCMID Parity Commission was founded to review and improve representation of minorities as well as gender and geographical balance in the society's fields of expertise.[5]

The Trainee Association of ESCMID (TAE) aims at widening career opportunities for young scientists at the beginning of their careers. Among other professional affairs activities are the cooperation with other organizations in clinical microbiology and infectious diseases; Collaboration with relevant sections of the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS); Professional policy issues in the fields of clinical microbiology and infectious diseases; Matters relating to professional training, mobility and recruitment; Equal opportunities; Trainees' issues.[5]

Awards and Grants

ESCMID supports young clinicians and researchers as well as established scholars with awards and grants to acknowledge past achievements and provide an incentive for future accomplishments. ESCMID supports its members' research projects and training with around seven hundred thousand euros every year.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c The first 35 years escmid.org
  2. ^ "ESCMID Global: ESCMID Global 2024". www.eccmid.org. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  3. ^ "ESCMID Global: Scientific Programme". www.eccmid.org. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Escmid: Eccmid". escmid.org.
  5. ^ a b c "Brochure 2021". escmid.org.
  6. ^ "Escmid: Eucic". escmid.org.
  7. ^ Bartoletti, Michele; Azap, Ozlem; Barac, Aleksandra; Bussini, Linda; Ergonul, Onder; Krause, Robert; Paño-Pardo, José Ramón; Power, Nicholas R.; Sibani, Marcella; Szabo, Balint Gergely; Tsiodras, Sotirios; Verweij, Paul E.; Zollner-Schwetz, Ines; Rodríguez-Baño, Jesús (February 2022). "ESCMID COVID-19 living guidelines: Drug treatment and clinical management". Clinical Microbiology and Infection. 28 (2): 222–238. doi:10.1016/j.cmi.2021.11.007. PMC 8606314. PMID 34823008.
  8. ^ Lantos, P. M.; et al. (2021). "Clinical Practice Guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and American College of Rheumatology (ACR): 2020 Guidelines for the Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Lyme Disease". Arthritis Care & Research. 73 (1): 1–9. doi:10.1002/acr.24495. PMID 33251700. S2CID 227237140.
  9. ^ Evans, Laura; et al. (2021). "Surviving Sepsis Campaign: International Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock 2021". Critical Care Medicine. 49 (11): e1063–e1143. doi:10.1097/CCM.0000000000005337. PMID 34605781. S2CID 238257608.
  10. ^ Van Prehn, J.; Reigadas, E.; Vogelzang, E. H.; Bouza, E.; Hristea, A.; Guery, B.; Krutova, M.; Norén, T.; Allerberger, F.; Coia, J. E.; Goorhuis, A.; Van Rossen, T. M.; Ooijevaar, R. E.; Burns, K.; Scharvik Olesen, B. R.; Tschudin-Sutter, S.; Wilcox, M. H.; Vehreschild MJGT; Fitzpatrick, F.; Kuijper, E. J.; Guideline Committee of the European Study Group on Clostridioides difficile (2021). "European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases: 2021 update on the treatment guidance document for Clostridioides difficile infection in adults". Clinical Microbiology and Infection. 27 (Suppl 2): S1–S21. doi:10.1016/j.cmi.2021.09.038. PMID 34678515. S2CID 239473944.
  11. ^ Dyar, O. J.; Beović, B.; Pulcini, C.; Tacconelli, E.; Hulscher, M.; Cookson, B.; Ashiru-Oredope, D.; Barcs, I.; Blix, H. S.; Buyle, F.; Chowers, M.; Čižman, M.; Cookson, B.; Del Pozo, J. L.; Deptula, A.; Dumpis, U.; Florea, D.; van de Garde, E.; Geffen, Y.; Giske, C. G.; Grau, S.; Hajdú, E.; Hell, M.; Hondo, Ł.; Hussein, K.; Huttner, B.; Kern, W.; Kernéis, S.; Knepper, V.; Kofteridis, D.; Kostyanev, T.; Kuijper, E.; Lebanova, H.; Lewis, R.; Cordina, C. M.; Matulionyte, R.; Maurer, F.; Messiaen, P.; Miciuleviciene, J.; Mrhar, A.; Nabuurs-Franssen, M.; Naesens, R.; Oxacelay, C.; Pagani, L.; Paño-Pardo, J. R.; Paul, M.; Petrikkos, G.; Pluess-Suard, C.; Popescu, G. A.; Porsche, U.; Prins, J.; Pulcini, C.; Rello, J.; Rodríguez-Baño, J.; Rossolini, G. M.; Salzberger, B.; Seme, K.; Simonsen, G. S.; Sînziana, M.; Skovgaard, S.; Smith, I.; Sönsken, U.; Soriano, A.; Sviestiņa, I.; Szilagyi, E.; Tängdén, T.; Tattevin, P.; Tsioutis, C.; Vilde, A.; Wanke-Rytt, M.; Wechsler-Fördös, A.; Zarb, P. (1 January 2019). "ESCMID generic competencies in antimicrobial prescribing and stewardship: towards a European consensus". Clinical Microbiology and Infection. 25 (1): 13–19. doi:10.1016/j.cmi.2018.09.022. hdl:2066/202235. PMID 30414817. S2CID 53284803.
  12. ^ "Home". clinicalmicrobiologyandinfection.com.
  13. ^ "ESCMID Brochure 2021". markterfolg.de.