Partnerships

The Canadian College of Microbiologists (CCM) is a professional association for Microbiologists across Canada. The College was incorporated in 1978 under the Canada Corporations Act and has a mandate to:

• promote Microbiology as a distinct scientific profession and to serve as an association through which professional Microbiologists may develop programs and activities pertaining to their status and professional development;
• provide certification to recognize the competence of Microbiologists to work with microorganisms with dependability and safety;
• operate within a legal and professional status as a non-profit organization.

For more information please visit: http://www.ccm.ca

The Canadian Foundation for Infectious Diseases (CFID) is a charitable organization established in 1989 and committed to improving the health of Canadians and people worldwide through the support of research and dissemination of knowledge pertaining to infectious diseases. Working in partnership with the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada (AMMI Canada), the Community and Hospital Infection Control Association of Canada (CHICA Canada), and other strategic partners and supporters, CFID will hasten the discovery of innovative solutions to better understand, prevent, control and treat the hundreds of existing and emerging infectious diseases that threaten our good health. CFID pledges to use every dollar raised responsibly and productively to aid the identification, prevention, control and treatment of infectious diseases. For more information please visit: https://www.researchid.com

The CMA unites the medical profession in Canada to improve the health of Canadians and strengthen the health care system. Our strategic plan outlines how we support our members in achieving these goals. For more information please visit: https://www.cma.ca

Choosing Wisely Canada is a campaign to help physicians and patients engage in conversations about unnecessary tests, treatments and procedures, and to help physicians and patients make smart and effective choices to ensure high-quality care. Choosing Wisely Canada is organized by Dr. Wendy Levinson (University of Toronto) and the Canadian Medical Association. The campaign is physician led through participating Canadian national specialty societies. Specialty societies have been asked to develop lists of “Five Things Physicians and Patients Should Question.” These lists identify tests, treatments or procedures commonly used in each specialty, but are not supported by evidence, and/or could expose patients to unnecessary harm. Choosing Wisely Canada recognizes the importance of educating and engaging patients so that they could make informed choices about their care. The campaign has created patient-friendly materials to help patients learn about the tests, treatments or procedures in question, when they are necessary and when they are not, and what patients can do to improve their health. Choosing Wisely Canada is working with various stakeholder groups to disseminate the patient materials widely. For more information please visit: https://choosingwiselycanada.org/

The European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of infection-related diseases. This is achieved by promoting and supporting research, education, training, and good medical practice. Since its founding in 1983, ESCMID has evolved to become Europe’s leading society in clinical microbiology and infectious diseases with members from all European countries and all continents. For more than 30 years, ESCMID has been an influential component in the professional lives of microbiologists and infectious disease specialists and now reaches more than 7,000 individual and 30,000 affiliated members around the world. ESCMID, based in Basel, Switzerland, welcomes new colleagues from all nations. For more information please visit: https://www.escmid.org

The society was originally called the International Society of Chemotherapy for Infection and Cancer (ISC). The idea for the society was conceived by the late Professor Helmut Kuemmerle of Germany in 1959 in a railway station in Geneva, Switzerland. The 1st International Symposium of Chemotherapy was held in Geneva in the same year but it was not until 1961 that the ISC was formally established on the occasion of the 2nd International Symposium of Chemotherapy held in Naples, Italy. The third meeting in Stuttgart in 1963 was renamed the International Congress of Chemotherapy (ICC) and this has remained its title to date. The congresses have continued to be held every two years.

Although intrinsically linked in the early years, the specialties of antimicrobial and anti-cancer chemotherapy have diverged and become independent specialties in their own right. Over time, the society oriented towards antimicrobial rather than anti-cancer chemotherapy. With this in mind, the society’s Executive Committee initiated a strategy review exercise in consultation with its Member Societies and this took place from 2016 – 2017. The review process resulted in a new name for the society: International Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (ISAC), reflecting the focus of the society. The biennial congress will therefore be called the International Congress of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy going forward.

ISAC aims to advance the education and the science of therapy of infection through the establishment of an international federation of affiliated national and regional societies with similar aims and objectives to its own. ISAC currently has a worldwide membership composed of 86 Member Societies, which in turn have over 50,000 individual members.

The Society is governed by its Executive Officers, Executive Committee and Council. ISAC Council consists of the Executive Committee and representatives of ISAC Member Societies and meets at least every two years during the society’s biennial congress – the International Congress of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (ICC). For more information please visit: https://www.isac.world/welcome

The Pan American Society for Clinical Virology (PASCV) fosters the scientific development and medical practice of viral diagnostic testing. PASCV also endeavors to increase understanding of all aspects of human viral diseases, including human viral biology, disease manifestations, pathogenesis, immunity, epidemiology, treatment and prevention. For more information please visit: https://www.pascv.org