Noteworthy: Dr Dimitrios P Kontoyiannis, past ICHS president, is pleased to share the Core Recommendations for Antifungal Stewardship (to be published as supplement in JID Sept 1, 2020) he spearheaded on behalf of the Mycoses Study Group Education and Research Consortium (MSGERC). COVID-19 UPDATE MEETING ARRANGEMENTS! The 21st ICHS Symposium will be held Feb 17 - 19, 2021 as a VIRTUAL EVENT. Please check back periodically for status updates.
Dear Colleagues, I am very pleased to confirm that the 21st ICHS Symposium on Infections in the Immunocompromised Host will be proceeding as a virtual event, taking place on 17 – 19 February 2021. Now, more than ever, is the time for Infectious Diseases experts in high risk and vulnerable patient communities to come together and share our experience and knowledge. Our revamped program will seek to encompass the old, while planning our way ahead for the future. The local organizing team here in Melbourne and the International Council have been busy planning, discussing and preparing for the new look ICHS Symposium. We are determined to retain the intimate collegiate environment that the Society has always fostered while embracing this new era of online conference platforms. Follow us on twitter @ICHS2021 or visit our website ICHS2021.org for updates and make sure to block out your diaries for the 21st ICHS Symposium, 17 – 19 February 2021! I look forward to catching up with you all, and making new connections, at ICHS2021. Sincerely, Prof Monica Slavin, MBBS MD, FRACP, FAAHMS President, International Immunocompromised Host Society Head, Department of Infectious Diseases, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Meet our new President: Monica Slavin MBBS, University Melbourne, 1981, FRACP 1992, MD (Research) University Melbourne 2005 is an Infectious Diseases physician Director, The National Centre for Infections in Cancer (NCIC), Director of the Department of Infectious Diseases Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and leads the Immunocompromised Host Infection Service at Royal Melbourne Hospital. She is Professor, in the Department of Medicine, the University of Melbourne. Prof Slavin received training in clinical research in infection in immunocompromised hosts in Seattle 1989-92 where she undertook seminal studies of antifungal prophylaxis that changed practice world-wide and improved survival after stem cell transplantation. Her research focuses on identifying risk factors, improving early diagnosis, prevention and treatment of infection, particularly fungal infection in haematology and transplant patients. She has led 6 national studies of the epidemiology of fungal infections identifying risk factors and informing management guidelines and a national study of fungal diagnostics in haematology patients which resulted in their translation into clinical practice. She served on the management committee for several international studies including the first randomised trial of combination antifungal therapy (Ann Intern Med, 2015). She contributes to international antifungal treatment studies pivotal in FDA and EMA approval, leads research describing infection complications of new cancer treatments and how to prevent them, is a member of international expert panels developing treatment and management guidelines, definitions of fungal infections for clinical trials and translating new diagnostic tests into practice. Since 2004 she has chaired the writing group for the Australian and New Zealand consensus guidelines for the use of antifungal agents in the haematology/oncology setting (updated 2008, 2014), independently rated most highly of international guidelines and linked to Therapeutic Guidelines and contributes to the European Conference on Infections in Leukemia, France (2005-2017), supported by EBMT, ICHS, ELN, EORTC to develop state-of-the art infection guidelines for haematology and stem cell transplantation. She is a steering committee member for national fever and neutropenia management guidelines due for update 2019.
Prof Slavin holds multiple leadership positions in the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases (ASID); helping establish and chairing the Mycoses Interest Group, foundation member of both the steering group of the Clinical Research Network and the guideline group. She is currently vice chair of the Infectious Diseases Specialist advisory committee of Royal Australasian college of Physicians and was instrumental in establishing and inaugural co-chair of the supportive care group of the Australian Leukemia and Lymphoma study group leading its first nationally endorsed study.
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| A message from ICHS President Monica Slavin, MD ICHS 2021 President Prof Monica Slavin and Melbourne local organising committee members Drs Ben Teh, Megan Crane and Michelle Yong
We were very warmly welcomed into the society and benefitted enormously from the many fantastic presentations and opportunities for social interactions. We are very much looking forward to bringing this unique meeting to Australia and to introduce you to our Asia-Pacific colleagues. We are planning an exciting program with a focus on solid organ transplants, with plenty of exciting developments that are unique to our region.
Please visit the MSGERC Mycoses Study Group Education & Research Consortium website MSGERC.ORG to keep up with the latest news!
Be sure to visit the NEW Doctor Fungus Website at msgercdoctorfungus.com/ You'll find a wealth of valuable information!
European Conference on Infections in Leukaemia (ECIL) news
We are pleased to inform you that the final slide sets of the ECIL 7 working groups CMV, HHV6 and vaccines are now available on the ECIL website at www.ecil-leukaemia.com. You will find these sets in the Program section. ECIL Guidelines Don't forget to review the new ECIL Guidelines
An update from the ICHS meeting in Athens The field of clinical and translational research in febrile neutropenia started in the early1960s with the classic autopsy studies at NCI in patients with leukemia, followed by the seminal work by Gerald Bodey about the quantitative relationships between circulating leukocytes and infection in patients with acute leukemia. Other giants of that era built on these observations and defined the practice of antibiotic and antifungal management in these patients. ICHS had pivotal contributions in organizing guidelines for the design, analysis, reporting of clinical trials on the antibiotic management in that vulnerable patient population (JID 1990; 161: 397-401) . It was befitting that Philip Pizzo one of the trailblazers of that era and an early founder of ICHS was the inaugural speaker of the Athens ICHS 2018 meeting, a meeting that reflected on the 40 year history of ICHS and over half of century studies in the field of clinical research infections in neutropenic cancer patients. His thoughtful talk, was the ímpetus for a comprehensive piece that was recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine (Management of Patients With Fever and Neutropenia Through the Arc of Time: A Narrative Review.) Dimitrios P Kontoyiannis, MD, ScD, PhD (Hon) |
attended the 2018 ICHS in Athens to present and gather information on organising the meeting. We would like to thank and congratulate Prof
