Celebrating 30 Years: The Past, Present, and Future of the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP)

By John A. Bosso, PharmD, FIDSA, FCCP, FIDP; Peggy L. Carver, PharmD, FCCP, FIDP; Michael N. Dudley, PharmD, FIDSA, FCCP; and Rachel S. Britt, PharmD, BCIDP

The healthcare community has continually engaged in a back-and-forth battle with the microbial world to protect and preserve antimicrobial therapies. For decades, the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP) has served in this fight with a vision for safe and effective antimicrobials for now and the future. This includes leading antimicrobial stewardship initiatives and empowering the army of clinicians and scientists across the continuum of care who optimize use of currently available therapies and work toward development of new antimicrobials. We hope that you will join us in continuing to make our vision a reality, by reading our new bimonthly “Bench to Bedside with SIDP” column on ContagionLive. This column, written by SIDP members, will cover topics ranging from antimicrobial stewardship, pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, mentorship, preceptorship, and more.

This year marks SIDP’s 30th anniversary. SIDP has a remarkable presence in providing rapid, updated guidance on the access and use of therapeutics for infectious diseases. We have established representation on national committees within organizations including the FDA, CDC, CLSI, NIH, IDSA, and Presidential Advisory Councils and forged relationships with other major pharmacy, medical, and microbiology organizations. In a world where collaborations are key, these relationships have allowed the voice of ID pharmacists to be included in key international political advocacy and public health policy decisions. The organization has increased grant opportunities for basic science research, translational clinical research, and the development of antimicrobial stewardship programs. SIDP has also supported the contributions of ID pharmacists to the health care community in the form of scholarly publications, commentaries, reviews, white papers, YouTube videos, podcasts, and more. One of SIDP’s biggest initiatives in the last decade, the development of our antimicrobial stewardship certificate program, has been recognized by the CDC as a comprehensive stewardship training program for pharmacists. Recently, this program was expanded to include low- and middle-income country antimicrobial stewardship certifications to help provide resources and training in a variety of healthcare settings.

Looking to our next 30 years, SIDP is aiming to further our mission to advance ID pharmacy and lead the field of antimicrobial stewardship with new initiatives and perspectives that optimize patient care. SIDP will continue to be a strong advocate for appropriate antimicrobial use and patient care through committee representation, legislative advocacy, and ID research and training program support. With a “patients first” mentality, SIDP is working to be a trusted public resource for infectious diseases, and, by curating patient facing information, empower the public’s knowledge of relevant issues in ID. Lastly, SIDP is committed to creating and sustaining an inclusive and welcoming society and assuring appropriate representation of minorities in our membership, leadership, and profession. Importantly, our new task force for diversity, equity, and inclusion aims to improve the diversity of our specialty and combat the forces of racism in medicine.

In closing, SIDP is committed to providing education and support for the optimal care of patients with infectious diseases. We have a lot in store for our readers this year, and you can be sure that whatever happens in the world of ID, SIDP will be here to help put things into perspective.

John Bosso, Peggy Carver, and Mike Dudley are all past-Presidents and active members of SIDP. Rachel Britt is currently serving as the Vice-Chair of the SIDP Publications and Podcasts Committee.

The Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP) is an association of pharmacists and other allied healthcare professionals who are committed to promoting the appropriate use of antimicrobial agents and supporting practice, teaching, and research in infectious diseases. We aim to advance infectious diseases pharmacy and lead antimicrobial stewardship in order to optimize the care of patients. To learn more about SIDP, visit sidp.org.