MAD-ID: Dedicated to Antimicrobial Stewardship

The last 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic has put everyone in the medical field in acute crisis mode. It has forced everyone to pay great attention to a singular issue, while other important public health subjects were largely put aside.

With COVID-19 in a period of relative quiet right now, these other important medical subjects are beginning to resurface again in public health circles. One such subject is antimicrobial stewardship, and one organization that has continued to advocate for stewardship and educate the medical masses is MAD-ID. This non-profit organization has a specific focus on antimicrobial stewardship, and it offers education, resources, training programs, and events dedicated to it. Their biggest event every year is their Antimicrobial Stewardship Meeting, which happens every spring. This year’s meeting will take place May 18-21 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando in Orlando, Florida.

With the upcoming conference approaching, Contagion spoke to MAD-ID Vice President Kerry LaPlante, PharmD, FCCP, FIDSA, FIDP, who provided further insights about the conference, the overall organization, and some of its additional programs.

Contagion: What is MAD-ID?
LaPlante: MAD-ID is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to provide continuing professional education and training in the general area of infectious diseases and, in specific, antimicrobial stewardship. MAD-ID is fully accredited as a continuing education provider by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), has members and, in addition to its annual meeting, the organization provides ACPE and ACCME compliant training programs in antimicrobial stewardship.

Contagion: What types of training programs are available at MAD-ID?
LaPlante: In additional to our annual meeting, we have an advanced antimicrobial stewardship training program. Over 1100 pharmacists and physicians have completed our advanced program to date.

Contagion: Who attends the annual MAD-ID Stewardship Meeting?
LaPlante: Historically, the meeting draws participants who practice in a hospital or ambulatory care environment in the United States or Canada. Attendees from elsewhere in the world have risen in numbers in recent years. Many are members of Antimicrobial Stewardship Teams, Pharmacy and Therapeutics committees or Antimicrobial Committees for their institutions. We offer special registration rates to students, medical and pharmacy residents, postdoctoral trainees and attendees from developing nations.

Contagion: Along with infectious disease providers and clinicians, what are some of the peripheral audiences that would benefit from attending the meeting?
LaPlante: MAD-ID is an annual, international and interdisciplinary meeting for pharmacists, physicians, nurses, infection control practitioners, and others interested in stewardship and combating antimicrobial resistance.

Contagion: What are the benefits of attending this live meeting?
LaPlante: This is our 24th meeting in providing this valuable forum. The meeting provides practical information targeted for clinicians who have an interest in antimicrobial stewardship and general infectious diseases therapeutics. It is a 3.5 day, educational meeting offering 18-19 CE hour credits and will take place in Orlando. In fact, the MAD-ID meeting has become increasingly recognized as the meeting for antimicrobial stewardship.

Contagion: For the 2022 meeting what are some of the highlights and exciting aspects of the meeting you are looking for to?
LaPlante: We are thrilled to bring together thought leaders across the country to share their expertise about COVID-19, treating infectious diseases, and stewardship. This year we have multiple authors sharing their experience in developing national treatment guidelines, along with several active learning workshops to augment your antimicrobial stewardship program.

The 2022 Annual Meeting is presented in collaboration with the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists, and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy.

For those interested in learning more or attending this year’s MAD-ID’sAntimicrobial Stewardship Meeting, interested parties can go here.