Purpose
The purpose of developing IDSA clinical guidance is to provide an important educational tool to clinicians and to assist practitioners and patients in making decisions about appropriate healthcare for specific clinical circumstances. The goal of this effort is to provide up-to-date clinical guidance to healthcare practitioners on the infection risks and complications associated with immunomodulators, considering the best available evidence. Initial development of the guidance is based on a critical review of the best available evidence and derivation of clinical guidance by a multidisciplinary panel of experts in the field of infectious diseases. Maintenance of the guidance will be iterative, on an as-needed basis when new evidence emerges and is housed in tables on a publicly-facing website.
A new guidance on the infectious complications associated with immunomodulatory therapies will begin in 2022. For this topic, IDSA is looking for clinicians/physicians with expertise in managing infections among patients on immunomodulatory therapies:
- Eight to 10 infectious diseases specialists, including those with expertise in:
- Managing infections in the immunocompromised host;
- Clinical microbiology or immunology;
- Four pharmacists, including those with expertise in:
- Four pediatricians.
Please note: The scope of the guidance is focused to include only FDA-approved immunomodulators. However, international members with the applicable expertise are still welcome to apply.
Responsibilities
- Help identify relevant clinical specialties to serve as advisory stakeholders.
- Actively participate in the evidence identification and literature review process.
- Generate specific clinical guidance statements based on the best available evidence.
- Participate in the consensus building process using the RAND Appropriateness Method (RAM).
- Assist in drafting the manuscript and web-based tables.
- Participate in and adhere to the principles of IDSA-provided training on guidance development.
Required Qualifications
- Relevant expertise and/or published literature related to the guidance topic;
- Extensive knowledge of and experience in clinical practice and areas of specialization, such as adult or pediatric infectious diseases (in particular, of immunocompromised hosts), clinical microbiology, clinical immunology, or infectious disease pharmacy;
- Familiarity with the development of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and implementation into clinical practice;
- Good organizational skills and attention to detail;
- Demonstrated ability to bring tasks/initiatives to completion;
- Open-minded and collaborative, with a commitment to the formal consensus building process.
How to Apply
- Complete the application, which includes a section describing your interest in serving as a panel member and your relevant experience for this project.
- Upload your resume or CV.
- Upload your completed conflict of interest disclosure form (PDF). **Please complete this form before proceeding to the next page.**
Guidance Development Timeline and Meeting Frequency
IDSA strives to complete most guidance within 12-18 months. Therefore, it is critical that the chair and panel members be committed to the completion of a guidance within the expected timeframe. Panel meetings will be held as conferences. All panel members will be required to attend the first introductory meeting (date TBD) and are highly encouraged to attend the quarterly meetings for the whole panel. Each sub-panel will be expected to meet at least every 2-3 months. Maintenance of the initial guidance web tables will be conducted on an as-needed basis.
Estimated Time Commitment
6-10 hours per month; time commitments will vary depending on the stage of guidance development and assigned sub-panel topic. Panel members tasked with major literature review and/or writing the draft of the guidance should anticipate devoting more time to this project.
Appointment
The panel chairs will identify prospective panel members, who will be reviewed and approved by the SPGC chair and Board liaison. Participation on the guidance panel will only be confirmed following review of potential conflicts of interest. Applicants will be notified of final decisions within 4-6 weeks after the application period closes.