William Schaffner, M.D.
Schaffner elected secretary of infectious diseases society
William Schaffner, M.D., chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine, was recently elected to serve on the executive committee of the Board of Directors for the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) as the organization's secretary.
He will serve a term of three years.
As secretary, Schaffner will have oversight to the National and Global Public Health Committee, as well as to the Immunization Work Group — a body working with Congress to improve access to vaccines for children and adults.
IDSA is the premier infectious diseases professional and scholarly society in the world, and has more than 8,000 members worldwide representing health care professionals who specialize in infectious diseases. Its purpose is to improve the health of society by promoting excellence in patient care, education, research, public health and prevention. The IDSA promotes training and research in all aspects of infectious diseases from molecular biology to epidemiology.
In addition to his appointment as secretary, Schaffner will continue to be an associate editor of the Journal of Infectious Diseases, one of the two journals sponsored by the IDSA. He previously served as a member of the IDSA's Board of Directors from 2000-2003.