President’s Letter from Deb Palazzi – Six Weeks to Science, Community & Connection

Six weeks from today, many of us will be together in Washington, DC for IDWeek 2026. Can you believe it is already that close? For me, IDWeek is always one of the highlights of the year, not only because of the extraordinary science, but because it brings our pediatric infectious diseases community together in ways few other events can.

As we have come to expect, there is certainly plenty of science to look forward to this year. The program (we have assembled the PIDS and pediatric track on the PIDS event page for your convenience) spans nearly every corner of our field: from antimicrobial stewardship and diagnostic innovation to transplant infectious diseases, from emerging pathogens to infection prevention and new approaches to therapeutics. I am particularly excited this year about the conversations around rapidly evolving diagnostics, including metagenomic sequencing and host transcriptomics, as well as sessions addressing some of the practical questions we encounter every day in patient care. I suspect many of us will encounter the familiar IDWeek problem of wanting to be in several places at once.

But as much as I value the science, what I look forward to most is us.

Our annual IDWeek gathering is an opportunity to reconnect with longtime colleagues, welcome trainees and newer members of our field, meet potential collaborators, and have the spontaneous conversations that simply do not happen virtually. Those hallway discussions, shared meals, courtesy introductions, and chance encounters hold exciting promise and are an important part of what makes PIDS a community rather than simply a professional organization for us.

And speaking of shared meals, I hope you are planning to join us for the PIDS Foundation Dinner on Thursday, October 22, from 6:15 to 9:00 p.m. This year’s dinner will be held at the spectacular Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (look at the amazing venue in this photo!). While the setting is extraordinary, the reason we gather is even more important. The Foundation’s work supports the future of our field – our trainees, our young investigators, our educational programs – and is our way of supporting the people who will carry pediatric infectious diseases forward. It should be a wonderful evening to celebrate that mission and one another.

IDWeek also gives us an opportunity to take stock of where pediatric ID is headed. I invite you to join us for the PIDS Membership Meeting immediately following the Plotkin lecture on Friday, October 23, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. This will be an especially important meeting for our community. We will share and discuss the new PIDS strategic plan. It includes a roadmap for where we are headed as a Society, and addresses other important issues affecting our membership and our field. This is our opportunity to come together as a community, hear where we are making progress, consider the challenges ahead, and help shape our shared priorities.

We are navigating significant challenges as a specialty, but we are also experiencing a remarkable period of scientific discovery and innovation. Looking at the breadth of this year’s program – and, even more importantly, at the people behind that work – I am reminded of just how much talent, creativity, and commitment exists within our community.

So, six weeks and counting. Come for the science. Come to learn something unexpected. Come to reconnect with an old friend and introduce yourself to someone new. Come to confirm your commitment to the health and well-being of children. Come lend your voice to our Membership Meeting. And please come celebrate with us at the Foundation Dinner.

I cannot wait to see you in Washington.

Better together, always,
Deb