President’s Letter from C. Buddy Creech – My Last One

It has been my singular honor to serve you all as PIDS President for the past 2 years. Your work as clinicians, educators, scientists, public health officials, industry leaders, administrators, stewards, and preventionists makes the world a better place for children and their families. Your stories are inspiring, your work matters, and I have been fortunate to learn from you during this time.

Every 2 years, IDWeek marks the transition of leadership. The PIDS President becomes PIDS Foundation Chair, responsible for shepherding the philanthropic support of scientific and educational activities of PIDS; meanwhile, the President-Elect, Dr. Bill Steinbach, begins his 2-year term as President. It is also a time to express deep gratitude to the outgoing PIDS Foundation Chair, Dr. Kris Bryant. Kris has spent countless hours over the last decade serving PIDS in every conceivable way. As a Society, we owe a debt of gratitude for all that she has done. I urge you to stop and say a word of thanks as you see her at IDWeek.

I am very proud of our accomplishments, about where PIDS is, and where PIDS is going. I leave you with three final thoughts as we head into IDWeek.

1. PIDS is larger than at any time in its history. With >2000 members and 5 full time staff members, PIDS has grown considerably over these 2 years. We remain fully committed to our society partners, such as IDSA and AAP, while also forging our own paths for education, research support, and advocacy. 
2. PIDS is financially secure. Through the efforts of the Treasurer, the Board of Directors, and the Finance Committee, along with the substantial support of our donors and corporate sponsors, PIDS is on sure financial footing. We will continue to seek innovative ways to engage sponsorship to fund activities that are most important to our members – meetID, SUMMERS, and PIDS Fellowship Awards are just some of the ways that your financial support of PIDS makes a difference.
3. PIDS has a vision for the future that grows the workforce, pursues diversity, advocates for our issues, and creates opportunities for research and scholarship. We have used the four I’s – identity, inclusion, impact, and innovation – to encapsulate our vision for the next several years. We will continue to work towards these goals, addressing questions around the ideal length for fellowship training, how to increase diversity and access within our training programs and workforce, and how to support research and scholarship among our members.

PIDS is special to me. Whether through supporting my fellowship training, committee engagement, opportunities for leadership, or teaching me to advocate for ID issues, PIDS has been a professional companion for over two decades. Even more, PIDS provides me with some of the most meaningful professional relationships I could ever ask for. At IDWeek and beyond, I invite you to invest deeply in our community.

The tagline for our youngest daughter’s elementary school reads, “to be known, to be loved, and to be prepared.” Though not entirely translatable to a professional society, I aspire for this spirit to be what our trainees, junior faculty, and senior members experience – that we are a Society in which our members are known, cared for in a variety of ways, and prepared for the tasks ahead. We have much to do, and we will do it together.

Thank you, again, for your trust and encouragement during this time as President. I am truly grateful.

Onward and upward, Buddy