The Future of the Discipline of Infectious Diseases Free

To the Editor—The invited commentary by Walensky, del Rio, and Armstrong on the analysis and challenges facing the discipline of Infectious Disease is well done, timely, and simultaneously disturbing and unsettling [1]. In my view as an IDSA member and stakeholder, there is at least one addition that might be considered to the possible prescriptions delineated at the end of the commentary. Specifically, systematic advocacy of the discipline of Infectious Diseases directed at policy makers and the public deserves emphasis. In this regard, in addition to the direct inherent health benefits that result from the Infectious Diseases discipline, the direct and indirect cost benefits to the health care system and patients/families (e.g., reduced costly complications, reduced length of stay, reduced loss of salary) need to be further quantified through advanced health economics analyses and subsequently disseminated and promoted. This is relevant and has the potential to be persuasive in the current economic-sensitized environment.

Note

Potential conflicts of interest. The author: No reported conflicts of interest. The author has submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Conflicts that the editors consider relevant to the content of the manuscript have been disclosed.

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