Online PG-course in Medical Mycology

The MRC CMM have come together with the British Society For Medical Mycology (BSMM) to launch a new Medical Mycology online programme to enhance the knowledge, skills and experience of individuals working in the field of medical mycology via distance and reflective learning.

This programme offers tailor-made options for clinical and laboratory-based professionals. The programme has started in September 2022 and allows to study for a Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert), Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) and MSc level over a 3-6 year period.

You can find more details about the course and details on how to register at this link: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/research/medicalmycology/education/

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Medical Mycology Case Reports awarded its first Impact Factor in 2023

Medical Mycology Case Reports (MMCR) – an official journal the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology - was awarded its first ever Impact Factor this year.

An Impact Factor provides a quantitative measurement of a journal in relation to other journals in the field. The Journal Impact Factor is calculated by dividing the number of citations of publications in a journal in the Web of Science® records in a certain year by the number of citable publications published in the journal in the two preceding years.

MMCR, published in partnership with Elsevier, received an Impact Factor of 2.2 and has been included in the Medicine, Research and Experimental category, in Web of Science’s Core Collection.

As well as being Open Access - with all articles published being immediately and permanently free for everyone to read, download, copy and distribute - MMCR is an online-only journal devoted to the publication of case reports or case series that concern medical or veterinary diseases caused by fungi. The journal aims to provide a valuable collection of fungal cases with clinically important information to healthcare professionals, researchers, and others, and is specifically interested in cases that have educational value.

Adilia Warris, Editor-in-Chief of MMCR, said:

“This is a major achievement since the inception of MMCR, and is an acknowledgement to all of those who have contributed to the success of MMCR. I want to thank specifically the authors for sharing their clinical experiences, the reviewers, the past and present members of the editorial board, and to Oliver Kurzai (past Editor-in-Chief) and Neil Gow (past ISHAM president) who made ‘The Case for Case Reports’ resulting in the launch of MMCR in 2012.

Further information about the journal, its metrics and the link to its editorial submission system can be found here. Authors can find more information online about the submissions requirements in the Guide for Authors. An overview of the full Editorial Team can also be found on our Editorial Board page.

Microorganisms and climate change

Scientists’ warning to humanity: microorganisms and climate change; in a recent publication (link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-019-0222-5) scientists “intent to raise awareness of the microbial world and make a call to action for microbiologists to become increasingly engaged in and for microbial research to become increasingly integrated into the frameworks for addressing climate change and accomplishing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals”. This was further supported by a Call to Action paper by IUMS board members (link: https://onehealthoutlook.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42522-023-00077-2)

Public consultation on the “Global guideline for the diagnosis and management of cryptococcosis: an initiative of the ECMM and ISHAM in cooperation with the ASM”

Dear member,

We would like to inform you about the public consultation on the “Global guideline for the diagnosis and management of cryptococcosis: an initiative of the ECMM and ISHAM in cooperation with the ASM”.

Your dedication and time is highly appreciated. For your comments and advice please fill in the fields. This will enable the authors to address your input appropriately.

Please follow this link (https://www.clinicalsurveys.net/uc/Crypto_GL_2023_public_consultation/?a=&b=) to find the latest version of the manuscript.

Many thanks beforehand.

With sincere regards,
Prof. Dr. Oliver A. Cornely for the authors and contributors

AFWG Masterclass: The State of the Art in the Management of IMIs.

Act now: Resolving emerging IMIs worldwide

Experts discuss IMI diagnosis and management

Invasive mold infections (IMIs) remain a leading factor for morbidity and mortality, especially among immunosuppressed or critically ill patients, owing to its atypical clinical, radiological presentations and an expanding spectrum of immunocompromised hosts.

Last October, the World Health Organization published the first fungal priority pathogens list – the WHO FPPL – to strengthen the global response to this threat post-pandemic.

Join our panel of international experts in the latest AFWG Masterclass: The State of the Art in the Management of IMIs. Tailored for experienced clinicians, discover the latest cutting-edge insights, updates, and real-world challenges in the diagnosis and management of IMIs.

Start learning today: Click here                                  

CME points are available in selected countries/regions.

Tenure Track Professor of Host Fungal Pathogen Interaction

The Medical University of Graz is looking for employees with an innovative spirit who would like to help them fulfill their overriding mission of promoting the health and well-being of their patients through research, teaching, learning and administrative support.

Become part of an extraordinary team:
Tenure Track Professor of Host Fungal Pathogen Interaction at the Department of Internal Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases
Full-time position (100%)
Limited to 6 years

Application:
Med Uni Graz invites all applicants to submit their application online by
5 February 2023. www.medunigraz.at/en/job-openings/tenure-track-professorships

Statutory information:
The minimum remuneration is based on the collective agreement for university employees (KV § 49.2). A higher salary for this position is contingent upon qualifications and may be negotiated with the rector.

Scheduled date for job interviews:
28 March 2023 at the Medical University of Graz

Contact: rektor@medunigraz.at

The Medical University of Graz is committed to increasing the proportion of women in leading positions and encourages qualified women to apply. Among applicants with equal qualifications, female applicants will be given priority. We also welcome applications from qualified individuals with disabilities and encourage them to apply.

Information:
For more information CLICK HERE

Tenure Track Professor of Host Fungal Pathogen Interaction

The Medical University of Graz is looking for employees with an innovative spirit who would like to help them fulfill their overriding mission of promoting the health and well-being of their patients through research, teaching, learning and administrative support.

Become part of an extraordinary team:
Tenure Track Professor of Host Fungal Pathogen Interaction at the Department of Internal Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases
Full-time position (100%)
Limited to 6 years

Application:
Med Uni Graz invites all applicants to submit their application online by
5 February 2023. www.medunigraz.at/en/job-openings/tenure-track-professorships

Statutory information:
The minimum remuneration is based on the collective agreement for university employees (KV § 49.2). A higher salary for this position is contingent upon qualifications and may be negotiated with the rector.

Scheduled date for job interviews:
28 March 2023 at the Medical University of Graz

Contact: rektor@medunigraz.at

The Medical University of Graz is committed to increasing the proportion of women in leading positions and encourages qualified women to apply. Among applicants with equal qualifications, female applicants will be given priority. We also welcome applications from qualified individuals with disabilities and encourage them to apply.

Information:
For more information CLICK HERE

Tenure Track Professor of Host Fungal Pathogen Interaction

The Medical University of Graz is looking for employees with an innovative spirit who would like to help them fulfill their overriding mission of promoting the health and well-being of their patients through research, teaching, learning and administrative support.

Become part of an extraordinary team:
Tenure Track Professor of Host Fungal Pathogen Interaction at the Department of Internal Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases
Full-time position (100%)
Limited to 6 years

Application:
Med Uni Graz invites all applicants to submit their application online by
5 February 2023. www.medunigraz.at/en/job-openings/tenure-track-professorships

Statutory information:
The minimum remuneration is based on the collective agreement for university employees (KV § 49.2). A higher salary for this position is contingent upon qualifications and may be negotiated with the rector.

Scheduled date for job interviews:
28 March 2023 at the Medical University of Graz

Contact: rektor@medunigraz.at

The Medical University of Graz is committed to increasing the proportion of women in leading positions and encourages qualified women to apply. Among applicants with equal qualifications, female applicants will be given priority. We also welcome applications from qualified individuals with disabilities and encourage them to apply.

Information:
For more information CLICK HERE

Save the Date: Launch of the WHO First FPPL (embargoed until Oct, 25 2022 at 9:00 AM, CEST)

Dear FPPL AG members, and colleagues,

We are delighted to inform you that the first WHO FPPL and report is now cleared for release by our executive management, and that the launch date is now set for the 25th of October 2022.

This process has been delayed to ensure that the launch date is not in conflict with other major AMR Division events that could overshadow it.

Regarding the preparations for the launch,

• In coordination with the colleagues from WHO communication and social-media teams, we are preparing the WHO departmental new page and some communications material for dissemination.
• The embargo on the report will be lifted the morning of the 25^th of October 2022
• We will also hold a global WHO Press Conference l on the 25^th of October 2022  mainly targeting the scientific press pool. We will share the exact time of the conference shortly.
• On the 26th of October 2022 the newly published report will be also mentioned as part of the Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, (WHO DG) weekly address.

We highly encourage all of you to disseminate the report in your networks along with the actions points and main messages highlighted in the executive summary of the report.

Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your excellent contribution and guidance throughout this project. We truly appreciate your time, expertise, and kind commitment, and we are looking forward to future collaborations!

Best regards, 
Hatim (on behalf of the Team)

Join the study: In vitro Susceptibility Testing of “Rare Moulds” 

Few studies indicate that rare moulds are less susceptible or even resistant to general antifungal agents, hence the management of such infections is a major clinical challenge. The project "In vitro Susceptibility Testing of Rare Moulds, RaMo" will test a wide range of rare moulds against a broad pannel of antifungals using Etest and CLSI/EUCAST broth microdilution methods.  Your contribution is very wellcome!

Participation in this study could consist of (i) providing rare mould strains to us so that we perform AFST (antifungal susceptibility testing) OR (ii) providing already evaluated MICs of rare moulds, preferably with data from Etest and CLSI/EUCAST broth microdilution. Because of the heterogeneity of the term rare moulds, it is emphasized that the interest is not in any species of Aspergillus, Mucorales, Fusarium und Scedosporium species.

For more information please get in touch with Michaela Riedlsperger, Institut of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria, ECMM EC (Michaela.Riedlsperger@i-med.ac.at)

Click here for more information about the study

Independent Fellowship in Medical Mycology & Bioinformatics (Postdoctoral Research Fellow)

The above full-time post is available immediately for four years, in the College of Life and Environmental Sciences.

Job Description
The Medical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology (MRC CMM) at the University of Exeter is seeking to award a four-year Fellowship to a newly qualified postdoctoral researcher (with up to 5 years post-doctoral experience), with the aim of attracting the most promising individual to develop an early independent research career in medical mycology. This Fellowship covers salary and comes with a generous consumable budget (up to £20k per annum).
The successful applicant will be expected to develop their own independent research programme, becoming an independent junior principal investigator (PI). Support and mentoring will be provided from our MRC CMM Directors and other Centre PIs (https://www.exeter.ac.uk/medicalmycology/team/)

This post will focus specifically on Bioinformatics. The post-holder’s research programme should combine bioinformatics with ‘omics’ approaches to address the host or the host-pathogen interface, complementing the research conducted by Dr. Rhys Farrer’s team.

The successful applicant will: develop their own independent research programme; collaborate effectively with other members of the MRC CMM; write up their work for publication; present their work at conferences;
and contribute to the activities of the Centre (e.g. research, outreach and teaching).

Click here for more information

Online ISHAM Council election 4 April - 31 May 2022

Monday 4 April around noon CET all members eligible to vote will receive a mail with a personal token to sign in to the voting website.
This mail will be sent to by the company WebElect, from their info mail address.

On the voting website you will find photo's, short bio's and a vision statement of each candidate.
You will be guided through the election process, and if you do not express you votes for all positions, you can return later to complete voting.

WebElect, a Dutch company, guarantees that elections are conducted with integrity and fairness. Their systems run in well-secured data centers. They are ISAE3000 certified whereby it is guaranteed that customers can expect an honest result and that customer data is in safe hands. 
Data is stored encrypted in their databases and due to the unique combination of login code and password, the voting process is completely anonymous.
 

Council elections 2022

In 2022 a new council has to be elected.
Candidates can be nominated for all positions in the council.
Attached the information about the nomination, including a nomination form.
A candidate must be nominated by two other ISHAM members.
The supporting documents (biography and vision) have a limit of 300 words each.
 

The new Atlas of Clinical Fungi

Dear mycologist, With great pleasure we announce that the new print of the Atlas of Clinical Fungi is available again, after the first print was sold out within a few months. With approx. 1600 densely filled pages in 2 volumes in full colour, over 700 species treated with beautiful photoplates and extensive nomenclature, and nearly 8000 references, the book is unmatched in fungal diagnostics. A web-version will be provided free of charge. For information and ordering, go to https://webshop.atlasclinicalfungi.org. The project is entirely non-profit.

New seminar series Myco-Clinics organised by the MRC CMM

M Y C O - C L I N I C S
 
The MRC CMM would like to invite you to join us at our quarterly Myco-Clinics, where clinical experts in Medical Mycology will be presenting cases highlighting the challenges and new observations in the clinical recognition, diagnosis and management of fungal diseases.
The Myco-clinics will launch in September 2021 and will be held thereafter on the first Friday of every three months between 16:00 and 17:30 GMT. At each Myco-Clinic seminar, two speakers will each present a clinical case study with diagnostic considerations and process, treatment deliberations, follow-up and outcomes, concluding with a discussion and literature review.

The Myco-Clinics website, where more infomation is avaliable and where upcoming talks will be advertised: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/research/medicalmycology/mycoclinics/

A direct booking link for the 3rd September talk by Thuy Le and Ilan Schwartz: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/4816287801274/WN_SHSpI2isTwiVrFzZ4w5TZQ

The Myco-Clinics specific mailing list: https://exeter.us10.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=f69a40d7210ca6d2ea655a1ac&id=821809860f
 

Medical Mycology new impact factor is 4.076.

We are pleased to announce that Medical Mycology new impact factor is 4.076. Many thanks to our past and present Chief Editors, Karl Clemons and Sharon Chen, members of the editorial board and reviewers!
It now ranks #5 of 29 journals in the Mycology category, #19 of 117 journals in the Infectious Diseases category, and #21 of 166 journals in the Veterinary Sciences category. (By comparison, last year’s IF was 2.822, and it ranked #13 of 29 journals in the Mycology category, #47 of 93 journals in the Infectious Diseases category, and #8 of 142 journals in the Veterinary Sciences category.)
 

Special issue on Neglected Implantation Mycoses in Medical Mycology Case reports

Prof Alexandro Bonifaz and Prof Flavio de Quieroz-Tellez are developing a Special issue on Neglected Implantation Mycoses in Medical Mycology Case reports. Call for papers is now open.  This Special issue of will publish peer-reviewed  case-reports and small case-series related to the endemic implantation mycoses of human and veterinary relevance. Further information can be found in the link: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/medical-mycology-case-reports/call-for-papers/neglected-implantation-mycoses
 

Dr Jill Adler-Moore passed away on June 14, 2021

Dr Jill Adler-Moore, 76 years old, passed away on June 14, 2021 at 9:40pm, at home and surrounded by her family.
Amongst many other accolades Jill was instrumental in the development of liposomal amphotericin B. A full obituary will follow later.

NIAF Fauci Fellowships – Apply by 4/1!

The deadline for NIAF's inaugural Fauci Fellowships is rapidly approaching. In recognition of Dr. Anthony S. Fauci's life saving work, NIAF will award two $50,000 post-doctoral research grants—one to an Italian researcher working in Italy, and the other to an Italian American researcher working in the United States—to support research in infectious diseases and help establish the recipients' independent careers. Preference will be given to applicants who have earned their Ph.D. in an eligible field in the past eight years.
Link to THE NATIONAL ITALIAN AMERICAN FOUNDATION

Download now the Global guideline for the diagnosis and management of rare mould infections: an initiative of ECMM in cooperation with ISHAM and ASM

The Global guideline for the diagnosis and management of rare mould infections: an initiative of the European Confederation of Medical Mycology in cooperation with the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology and the American Society for Microbiology was released on February 16, 2021.
This is the second guideline of the One World – One Guideline initiative intending to diagnose these devastating diseases earlier, and to lead to more rapid and targeted treatment initiation.
45 experts from 24 countries developed this guidance document. Upon today‘s publication in Lancet Infectious Diseases, the guideline was endorsed by 55 scientific societies from around the world.
Here is a link to the publishes article on The Lancet website:  https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30784-2/fulltext and a link under which the guideline can be downloaded for free for the next 50 days https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1cbR25E-UoSQg2

Article citation:
Hoenigl, M., Salmanton-García, J., Walsh, T. J., Nucci, M., Neoh, C. F., Jenks, J. D., et al. Global guideline for the diagnosis and management of rare mould infections: an initiative of the European Confederation of Medical Mycology in cooperation with the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology and the American Society for Microbiology. The Lancet Infectious Diseases. 2021 doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30784-2
 

Professor William Merz passed away on 22 November 2020

The obituary of Professor William Merz is published in the Mycological Heroes section of this website

Post-Doctoral Scientist Position available in laboratory at NIH

We have an available Post-Doctoral Scientist Position in our laboratory at NIH to study ‘Genomic Diversity, Pathobiology, and Antifungal  Susceptibility/Resistance of Emerging and  Cryptic Aspergillus Species Isolated from Hospitalized Patients with Underlying Immunodeficiencies.’
 
https://www.training.nih.gov/postdoc_jobs_nih/view/_31/7904/Fungal_Genomics_and_Antifungal_Resistance 
 

This post will be available until February 14, 2021 or until filled.

The NIH is dedicated to building a diverse community in its training and employment programs.

Professor Harbans Singh Randhawa passed away 11 Nov 2020

The obituary of Professor Harbans Singh Randhawa is published in the Mycological Heroes section of this website

Welcome Sharon Chen, incoming Medical Mycology Editor-in-Chief

November 2, 2020

ISHAM is pleased to announce Sharon Chen, Director of the Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Laboratory Services at Westmeade Hospital in Sydney, Australia, as the incoming Editor-in-Chief of its flagship journal, Medical Mycology. Dr. Chen’s appointment will begin January 2021.
ISHAM thanks Karl V Clemons, the present Editor-in-Chief for his immense contribution to Medical Mycology. He has uplifted the quality of the journal to a new standard. He will complete his term in December 2020.

​​​​Dr. Arunaloke Chakrabarti, MD 
President, International Society for Human and Animal Mycology

Ira F. Salkin memorial award recipient for 2019

June 23, 2020

It gives us great pleasure to announce the recipient of the 2019 Ira F. Salkin award for the best paper published in Medical Mycology by a member of YISHAM.  This award made possible by the family of Dr. Salkin (a previous Editor in Chief of Medical Mycology) is to encourage members of YISHAM to begin their careers in science with quality publications.

The recipient of the 2019 award is Ivan Mikhailovich Pchelin, MSc from the Laboratory of Molecular Genetic Microbiology at the Kashkin Research Institute of Medical Mycology, North-Western State Medical University in St. Petersburg, Russia. His article, Ivan M. Pchelin, Daniil V. Azarov, Maria A. Churina, Sergey G. Scherbak, Svetlana V. Apalko, Natalya V. Vasilyeva, and Anastasia E. Taraskina. Species boundaries in the Trichophyton mentagrophytes/T. interdigitale species complex. Medical Mycology, 2019, 57, 781–789 doi: 10.1093/mmy/myy115 was chosen by the awards committee as standing apart from the other nominations as the best embodiment of ISHAM’s mission, and contributions by our YISHAM members to the field of Medical Mycology.  His article contributes to the improved clarity of the taxonomy of this important group of dermatophytes.  We encourage you to read his paper.

Join us in congratulating Ivan this award.  We will look forward to hearing Ivan present his paper at YISHAM day at the next ISHAM congress in New Delhi.

For the awards committee:

Karl V. Clemons, PhD
Editor in Chief
Medical Mycology

Chester R. Cooper, PhD
Editor
Medical Mycology

Malcolm D. Richardson, PhD
Past-President
ISHAM
Reviews Editor
Medical Mycology