User:Commantt/sandbox

The Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada (AMMI Canada) is a Canadian national medical specialty association composed of specialists in infectious diseases and medical microbiology, clinical microbiologists and researchers specializing in preventing, diagnosing, and treating infections. The association is a national specialty society recognized by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. The association promotes the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of human infectious diseases through our involvement in education, research, clinical practice and patient advocacy. Position papers and guidelines  in support of this mission are published in the Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases & Medical Microbiology (an open access journal) and or posted on the organization's website. The annual meeting of the association occurs in the spring at which members present information of mutual interest.

The association collaborates with the Canadian Foundation for Infectious Diseases in raising money to support infectious diseases research in support of its mission.

History
AMMI Canada was formed in 2004 with the merge between the Canadian Association of Medical Microbiology (CAMM) and the Canadian Infectious Diseases Society (CIDS). CAMM was incorporated under the Companies Act in 1961 under the name of the Canadian Association of Medical Bacteriologists, while CIDS was formed in 1977. The organizations formed in recognition of the similar "activities, interests, and goals for infectious diseases and medical microbiology specialists."

Governance
AMMI Canada's vision is: "Fewer infections. Fewer outbreaks. Healthy Canadians" and its mission is to "advance the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infections." AMMI Canada's strategic planning goals and initiatives are defined in five areas. They are: antimicrobial stewardship and resistance, infection prevention and control, education and knowledge translation, advocacy, human health resources planning, and research.

AMMI Canada is governed by a Council composed of thirteen members: the President, President-Elect, Past President, Treasurer, Secretary, Medical Microbiology Section Chair, Infectious Disease Section Chair, and six Members of Council. The Council also has three ex-officio members.

Education
AMMI Canada's principal event is the AMMI Canada-CACMID Annual Conference, jointly hosted with the Canadian Association for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (CACMID). The conference typically takes place in April, and has been hosted in cities such as Victoria, BC (2014), Québec City, QC (2013), Vancouver, BC (2012), and Montréal, QC (2011). In 2015, it will be held in Charlottetown, PEI.

The AMMI Canada-CACMID Annual Conference is host to the awards and student awards presentations, where AMMI Canada's Distinguished Service Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, Honourary Membership, and Residency Fellowships are presented. The Annual Conference is also where other organizations, such as CACMID, the Canadian College of Microbiologists, and the Canadian Foundation for Infectious Diseases present their awards.

Attendees of the Annual Conference can also obtain Continuing Education Credits.

In addition to the organization's joint conference, AMMI Canada also collaborates with the Canadian Paediatric Society for co-developed learning opportunities at the 2014 Canadian Immunization Conference.

Awards
AMMI Canada presents its own merit and poster awards at the AMMI Canada - CACMID Annual Conference. In 2015, AMMI Canada presented the following awards:
 * AMMI Canada - Astellas Post Residency Fellowship
 * AMMI Canada Distinguished Service Award
 * AMMI Canada Lifetime Achievement Award
 * AMMI Canada Poster Award

Other associations and organizations, including the Canadian College of Microbiologists, the Canadian Foundation for Infectious Diseases, the Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases & Medical Microbiology, and the Pediatric Investigators Collaborative Network on Infections in Canada (PICNIC) also present their awards at the conference.

Advocacy
AMMI Canada supports worldwide initiatives advocating for the better treatment of infectious diseases, such as World AIDS Day, World TB Day, and also issues press releases and position statements on other Canadian issues.

Antimicrobial Stewardship and Resistance
Antimicrobial stewardship and resistance is listed as one of the organization's strategic goals and initiatives. To achieve this, AMMI Canada has an Antimicrobial Stewardship and Resistance Committee, which spearheads the organizations' activities. The principcal investigors, Dr. Lynora Saxinger, Committee Chair, Dr. Jennifer and Dr. David Patrick, developed the report "Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance and Antimicrobial Utilization in Canada" prepared for the National Collaborating Society for Infectious Diseases (NCCID). The report "summarizes the results of a 2012-2013 NCCID-sponsored project that assesses the current status of surveillance of antibiotic or antimicrobial use (AMU) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Canada, and to provide recommendations to advance Canadian surveillance."

AMMI Canada is a member of the Communications and Education Task Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (CETAR), a group chaired by the NCCID. AMMI Canada is a campaign partner of Antibiotic Awareness, a group of health organizations united to combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria. One of Antibiotic Awareness' major contributions is Antiobiotic Awareness Week, an event in which AMMI Canada also participates as a campaign partner.

AMMI Canada is a partner of Choosing Wisely Canada, "a campaign to help physicians and patients engage in conversations about unnecessary tests, treatments and procedures, and to help physicians and patients make smart and effective choices to ensure high-quality care."

Infection Prevention and Control
AMMI Canada advocates for the goal "to reduce the impact of healthcare-associated infections through infection prevention and control." To this end, AMMI Canada has issued position statements, such as: 2012 endorsing the mandatory influenza immunization of healthcare workers in 2012 and endorsing Bill C-11, An Act to Promote Safety and Security with respect to Human Pathogens and Toxins in 2009.

Emerging Infectious Diseases
In August 2014, AMMI Canada partnered with the Canadian Critical Care Society and the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians to release an Ebola clinical care guideline. In October 2014, the Association released a statement on Lyme disease.

Infectious Disease Surveillance
AMMI Canada actively participates in the Canadian Nosocomial Infections Surveillance Program (CNISP), a collaborative effort between the Canadian Hospital Epidemiology Committee (CHEC), an AMMI Canada subcommittee, and the Centre for Communicable Diseases and Infection Control (CCDIC) of the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). Founded in 1994, with 54 sentinel hospitals participating across 10 provinces, CNISP is a national monitoring system for healthcare-associated infections in Canadian healthcare facilities.

In 2012, AMMI Canada warned against the budget cuts facing CNISP.