A Letter from R. Scott Hitt, M.D.

Greetings:

Spring's arrival has me thinking about growth and development, two themes which, coincidentally, also happen to be key to the present efforts and concerns of the American Academy of HIV Medicine.

I find myself thinking about development, as in the need to keep up with the rapid changes and developments occurring in our field -- seemingly daily -- or, put into the educational lingo of the moment, the need for Continuous Professional Development (CPD). This was one of the phrases I heard most often -- and was most struck by -- when I attended the 8th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Chicago in February. I also heard this phrase repeated often at a roundtable discussion of federal health officials and AIDS policy experts in which I recently participated in Washington. I came away from both of these gatherings impressed by the overwhelming consensus that in order for Academy members, as well as other HIV health care providers, to move forward in advancing the quality of HIV care and to more clearly define and distinguish ourselves as a specialty among healthcare professionals, what is needed -- and essential -- is Continuous Professional Development. The importance the Academy places on CPD is evidenced in the qualifications AAHIVM recently announced for HIV/AIDS specialists. I hope you take time to read the related article on this important topic in this issue of The Nexus.

I also find myself thinking about growth, as in the continuing growth of the Academy. As the clock leaped forward this spring, so did the Academy's membership. I am pleased to report that AAHIVM's membership has grown to more than 1,000 primary and associate members representing nearly a one-third increase in membership since the end of last year (see related membership report). We should take great pride in the fact that Academy members, a diverse group with relatively equal representation of specialties, now provide direct care to more than 225,000 HIV patients or more than half of all patients in ongoing treatment for HIV/AIDS.

You can also find evidence of the Academy's continuing growth and development on our website, www.aahivm.org, which recently added a Conference Archive to assist our members in getting information on AIDS conferences, research and information (see related website article). Similarly, new growth and development can be seen in our Reimbursement Project Committee's effort to develop and publish a series of monographs in the coming months on Billing and Coding Regulatory Issues (see related monograph article).

Our Core Curriculum Committee has also grown immeasurably in both purpose and productivity, as it has addressed issues related to and developed criteria by which front-line HIV health care providers can measure themselves to determine their qualification to be HIV specialists.

The Academy's staff is growing, too. In April, we welcomed Jerry Calumn to the ranks of AAHIVM as Senior Director. Jerry brings several years of very useful experience -- and a variety of management skills -- to us from working with AIDS service organizations in North Carolina and Texas. Welcome aboard, Jerry, we're glad you're here!

In closing, I should also point out that even the Academy's newsletter is growing. Now firmly rooted since its debut in January, The Nexus is branching out with a first-time offering of a profile/article on an Academy member, in this issue Doug Cunningham, D.O. of Arizona. I hope you will take the time to notice (and read) this new feature as well. The April/May issue also introduces, among other new features, A Roundup, with reader-friendly news briefs and bulletins on timely legislative and public-policy events and activities of interest to our members.

Finally, I want to commend Dean Waite and Laura Hertzler of the Academy's staff on their own continuing professional development and thank them for the contribution they make every day to the smooth operation and success of the Academy. Thank you.

Have a safe and enjoyable summer.

Best wishes,
Scott

R. Scott Hitt, M.D., is President and Interim Executive Director of the American Academy of HIV Medicine. Dr. Hitt chaired the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS for five years during the Clinton administration. He has also directly cared for 1,000 patients living with HIV.

Back to The Nexus April/May 2001 contents page.