Congratulations to Professor Orla Morrissey on prestigious appointment

Congratulations to Professor Orla Morrissey, who has been selected by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) Executive Committee and the Standard and Practice Guideline Committee (SPGC) Leadership of IDSA as Vice-Chair of the IDSA Aspergillosis Guideline Panel. 

 As Vice-Chair, Orla will play a lead role in crafting the updated Aspergillosis Clinical Practice Guidelines. The Aspergillosis guidelines were first published in 2008 and updated in 2016. These guidelines are internationally recognised and regularly used by clinicians the world over. The guidelines have been cited 1862 times since 2016. 

Orla is the first Australian to serve on the IDSA Aspergillosis Guideline Panel and her inclusion as Vice-Chair is an acknowledgement of her international clinical and research expertise in Aspergillosis.

Aspergillosis is a fungal infection caused by a common mould, Aspergillus, which doesn't usually affect healthy people. However, people with underlying immunosuppression, such as transplant patients or patients with chronic respiratory conditions, such as COPD, asthma or cystic fibrosis, and more recently, people with severe COVID-19 infections, are vulnerable. Aspergillosis is classified as a rare disease, affecting an estimated 4.8 million people worldwide.

Professor Morrissey said, "I am delighted by this appointment. Updating the Aspergillosis guidelines will mean that clinicians have the best evidence-base for treating patients suffering from this infection."

See more

• https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/aspergillosis/