Confronting Inequities in STI Prevention, Diagnostics and Care

Fundraising Committee

Jo-Anne Dillon

Chairperson, Canada

Jo-Anne Dillon is also the Chairperson Scientific Committee of the Congress. She is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology and a Research Scientist at the Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Organization of the University of Saskatchewan. She is recognized for her research leadership in the antimicrobial resistance, biology (including cell division mechanisms) and molecular epidemiology of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. She co-founded the World Health Organization-sponsored International Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Program (GASP).

Max Chernesky

Canada

Dr Max Chernesky is Professor emeritus of Pediatrics, Pathology and Molecular Medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. His research has focussed on diagnosis and treatment of asymptomatic STIs using non invasive sampling. He was a member of the Canadian Expert Committee for the Diagnosis and Treatment of STIs for 18 years.He is the treasurer of IUSTI-Canada. He was a recent recipient of the ASTDA Distinguished Career Award and was also inducted as a Living Legend for the Julius Schachter International Symposium on Human Chlamydial Infections, of which he is currently Chair of the organizing steering committee.He has published 302 peer reviewed journal articles.

Charlotte Gaydos

USA

Dr Charlotte Gaydos is a professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She has joint appointments in emergency medicine and in epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is the former director of the Center for Point-of-Care Tests for Sexually Transmitted Infections. Dr. Gaydos has conducted multiple clinical trials of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for diagnostics for STIs. She has extensive laboratory experience in the development and evaluation of molecular amplification testing techniques, as well as epidemiology expertise. Dr. Gaydos has performed original research developing DNA amplification tests for Chlamydia trachomatis, Trichomonas vaginalis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Mycoplasma genitalium. She has published more than 580 manuscripts, 31 book chapters, and has presented more than 750 abstracts and oral presentations.

Francis Ndowa

ex-officio (Zimbabwe)

Dr Francis Ndowa is the President of this Congress. He is a specialist venereologist based in Harare, Zimbabwe with expertise in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and dermatology. He is the Regional Director of the Africa and Middle East & North Africa Branch of the International Union against STIs (IUSTI Africa-MENA).

Remco Peters

South Africa

Remco Peters is the co-Chairperson for the Scientific Committee for the Congress. He is an HIV/STI clinician, epidemiologist, and researcher based in East London, South Africa. He is Head of Research at the Foundation for Professional Development. Prof Peters leads several clinical research studies on STI programme implementation, STI diagnostics and antimicrobial resistance.

Janet Wilson

ex-officio (UK)

Dr Janet Wilson is the Co-President for the Congress. She is a clinician specialising in STIs and HIV at Leeds, UK, since 1991. She is the current President of IUSTI, since 2019.