Alison Footman PhD, MPH
@alisonfootman.bsky.social
STI research and advocacy | Dog mom | Southerner
ICYMI, the latest edition of the #STIWatch newsletter is out! It features the newest #STI resource for advocates and highlights key issues we’re watching, including innovation in diagnostics + vaccines and the growing threat of under-funding. Read it here: www.stiwatch.org/stiwatch-qua...
STIWatch Quarterly Newsletter - STI Watch
STIWatch Newsletter Issues
stiwatch.org
Excited to share our new article in STI “‘Self-testing’ vs ‘self-collection’: The critical role of consistent language in STI diagnostics.” ✨ Inconsistent terms create confusing across research, policy, & programs ✨Words shape how people access care Read more at sti.bmj.com/content/earl...
‘Self-testing’ versus ‘self-collection’: the critical role of consistent language in the field of STI diagnostics
Self-collection of specimens and self-testing for the detection of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are important tools that play a vital role in the prevention, detection and treatment of these...
sti.bmj.com
Our #STI civil society partners in Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia, Uganda & Zimbabwe are helping to reshape the STI R&D and diagnostics agenda in East and Southern Africa. 🔗 Read how ➡️ www.stiwatch.org/moving-the-s... #STIAdvocacy #STIWatch #HIVprevention #GlobalHealth
About two weeks away from this webinar focused on highlighting presenters who could not attend the STI & HIV 2025 World Congress due to financial and political barriers. Register at www.stiwatch.org/event/beyond...
AVAC@avac.org · 12mo agoJoin us, @iusti-europe.bsky.social, #ISTDR, @stihiv2025.org October 29 for a webinar on the latest in #STI R&D from voices you have not yet heard! 🔗 www.stiwatch.org/events-webin...
There is a chlamydia vaccine for Koala's!!!! I think we can all retire knowing the future is bright because at least the Koala's have a chlamydia vaccine. doi.org/10.1002%2Fve...
Protecting koalas from chlamydial disease
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doi.org
Check out the newest STIWatch Newsletter!
AVAC@avac.org · 12mo agoThe latest #STIWatch newsletter is live! ✔️ Highlights from the STI & #HIV World Congress ✔️ What US research defunding means for #STIs ✔️ New WHO STI guidelines ✔️ Q&A with AVAC’s Alison Footman ✔️ New blog from global partners on advocacy priorities 📰 Read more: tinyurl.com/STIwatch
A reminder that you have till Friday to sign up as a speaker for this webinar! All are welcome and I am excited to hear about your work! #STIHIV25
Alison Footman PhD, MPH@alisonfootman.bsky.social · last yr.@stihiv2025.org @avac.org #IUSTI & #ISSTDR are hosting a webinar focused on highlighting speakers and research that were not presented during the #STIHIV25 congress because of financial or political barriers. If you are interested in presenting please complete this form tinyurl.com/STIHIV25
This piece by @alisonfootman.bsky.social really nicely (and depressingly) encapsulates the real-world effect of the ongoing chaos in sexual health funding. HIV intersects heavily with STIs, so even as we worry about HIV funding cliffs in the U.S., we've got other fronts we need to fight on as well.
AVAC@avac.org · last yr.Read AVAC’s @alisonfootman.bsky.social on the devastating impact of funding cuts on #STI research. Leading researchers warn of shuttered studies, lost talent & setbacks for urgently needed innovation. Read ➡️ www.thebodypro.com/sexually-tra... @myhelfy.bsky.social #HIV
@stihiv2025.org @avac.org #IUSTI & #ISSTDR are hosting a webinar focused on highlighting speakers and research that were not presented during the #STIHIV25 congress because of financial or political barriers. If you are interested in presenting please complete this form tinyurl.com/STIHIV25
The #STIHIV2025 congress kicks off in Montréal this weekend. AVAC is tracking key sessions, strategies, and advocacy needed to confront rising infections and shrinking budgets. Follow along with our latest #STIWatch preview. #IUSTI2025 #STIadvocacy #GlobalHealth 🔗 www.stiwatch.org/whats-next-f...
If you are an early career research attending @stihiv2025.org and interested in learning more about data visualization in R, @odileharrison.bsky.social , Sim Dabee, and I are organizing a workshop during the conference (11:30am-1:30pm on Wednesday). Register here: forms.gle/e4UL1NG62PUD...
ECR Data Visualisation Workshop
Please complete this application to attend the Data Viz workshop. This event will be held at the 2025 STI & HIV World Congress in Montreal, Canada on Wednesday, July 30th from 11:30-13:30. Effective...
forms.gle
Congratulations to the New Zealand Herpes Foundation on winning a prize for their excellent campaign to destigmatize herpes. 👏 www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...
New Zealand ad campaign to make country ‘best place in the world to have herpes’ wins top prize at Cannes Lions
Retro-style tourism video fronted by a former All Blacks coach won the Cannes Lions grand prix for good award
theguardian.com
You can still register for this exciting webinar that is just TWO weeks away and co-hosted by @ashasexualhealth.bsky.social and @avac.org. Register at us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Join us for a conversation about STI and HIV testing in the modern era with dialogue from both health care providers and patient perspectives.
Join us for a conversation about STI and HIV testing in the modern era with dialogue from both health care providers and patient perspectives. During this webinar attendees will learn about - The im...
us02web.zoom.us
American Sexual Health Association@ashasexualhealth.bsky.social · last yr.Join us for a webinar next month about STI and HIV testing on July 9th! @avac.org #HIV #STI #Webinar #FreeWebinar #AVAC #ASHA #Roche #STItesting
Good news in the fight against #STIs: England is rolling out the world’s first #gonorrhea vaccine—the #4CMenB meningococcal vax, found to offer protection against gonorrhea too. Learn more: www.stiwatch.org/gonorrhea #STIWatch bbc.com/news/article...
Gonorrhoea vaccine to be rolled out in England from August
The treatment will be offered to those most at risk from August after a record number of cases.
bbc.com
#WHO is developing global guidance on DoxyPEP for #STI prevention and they want to hear from you! 🗣️ Submit your input by May 31: extranet.who.int/dataformv6/i.... Learn more about #DoxyPEP for STI prevention, www.stiwatch.org/prevention.
✨ @avac.org's brief on the global impact of US funding cuts to the STI field was just released! STI research and prevention efforts are being severely compromised during this new administration. www.stiwatch.org/worldwide-pr...
Wisconsin has seen a 1,450% increase in congenital syphilis cases since 2019, the state's Dept of Health Services reports. This at a time when the country's premier #STD lab has been shuttered in the devastating cuts at #CDC. What could possibly go wrong? www.statnews.com/2025/04/05/c...
As we close the first quarter of 2025, AVAC is tracking a handful of issues likely to shape the #STI landscape this year. Here are highlights, trends to watch, and valuable resources to support advocacy. Read the latest issue of our STIWatch Quarterly Newsletter! www.stiwatch.org/stiwatch-qua...
It’s #STI Awareness Week! 🧬 From new self-tests to promising vaccine research, there's momentum—but also real threats from funding cuts and agency rollbacks. Stay informed. 🔗 STIwatch.org #STIAwarenessWeek #STIWatch #VaccinesWork #PublicHealth
STI Watch
And better, faster, less expensive testing tools to reduce the toll of STIs.
stiwatch.org
The elimination of the CDC National STD Reference Laboratory has been horrific. We have lost the ability to monitor antimicrobial resistance for gonorrhea, which has become hesitant to nearly all treatment options. We need this lab to keep America healthy. www.change.org/p/protect-th...
Sign the Petition
Protect the CDC's National STD Reference Laboratory
change.org
This week @hivpxresearch.bsky.social released the first STIWatch newsletter of the year. Times right now are frightful and the STI field is seeing a lot of great movement, with the FDA marketing approval for the first STI self-test for women and much more!
AVAC@avac.org · last yr.Latest #STIWatch issue is out! We cover the first self-test for chlamydia, gonorrhea & trich, introduce a new #selfcare guide and spotlight the top issues we’re monitoring as the dismantling of global health continues. #STI 🔗 www.stiwatch.org/stiwatch-qua...
BIG news for #STI detection and prevention, www.fda.gov/news-events/.... #FDA gave marketing approval for the FIRST self-test for chlamydia, gonorrhea, & trichomoniasis paving the way for other diagnostics. Visit www.stiwatch.org to learn more about diagnostics other prevention strategies.
FDA Grants Marketing Authorization of First Home Test for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and Trichomoniasis
The FDA granted marketing authorization of the first at home diagnostic test for chlamydia, gonorrhea and trichomoniasis.
fda.gov
ASTDA and IUSTI Canada are hosting an early career development symposium during the @stihiv2025.org World Congress. Apply by April 15th at tinyurl.com/ASTDACanada as 40 spaces are available. This session primarily for those living in North America.
New #DoxyPEP research using gonorrhea surveillance data shows increased #AMR resistance in gonorrhea and other bacteria. This crucial data—and the research it enables—is at risk under the new administration’s cuts to #CDC & #STI funding. More here: www.cidrap.umn.edu/antimicrobia....
DoxyPEP study shows an increase of resistance in targeted and 'bystander' bacteria
cidrap.umn.edu
As we close #CervicalCancer Awareness Month, check out a series of conversations we hosted last year alongside partners and experts in the field discussing treatment and prevention and hear directly from advocates and survivors. Watch the full recordings here! 📽️ stiwatch.org/cervical-cancer-series
January is #CervicalCancer Awareness Month. During this time last year, AVAC alongside partners and experts in the field hosted a wide range of conversations surfacing topics such as treatment and prevention, hearing directly from advocates and exploring which communities are most impacted.
Phew 😅 #STI enthusiasts @stihiv2025.org #AbstractDeadline has just been extended to 13th January 2025. Please spread the word to your friends #chlamydia #gonorrhoea #trichomonas #syphilis #mp #HIV @bashhuk.bsky.social @alisonfootman.bsky.social @chidodc.bsky.social @billmiller-epi.bsky.social
New data now freely available on our #GFINDER portal showing 2023 funding for global health R&D. 1️⃣See where the money is coming from and where it's going 2️⃣Explore which new products are benefitting from investment 3️⃣Find out which conditions will be tackled with greater R&D bit.ly/4f5WFsK
New data reveals what's happening in the funding of global health R&D
The 2023 financial year funding data is now available in the G-FINDER database so you can see what's being funded, by whom, and whether investment is accelerating, stagnating or declining
bit.ly
After going to 4 stores and asking an employee to unlock a cabinet, I bought the first to know syphilis test! It’s an exciting time to be able to buy an OTC syphilis test but inequities with access remain and it’s imperative that the STI community find new ways to expand access.
