15 September 2020

Dear INGID members,

During my time serving on the INGID Board, I have learned so very much from each of you and value the knowledge you have shared not only with me but nurses worldwide. My term as president will come to an end at the INGID conference in Birmingham and I am saddened that I will not be able to say thank you for all your support in person due to the current pandemic. The last four years as your INGID president have expanded my knowledge, understanding, and compassion in ways I never imagined.

I wanted to write and update the membership on the situation regarding the INGID Board. The Board has been suffering an unforeseen amount of tension and pressure in the last year and especially the last six months. Some of this is likely related to the changes in our work and home environments due to the current pandemic. Due to the struggles that the board was facing, I reached out to the Election Committee, as the executive arm of INGID, asking for advice on how to resolve the issues. The Election Committee has suggested that the Board take a hiatus after the INGID conference in October 2020 in order to regroup and reflect and postpone the biannual election until after the new year. The decision is now up to the you as the members of INGID and I hope each of you will vote and share your feedback.

I would be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to share with the membership the hard work of the INGID Board since the INGID conference in Brussels last September. The Board has been diligent in our duties and our accomplishments speak for themselves. In the last year, the Board has obtained substantial funding from pharmaceutical companies, presented at multiple conferences including Asia Pacific Society of Immunodeficiency, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, African Society for Immune Deficiency, Moroccan Society Meeting, African Society for Immunodeficiency, and the International Primary Immunodeficiencies Congress, created new standard operating procedures, instituted a transition program, participated in multiple workshops on administration of SCIG, and collaborated to create an immunoglobulin product brochure. The Board has also increased our presence on social media including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Linked In. Regular newsletters have been published on the website together with some educational material. The INGID Board, with the assistance of ESID, has created two nursing scholarships to enable two INGID members to attend the INGID conference. An INGID Board member also serves on the International Primary Immunodeficiencies Congress planning committee and on the World PI Week committee. In addition, the Board has planned, implemented and hosted the annual INGID conference.

I would like to thank all of you for your continued support of the INGID Board as we prepare for the first ever INGID virtual conference and complete our tasks for this year.

Despite the tension and pressure, the INGID board has accomplished much in the last year and I am proud to have worked with nurses who are ambitious, dedicated, and committed to all that INGID represents.

I hope this letter finds each of you safe and well. I look forward to “seeing you” at the virtual conference.

Sincerely,

Carla Duff, CPNP-PC, MSN, APRN, IgCN

INGID President