About IAS-USA

About IAS-USA


The International AIDS Society-USA (IAS-USA) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit professional organization that has been sponsoring continuing medical education (CME) programs for physicians since 1992 and is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).

The International AIDS Society-USA has a clearly defined mission, an extensive network of experienced and committed HIV/AIDS experts, and is recognized for high-quality, independent educational programs. The primary educational and informational programs sponsored by the International AIDS Society-USA include CME Courses, Cases on the Web, development of Treatment Guidelines, and publication and distribution of Topics in HIV Medicine®.

The International AIDS Society-USA is not affiliated with worldwide IAS (an international organization of members working in HIV/AIDS).


Content Development and Objectivity Policies for CME Activities

The IAS-USA was founded on the commitment to produce Continuing Medical Education (CME) activities and services of the highest quality in the field of HIV/AIDS and that are absolutely free of commercial bias. All of the IAS-USA programs – such as conferences, Web-based CME publications, and treatment guidelines – are offered as part of a nationwide effort to inform HIV health care practitioners about the evolving challenges of caring for patients with HIV disease.

To further ensure complete independence of its program and content from commercial interests, the IAS-USA has adopted a policy that prohibits health care providers who participate in commercial marketing or promotional activities from being involved in IAS-USA programs and activities. Information about the policy on the separation of promotional and marketing activities from IAS–USA CME activities, adopted in January 2009, can be found here.

The excellence of the IAS-USA programs is driven by a broad faculty of clinicians and researchers who are experts in HIV/AIDS and by the organization’s volunteer board of directors. The board and faculty determine issues that are most relevant to the clinical management of patients and guide the development of program content. New faculty members are screened by the IAS-USA in order to promote a diversity of clinical views.

The IAS-USA strives to maintain an objective, balanced, and scientifically rigorous program that is free from commercial bias. Funding for some organization programs may originate from educational grants from commercial companies or from Federal agencies. For CME activities that are designated to receive commercial support, the IAS-USA adheres to the following policies that prevent the involvement of outside entities in the planning and provision of program content:

* Commercially supported programs do not receive funding from a single source; funds must be received from several companies with competing products, and is pooled to be used at IAS-USA discretion.

* The IAS-USA maintains a firewall between commercial funding sources and CME program content by internally managing every aspect of the planning, development, and delivery of its CME activities.

* The IAS-USA requires full disclosure of relationships—financial and otherwise—that its faculty or other persons in control of content with commercial organizations and other outside entities.

* When a real or potential conflict of interest is determined to exist, the IAS-USA resolves the conflict before permitting a faculty member to participate in CME program development or implementation.

* Finally, the IAS-USA undertakes an independent peer review of the content and recommendations of all of its CME activities.