Frequently Asked Questions
About ISTM
Who belongs to the ISTM community?
ISTM has over 2,700 members from more than 80 countries. Members include physicians, nursing professionals, pharmacists, public health officials, other health professionals as well as others working in the travel and travel related industries.
How is the ISTM governed?
Decision making is by seven voting members of the ISTM Executive Board: President, Past-President, President-Elect and four Counselors. Elections are held every two years with a staggering of terms. All ISTM members are eligible to vote. Counselors serve four year terms and Presidents for a total of six years (two as President-Elect, two as President and two as Past-President). No more than three voting members may be from the same continent at the same time. Standing Committee Chairs and Chairs of Professional and Interest Groups attend Board meetings in an Advisory Capacity as needed. A list of current and past ISTM Leaders from 5 continents and over 10 countries may be found here.
What are the objectives of ISTM?
ISTM strives to promote the field of travel medicine through the dissemination of information, providing ample networking opportunities to travel medicine health professionals, developing educational programs and products, facilitating international contacts, and fostering research in travel medicine. To read the ISTM mission and learn more about its goals, please click here.
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The Certificate recognizes individual excellence in knowledge in the field of travel medicine, associated with pre-travel care and consultation. The exam focuses specifically on the level of knowledge that is necessary to practice travel medicine. Knowledge of specific tropical diseases and treatments will be limited to that which should be known to advise travelers (for example, in the diagnosis and treatment of traveler’s diarrhea or rabies immunoprophylaxis), including post-travel triage of travelers and post-travel screening. Knowledge of tropical medicine is not required.
Developed by an international panel of travel medicine experts representing a variety of professional disciplines, the Certificate will be awarded to eligible professionals who pass the Certificate of Knowledge Examination. The Certificate is a symbol of your achievement in the field - proof of your commitment to excellence. Those passing the examination will receive a Certificate of Knowledge and will be granted a "Certificate in Travel Health®" or "CTH®." ISTM members who receive the Certificate will also be recognized with a special designation in the ISTM Global Travel Clinic Directory and in the Membership section of the ISTM website.
Who is eligible to take the exam?
The ISTM welcomes applications from all qualified professionals who provide travel medicine-related services on a full- or part-time basis. The exam is open to all licensed travel medicine professionals, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists and others. Both ISTM members and non-members are eligible to participate but ISTM members receive a registration discount and priority in years when exam seating is limited. Click here for detailed information.
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Global Travel Clinic Directory
What is the directory?
The directory is an international listing of ISTM member travel medicine clinics that offer pre-travel immunizations, counseling and medicines to help protect travelers while traveling internationally. Most clinics also provide care to travelers if needed upon their return. There are currently clinics located in 65 countries included in the directory. You can find your nearest clinic by searching here.
Who uses the directory?
The directory is available on the home page of the ISTM website and is currently linked by a number of other websites. Currently there are more than 100,000 unique visitors who consult the directory each year.
How can I get my clinic listed?
Listings in the directory are available only to ISTM Members. Note that a listing is not automatic and members must complete a listing request form in the Members Services section of the website.
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ISTM Meetings
How often are CISTM conferences held?
The ISTM currently holds its leading worldwide scientific congress biennially in odd numbered years.
Approximately 2,000 delegates from over 50 countries attend each CISTM. You don’t have to be an ISTM member to attend a CISTM, but members receive registration discounts of up to USD 150. For more information about the CISTM, click here.
How can I participate in a CISTM?
Watch the website. Information about CISTM attendance, including registration information, abstract submission deadlines and processes are posted as soon as it becomes available here. A request for proposals for symposia, speakers, topics and workshops is posted on the Members Services section of the website at least 18 months in advance of each CISTM. Any ISTM Member may submit ideas.
Does ISTM provide travel assistance to the CISTM?
To assist those otherwise unable to attend, ISTM offers a limited number of travel grants for CISTM presenters from lower income countries. More information on this program can be found here.
What is the RCISTM meeting?
ISTM currently partners with regional travel medicine groups to offer Regional ISTM Conferences (RCISTM) biennially during even-numbered years. For more information about the Regional Conferences, click here.
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ISTM Membership
What publications will I receive as an ISTM member?
In addition to having access to various handouts and educational materials, ISTM produces two regular publications included in the ISTM membership dues. The Journal of Travel Medicine is the only peer-reviewed, PubMed indexed, travel medicine journal published six times each year. One print copy of each issue is mailed to each member and a link from this website also provides Members with full online access to each issue as well as all back content since the Journal began in 1994. New members will receive back issues for the beginning of the calendar year within two months of receipt of membership materials.
NewsShare is a lively newsletter published at least 6 times per year containing ISTM news and events as well as human interest articles contributed by members. It is e-mailed to all members and the current and back issues are available from this website.
ISTM Members are encouraged to participate in ISTM Volunteer Activity Groups. ISTM Members can request an appointment to one of the many Standing Committees that work on ISTM programs and products. ISTM Members are also encouraged to join and participate in a Professional Group. Established ISTM Professional Groups include Nursing and Pharmacy. ISTM also offers members the opportunity to become involved in one or more of its Interest Groups. As an exciting new ISTM venture, there are three Proposed Interest Groups you may join. They include Destinations Community Support, Migrant and Refugee Health and The Psychological Health of Travelers. ISTM Members wishing to establish new Interest Groups can receive more information here.
What is TravelMed?
TravelMed is an electronic email forum for private discussions amongst ISTM members of clinical or patient problems or controversies. Currently more than 1350 members from 45 countries subscribe to the ISTM list serve. Subscription is free though not automatic in the membership enrollment process. Members can subscribe at any time after joining. For more information, or to participate, click here.
How can I apply for a Research Grant?
Only ISTM members are eligible to apply for the USD 1,000 to USD 5,000 annual research grants available from ISTM. Grants are awarded through a peer-reviewed process, and are designed to stimulate travel medicine research by supporting comprehensive research projects or, for larger projects, providing support for pilot studies to enable researchers to collect data/test hypotheses so that they can then apply to other agencies for more substantive research grants. For more information, or to apply, click here.
What is GeoSentinel?
GeoSentinel is a worldwide communication and data collection network for the surveillance of travel related morbidity. It was initiated in 1995 by ISTM and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as a network of ISTM member travel/tropical medicine clinics. GeoSentinel is based on the concept that these clinics are ideally situated to effectively detect geographic and temporal trends in morbidity among travelers, immigrants and refugees. For more information click here.
What is EuroTravNet?
EuroTravNet is a collaborative network of ISTM member travel/tropical medicine clinics in Europe and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) creating a network of clinical experts in tropical and travel medicine to support detection, verification, assessment and communication of communicable diseases that can be associated with travelling and specifically with tropical diseases. For more information, click here.
How can I contact ISTM member colleagues?
The ISTM Member Directory is available to ISTM Members by clicking here. You can search for members by name, by city, or by country (and state or province when that is used to address mail for a given country). The membership listings include contact information as well as recognition of participation and leadership status in each voluntary activity, Certificate in Travel Health status, and CISTM attendance history.
Who can join ISTM?
Anyone working in or interested in the field of travel medicine is encouraged and welcome to join ISTM. Members include physicians, nurses, pharmacists, scientists, public health professionals, students, travel industry employees and media professionals.
What does it cost to join?
ISTM membership dues range from only USD 105 to USD 175 each year. To join, or for more information click here.