GeoSentinel is a partnership between ISTM and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop a network of travel/tropical medicine clinics for collaboration in the surveillance and monitoring of all travel related illnesses seen in their clinics.  Aggregation of this data across the network of 39 globally dispersed medicine clinics on all continents (15 in the United States and 24 in other countries) allows linking of final diagnoses in migrating populations with similar geographic exposures.  In addition to formal surveillance, GeoSentinel sites also participate in enhanced surveillance and networking with public health partners.

Participation:

GeoSentinel Sites participate in surveillance and monitoring of all travel related illnesses seen in their clinics.  Participating GeoSentinel Sites see post-travel patients, immigrants, and/or refugees, and submit brief clinical information that is entered into a database maintained by GeoSentinel and periodically analyzed in collaboration with CDC.  This database allows for the tracking of new and emerging travel related illness.  GeoSentinel provides formal reports with aggregated data back to the Sites.  The network meets twice yearly to discuss progress and receive updates from CDC on issues of concern related to developments in emerging infectious diseases.  GeoSentinel Sites also participate in requests to investigate urgent public health queries regarding emerging infectious diseases.  Publication and international dissemination of results are just a few of our goals.

Site Selection Criteria:

There are set criteria for selection of new GeoSentinel Surveillance Sites.  Please click here (13kb PDF) to download/view these selection criteria.  If you believe your clinic meets these criteria, we encourage you to submitt an application to become a GeoSentinel Surveillance Site using this form (40kb Word file with editable fields), also available at the Application Form link above.

Benefits:

	Reports produced every quarter for GeoSentinel Sites summarizing trends found in the data as well as compilations of leads and interesting findings from GeoSentinel Network members.
	GeoSentinel Surveillance Site designation.  Recognition by others as a member of a worldwide network belonging to ISTM/CDC.  GeoSentinel has an established record of promoting recognition by name, in the press, on ProMed, in ISTM NewsShare, and in public health bulletins, of individuals reporting a key sentinel event.
	Accelerated acquisition of Alerts & Advisories on breaking events from GeoSentinel in advance of notification of the general ISTM membership.
	Real-time web access to collected data and reports on patients seen at your own clinic.
	Incentive program for large volume sites to defray data entry costs.
	Access to network aggregate data for scholarly publication.
	Opportunity to network with other sites that have similar interests.
	Press kit to help Sites publicize their participation in the GeoSentinel network in their communities.
	Annual meeting of GeoSentinel Surveillance Sites.
	Secure GeoSentinel Sites-only web sites which will include: The ability to download documents of use to Sites including quarterly reports, slide sets, and diagnosis code lists. A web-based data entry system. Facilities to download all of a Site's data for analysis by the Site.

GeoSentinel allows large numbers of ISTM members to link together to help each other.  Rapid and global public health responses in the face of possible or established international outbreaks will be facilitated.