ISSTDR

The International Society for Sexually Transmitted Diseases Research, established in 1977, organizes bi-annual scientific meetings covering the entire range of biomedical, behavioral and social sciences involving all STDs, including HIV infection.

STI Team Maastricht

Our STI research group of Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+) and Regional Public Health Service (GGD Zuid Limburg) within research school Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), under the name "STI team Maastricht" has acquired a leading international position in the field STI research. This has been achieved by expanding a number of core qualities that are present within the group:

1. A unique bridge between public health (GGD) - with a large STI clinic (> 8000 patients per year) with systematic registration - and innovative medical microbiology with the most modern molecular techniques to optimize STI control.
2. Methodological diversity (including classical epidemiology, key population approach, network methodology, geographical information systems, e-health approach, web-based respondent-driven sampling).
3. A large biobank with over 100,000 samples.
4. Cooperation on the complete cascade of care and cure: including collaboration with behavioral sciences (including in the field of stigma and intervention mapping strategies) to realize effective behavioral interventions within STI control.

In the future, the international position will be continued and strengthened. More attention will be paid to international cooperation and expansion of the network in order to increase opportunities in future grant applications and to strengthen the impact of the research output and thus the position of the MUMC +/GGDZL tandem.