International Society of Travel Medicine
E-mail: ISTM@ISTM.org
Office hours: Monday - Friday, 9.00 - 17.00 EDT (UTC-04)

Frequently Asked Questions

About ISTM

Who belongs to the ISTM community?

ISTM has over 4,000 members from almost 100 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 Counsellors. Elections are held every two years with a staggering of terms. All ISTM members are eligible to vote. Counsellors 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. 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 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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ISTM Certificate of KnowledgeTM Program

What is the ISTM Certificate of KnowledgeTM

The Certificate recognizes individual excellence in knowledge in the field of travel medicine, associated with pre-travel care and consultation. To recieve the Certificate, candidates must initially pass the Certificate of Knowledge Examination which is offered on an annual basis in conjunction with the CISTM or RCISTM. 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 travellers (for example, in the diagnosis and treatment of traveller’s diarrhea or rabies immunoprophylaxis), including post-travel triage of travellers and post-travel screening. Knowledge of tropical medicine is not required.

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 HealthTM" 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. Beginning with the CTH® Certificates awarded in 2011, there is a mandatory maintenance process every ten (10) years to keep the certificate active. There are two avenues for maintaining an active CTH® - either accruing a specific number of credits through the professional development activities in which most travel medicine professionals already participate or retaking and passing the CTH® examination. Since the program became effective in 2011, travel medicine professionals who were awarded certificates prior to 2011 are encouraged to consider participating on a voluntary and not mandatory basis.

For detailed information about the program, click here.

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, counselling and medicines to help protect travellers while traveling internationally. Most clinics also provide care to travellers 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 300,000 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 on the Member Profile 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. As of 1 January 2016 Oxford University Press (OUP) has taken over as publisher of the ISTM Journal of Travel Medicine (JTM). At the same time, the JTM has transitioned into an online only publication, available to all ISTM Members as an exclusive ISTM Member Benefit via the ISTM and OUP websites. This change will significantly reduce the amount of time between authorship to publication as articles will be published as soon as they are ready. ISTM members can access the JTM here.

Travel Medicine News 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 here.

How can I participate in ISTM activities?

ISTM Members are encouraged to participate in ISTM Volunteer Activity Groups. ISTM Members can request an appointment to one of the many 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 Pharmacist. ISTM also offers members the opportunity to become involved in one or more of its current Interest Groups: Migrant and Refugee Health, Military Travel, Older Traveller, Pediatrics, Psychological Health of Travellers, Responsible Travel, Student Travel Abroad and Travel for Work. 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 4,000 members from 95 countries subscribe to the ISTM list serve. Subscription is free and automatic in the membership enrollment process. Members can change subscription 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 travellers, immigrants and refugees. For more information click here.

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 for most professionals range from only USD 105 to USD 200 each year. There are special discounted memberships for professionals in developing countries and retirees. To join, or for more information click here.