OUR MISSION
More than 20 years ago, Dr. Leon Smith founded The Smith Infectious Diseases Foundation, an organization whose mandate is to further the field of infectious diseases and support the research by our infectious disease experts. The funds disbursed by The Foundation are dedicated to combat the spread of infectious diseases, while enhancing clinical and medical care capabilities.
The Smith Infectious Diseases Foundation has funded and continues to offer funding for scientific research and infectious diseases research at institutions such as Georgetown and Yale Universities, and has provided for the establishment of a medical clinic in Newark NJ, which became the first Viral Diagnostic Lab in New Jersey – and one of the largest H.I.V. and Hepatitis-C clinics in the United States. (Years earlier, Dr. Smith and his lovely wife, Peggy, helped establish the Queen of Angels Family Health Service, the first free medical clinic in Newark.)
The size and scope of The Foundation’s work has steadily expanded over the years. Accordingly, the mission of the Foundation has evolved and it exists today “To conduct, assist, encourage and develop scientific, technical, medical, and non-medical research, investigations and studies for the benefit of the public in the general area of infectious diseases and their origination, contagion and cure; to conduct lectures and seminars; to collect data and information; and to publish scientific, technical, medical and other significant reports,” – and the needs are growing.
What is Infectious Disease?
Infectious diseases, also known as transmissible diseases or communicable diseases comprise clinically-evident illness (i.e., characteristic medical signs and/or symptoms of disease) resulting from the infection, presence and growth of pathogenic biological agents in an individual host organism. In certain cases, infectious diseases may show no symptoms for much, or even all of their time in a given host. In the latter case, the disease may only be defined as a "disease" (which by definition means an illness) in hosts who secondarily become ill after contact with an asymptomatic (silent) carrier. An infection is not synonymous with an infectious disease, as some infections do not cause illness in a host.
Infectious pathogens (cause of disease) include some viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, multi-cellular parasites, and abnormal proteins known as prions. These pathogens are the cause of disease epidemics, in the sense that without the pathogen, no infectious epidemic occurs.
For more about our medical research services, contact us today.
“Your dedication to bringing vital medical resources to those in need is commendable – I wish you all the best as we continue to work toward a common goal of saving lives around the world.”
~ President Bill Clinton
“I am aware not only of your great expertise but also of your generosity and the very practical assistance which you offer to so many people here in our area, and indeed, around the world.”
~ The Most Reverend John J. Myers, Archbishop of Newark
“Your ceaseless quest to spread health and combat disease far from the shores of New Jersey is an example for all of us.”
~ Munther Hormoud, M.D., Tufts Medical Center
The Smith Infectious Diseases Foundation, Inc.
171 Old Chester Road • Essex Fells, NJ 07021
Copyright 2017: The Smith Infectious Diseases Foundation, Inc. | Funding For Scientific Research
All rights reserved.171 Old Chester Road, Essex Fells, NJ 07021
Our Foundation Goals
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