In my many years of involvement with the College, I’ve always been impressed with its creative approaches to address issues that affect the allergy/immunology specialty. There are a few outstanding programs I’d like to highlight.
We need to draw more physicians into allergy/immunology, and there is no better place to showcase all that our specialty has to offer than at the ACAAI Annual Meeting. The College’s SPARK Award Program encourages medical residents to consider a career in allergy/immunology. Recipients of SPARK Awards attend the ACAAI Annual Meeting at no charge, are mentored by allergy Fellows-in-Training, and have the unique opportunity to closely interact with training directors and other allergists. One of my central initiatives has been to increase interest in the College’s SPARK Awards from historically Black medical colleges and universities (HBCUs). This year, I’m pleased to report that 21 SPARK Award recipients (out of 60 total) will be coming from HBCU’s.
Another way the College is addressing the shortage of allergists/immunologists in the United States is the extremely important Pathways to Practice (P2P) program – started by James M. Tracy, DO, FACAAI, 2024-25 ACAAI President. The program supports the training of 16 allergy/immunology fellows through four grants awarded annually. These are additional fellowship slots that would not exist without the College’s support.
Research and practice can work together, as evidenced by the Community and Academic Partnership in Education and Research (CA2PER) program. This program, initiated by 2023-24 ACAAI President Gailen D. Marshall, Jr, MD, PhD, FACAAI, brings together academic and community-based allergists to address research questions relevant to clinical practice.
The Community and Academic Partnership in Education (CAPE) program was designed to provide teaching opportunities in community allergy practices by creating office-based, clinical elective rotations. In the program, medical students, residents or fellows can learn in real-world settings. It was initiated by 2022-23 ACAAI President Kathleen R. May, MD, FACAAI.
These programs bring people together in new ways, encourage the creation of professional networks and offer opportunities for people to get more out of their careers. Creativity like this makes the College nimble, proactive and prepared to face future challenges.
