Wesley Burks talked about the optimal use of emerging treatment for food allergies and Cecilia Berin described novel therapies in development. It was exciting to see all the advances in OIT, SLIT and epicutaneous trials, as well as all the monoclonal antibodies that are been studied alone or in association with those modalities.
On Sunday the Plenary was on "Systemic Regulation of Susceptibility and Pathogenesis of Allergic Inflammation." I was proud to see my mentor, Sergejs Berdnikovs, present his data on "Systemic Hormones and the unified Barrier Hypothesis of allergy," but I may be biased since I worked in his lab for two years in research related to this topic. I am sad I wasn't there on Monday and had to miss the plenary on "Atopic Dermatitis: Bench to Bedside and Back" but I know there were plenty of other session on atopic dermatitis during this meeting.
Event though I did not participate on the 7th Annual 5 k, I was excited to see so many allergists relax and get ready to board the trollies that would take them to the AT&T park to take part of such a fun activity. Also, this year they started a four-person team competition, so start training with your favorite team of allergist so you can take part next year.
As a previous awardee and mentor of the Chrysalis project, I was thrilled to witnessed again how the program welcomed new enthusiastic medical students as well as residents interested in the field of allergy/immunology. This program continues to put together a group of lectures on the bread and butter of our field, as well as the different career paths in Allergy and Immunology. I am sure these activities will continue to spark the interest of students and residents and allow them to take the first steps towards a career in this field.
The fellows-in-training, as in previous years, had their own program. I can't deny I wish I had been there to take part in some of their courses. They had an interactive Contract Negotiation Session that I am sure can teach all of us some useful skills.
As always, walking by the posters, learning about all that friends, colleagues and mentors are working on, is the part of the meeting that gives me great joy. I have to say, this was my first meeting after completing my fellowship and my enthusiasm only continues to grow. I hope we all continue to flourish our love for our field of allergy and immunology and continue to work hard to expand our knowledge and make enriching collaborations.
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