First Allergy/Immunology Training Program in State of Utah Opens

Doerthe A. Andreae, MD, PhD (right), and Erik N. Newman, MD (left)

In July of 2025, the first allergy/immunology training program in the state of Utah opened at the University of Utah, thanks to the hard work of Doerthe A. Andreae, MD, PhD, current program director, and Erik N. Newman, MD, current associate program director.

“There were many reasons why we felt it was important to start this program,” said Dr. Andreae, “one of which being a need to keep trainees who are interested in allergy/immunology in the state of Utah. Until now, anyone interested in training in our field had no choice but to leave Utah to do so.”

Drs. Andreae and Newman both hope that with a training program now available in Utah, more allergists will begin practicing within the state and across the general region. “Right now, it’s not uncommon for patients in this region to drive three or more hours to see an allergist,” Dr. Newman explained. “The University of Utah is a large health center, providing services not just for residents of Utah, but Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming and more. Without another training program even nearby, trainees from this region have been forced to leave to find a program – and not all of them come back to the region for employment. We hope this training program can help change that.”

It took Drs. Andreae and Newman approximately one year to begin the new program. They began by working with their institution to get approval to begin a formal application. Once approved by an institution, starting a new program requires a series of steps and requirements from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

Dr. Newman, who completed his pediatric residency at the University of Utah, remembers the university working to have a training program created, but the section had still needed time to grow before it could accommodate a fellowship. “An allergy training program had been a university goal for some time, and it has been exciting to make it happen alongside Dr. Andreae,” he added.

The section of allergy and immunology at the University of Utah is housed within the Department of Dermatology. Drs. Andreae and Newman hope to become a division in the coming years.

Since neither of them had ever applied for a new program, navigating the process was daunting at first, but it was doable with support from colleagues who had gone through the process before. “We had a lot of help, especially from the dermatology department, which had been through the process already and had a lot of advice for us,” said Dr. Andreae. Dr. Andreae also attended the “Excellence in Allergy/Immunology Fellowship Training Program” session at the 2025 AAAAI / WAO Joint Congress prior to receiving their official ACGME accreditation, which is developed by the Core Curriculum, Education and Residency Review subcommittee of the Program Directors Assembly and provides education related to training program roles and offers the opportunity to network with assembly members.

While there is a standard process for starting a new training program, Drs. Andreae and Newman both recommend getting assistance from colleagues to make the journey smoother. “It would be a challenge to begin a program without any colleagues to point you in the right direction,” Dr. Newman said. “If you don’t have any colleagues who have been through it and you want to start a program, I recommend reaching out to other program directors for guidance.”

“But if you can, find individuals from your current institution who have recently been through the process to help you navigate starting a training program,” Dr. Andreae added.

They both hope the new training program will get more trainees interested in allergy/immunology, now that they have more exposure to the field. They also hope the new program will reinforce other academic goals the University of Utah has for both research and education.

In 2025, one additional new allergy/immunology program was created at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, led by Program Director Ekta K. Perera, MD. Prior to that in 2024, the University of Miami/Jackson Health System Program was established by Melissa D. Gans, MD, while Barry J. Pelz, MD, put in the work of getting the Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals, Inc Program reinstated.

You can find a full listing of allergy/immunology programs in the United States and Canada here.