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Meet Your Candidates for Secretary-Treasurer of the AAAAI
Meet Your Candidates for Secretary-Treasurer of the AAAAI
Secretary-Treasurer candidates, whom if elected eventually ascend to become AAAAI President, answered a series of questions to provide you with a deeper understanding of their goals for the AAAAI as an organization.
This year’s candidates are:
Stuart L. Abramson, MD, PhD, AE-C, FAAAAI, Director of Allergy and Immunology Services at Shannon Clinic/Medical Center in San Angelo, Texas. He is also an Affiliate Clinical Professor at Texas A & M University Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine.
Leonard B. Bacharier, MD, FAAAAI, the Janie Robinson and John Moore Lee Chair in Pediatrics, Professor in Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Section Chief of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, Scientific Director of the Center for Clinical and Translational Research and Director of the Center for Pediatric Asthma Research.
If elected, describe your initiative(s) and your plan to achieve it/them? In the context of your Presidential Initiative(s), what would be your overall theme and why would you consider this to be important?
If elected, describe your initiative(s) and your plan to achieve it/them? In the context of your Presidential Initiative(s), what would be your overall theme and why would you consider this to be important?
Dr. Abramson: A/I Advocacy – In clinical care, education and research, advocacy is an area where we can make an impact at a variety of levels - local, county, state and national. All these levels of advocacy in our specialty can make a difference for our patients. Such efforts can affect how well we can deliver care, educate new specialists and prepare for the future by bringing in new clinicians, educators, researchers and combinations thereof to enable advances in our field via new research discoveries and their clinical implementation. I would like to see the AAAAI lead the way in training members for advocacy and mobilize our membership via engagement with lay groups, communities or with academia, based on a member’s individual interests, to address some of the most pressing issues in these three areas in our specialty: clinical care, education and research. This seems like a very broad initiative, but the focus first is to train members in advocacy methods, then to subsequently hone in on some of the specific issues facing our field at the time.
Dr. Bacharier: The focus of my career has been lessening the impact of asthma in children. During those 25 years, we have seen marked advances in the treatment options and evidence bases for the management of asthma during childhood. Unfortunately, many children continue to struggle with asthma, with issues ranging from delays in diagnosis to access to essential medications, highlighted recently with the removal of Flovent MDI from the market. My major initiative would focus on the advancement of pediatric asthma care, at least in part through improved dissemination of evidence-based guidelines. I envision a two-day stand-alone meeting focused exclusively on childhood asthma, drawing experts in allergy, pulmonology, primary care, advocacy, lay support organizations, health disparities, pharmaceuticals, school nurses, insurance/pharmacy benefits managers and patients. Presentations and discussions would focus on the most relevant issues impacting asthma care, with the subsequent development of a meeting report to be published in JACI including identification of priorities for improving care to our youngest and most vulnerable patients.
The field of allergy/immunology faces a number of challenges and opportunities. What would be an example of a particularly important problem or challenge to our field, and how would you address it?
The field of allergy/immunology faces a number of challenges and opportunities. What would be an example of a particularly important problem or challenge to our field, and how would you address it?
Dr. Abramson: Vaccination programs - one area I feel is of particular importance to the health and well-being of our population, is the understanding of the evidence-based medicine regarding vaccinations. This is an area that we should be very concerned about and in which we have expertise as allergists and immunologists. Along with our infectious disease colleagues, I believe that we need to address the science behind all major vaccinations needed from infancy on that are needed to optimally protect the public from preventable diseases and attenuate the severity of others. We need to support ongoing studies to determine further the prevalence of side effects relative to the benefits of vaccination and bring to light what degree of immunity can be achieved. We need to raise awareness of the potential problems that immunodeficient patients as well as unvaccinated individuals may encounter if they are around unvaccinated persons.
Dr. Bacharier: Our specialty is already one of the “smallest” in number, but which routinely “punches above its weight” and provides great help to countless patients. Concerningly, the number of residents pursuing fellowships in A/I remains lower than ideal to ensure a consistent pipeline of well-qualified candidates to continue to grow and reinforce the field into the future. Furthermore, the prevalence and complexity of allergic disorders continue to increase, further exacerbating the need for highly competent providers. We collectively need to enhance our efforts towards attracting young, energetic and committed young physicians to A/I, and to begin this as early in their medical training as possible. The AAAAI has been critical in helping stimulate young trainees to understand the importance of A/I and to pursue fellowship training. The AAAAI Chrysalis Project has been very successful in this regard, but we still turn away many interested individuals. Expansion of this program, which would be complex given the desire to maximize the personal nature of this experience, would likely attract even more talented trainees towards the A/I field.
The AAAAI continues to face many challenges and opportunities as well. Give an example of an important challenge to our organization, and how would you address it?
The AAAAI continues to face many challenges and opportunities as well. Give an example of an important challenge to our organization, and how would you address it?
Dr. Abramson: Engaging new membership - the future of our specialty relies on continued AAAAI membership to meet our mission statement. Engaging new membership, starting at the fellow-in-training level, is needed for this. This involves demonstrating to our constituents the value that the AAAAI offers in (1) assisting in the establishment and maintenance of optimal allergy, asthma and immunology practice, (2) promoting and supporting up-to-date education and research efforts, (3) helping to network with mentors and field experts and (4) engaging in special projects to enhance outcomes. Personal contact by phone, video or in person, in addition to the usual email communication, is needed to inform and engage new members and to let them know that we value their potential contributions to the AAAAI as well.
Dr. Bacharier: The AAAAI is a remarkably stable and strategic organization, with a committed membership, fiscally responsible leadership and a robust resource base, strong relationships with industry partners and steadfast dedication to its mission of the advancement of the knowledge and practice of allergy, asthma and immunology for optimal patient care. However, we are not the only organization in the A/I space, and with increasing competition from other groups and outlets that provide medical education, along with limited funds and time available to many attendees to travel and engage with AAAAI activities, we must remain on the cutting edge of our offerings to our members and meeting attendees. Broadening our appeal to basic scientists through investment in the Discovery program this year was a fine example of addressing this challenge. Future efforts to further engage clinicians, basic scientists and trainees will be essential for sustained growth and vigor of the AAAAI.
Why do you want to be President of the AAAAI?
Why do you want to be President of the AAAAI?
Dr. Abramson: The AAAAI IS my professional home and I value this immensely. The AAAAI Annual Meeting is my favorite meeting of the year (I have not missed one since 1989 – 36 meetings in a row) and I always look forward to reconnecting with many friends and colleagues from across the US and beyond. I truly appreciate the educational programming that takes place every year, but also via opportunities throughout the year sponsored by AAAAI. I want to see the efforts led by the AAAAI in clinical care, education and research succeed and feel that I have the dedication, enthusiasm, knowledge and skills to guide our organization, along with our outstanding EDI staff, BOD and volunteers, on the right path to fulfill our mission. I would like the opportunity to serve in this leadership role as I feel I am now prepared for the time and effort it would take to be successful. With grown “kids” (ages 27+) on their own ways, a new partner in my practice and my wife’s support, I am ready for this responsibility.
Dr. Bacharier: The AAAAI has been a central component of my career development since fellowship. From helping found the New Allergist/Immunologist Committee right after fellowship, to leading the Annual Meeting Program Committee through the COVID pandemic, to serving as Chair of the ADT Interest Section, to most recently serving on the Board of Directors, my AAAAI experiences have been amongst the most rewarding and valuable of my career. I have met and learned from so many talented and passionate colleagues, all collectively focused on advancing the field through patient care, research, advocacy and education. I would be honored to serve as President of this prestigious and impactful organization embodied by countless generous, energetic and talented individual members. I believe I bring a strong commitment to the organization, supported by a love for the specialty that will allow the AAAAI to continue to flourish, providing great value to our members, stakeholders, and most importantly, the patients who rely upon us for expert and compassionate care.
Click here to learn more about both candidates, read their full Q&A and cast your votes. All ballots must be cast online or postmarked on or before January 6 at 5:00 pm CT.