Dear colleagues:
One of my presidential initiatives has been to strengthen our international activities in order to increase the Academy’s and the specialty’s recognition and visibility worldwide. I’m pleased to share with you a few examples of this work.
Presently, about 50% of The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology’s published papers are from researchers outside of North America. A similar percentage of abstracts are presented at our Annual Meeting by individuals from other nations. The AAAAI is working with the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), the World Allergy Organization (WAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) on several important projects. While at the EAACI meeting in Goteborg, Sweden, I was fortunate to meet with leaders of all three organizations. I want to congratulate Professor Tony Frew on his accomplishments and leadership as President of the EAACI, and I am looking forward to working with Professor Roy Gerth van Wijk, the new EAACI President, on several joint initiatives such as the planning of the next PRACTALL meeting. The AAAAI and EAACI have had several very successful joint PRACTALL meetings that have resulted in important consensus statements on areas such as atopic dermatitis and anaphylaxis. With the WAO, the AAAAI is enjoying an excellent partnership on many fronts. The AAAAI and WAO have recently agreed to offer travel grants to each other’s meetings. Both groups have sponsored educational sessions at each others meeting and in worldwide venues.
I am personally looking forward to WAO’s meeting in Bangkok this December. It will be an excellent opportunity for the AAAAI to interact with allergy/immunology societies from all over the world and personally speak with their leaders about global concerns affecting our members and patients. I want to congratulate WAO President Michael Kaliner, MD, FAAAAI, and President-elect G. Walter Canonica, MD, FAAAAI, on putting together such a wonderful meeting and their support of the AAAAI’s international efforts.
Jean Bousquet, MD, has been instrumental in formulating the Global Alliance against Respiratory Diseases through the World Health Organization, of which the AAAAI is a member. Professor Bousquet is helping the AAAAI get WHO endorsement of Asthma IQ, and we are discussing the possibility of a joint meeting in Beijing with the Chinese Medical Association.
The AAAAI International Assembly has also been busy under the leadership of Zuhair Ballas, MD, FAAAAI, to help international members feel at home at the AAAAI Annual Meetings and to foster their input on our international initiatives. The AAAAI continues to move forward with our world-wide partners to inform political leaders, lay organizations and patients about the importance of allergists/immunologists in providing care for patients with allergic and immunologic diseases. In addition, we are continuing to work with other professional societies to help educate international physicians how best to provide care for patients with allergic and immunologic diseases. In this regard, Past Presidents Thomas Platts-Mills, MD, PhD, FAAAAI, and William Busse, MD, FAAAAI, were key participants in the World Asthma Meeting held in June is Istanbul.
I believe all of these activities are very important to the Academy’s vibrancy and mission. Over the remainder of my presidential tenure, I look forward to continuing our international collaborative efforts in research, patient care and advocacy for our specialty and patients.
Sincerely,
Thomas B. Casale, MD, FAAAAI
AAAAI President
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