Chair Message
Dear Colleagues, Friends, and Supporters
It is an honor to rejoin the AAAAI Foundation Council as Chair for 2024 and present to you the latest annual report. I would like to sincerely thank Dr. David Khan for stepping forward to lead the Foundation Council as Chair last year. Significant progress has been made by the Council under the leadership of Dr. Khan.
Of course, the Foundation’s success would not have been possible without the hard work of our Foundation Council members and the financial support of our membership and industry partners which has allowed us to maintain a steadfast commitment to funding promising young researchers in their journey to become independent investigators in our specialty. Without clinical, translational and basic science research, our specialty would not have the credibility and importance it has today in healthcare. Major advancements in understanding disease mechanisms of action have led to improvements in practice management and the development of novel therapeutics for several acute and chronic diseases we treat. These accomplishments would not be possible without the research contributions that many of us have participated in directly or indirectly throughout our careers.
As always, February was a very important month for the AAAAI Foundation. With street closures not being an option in Washington, DC, we had to change directions with our usual 5K Run/Walk and hold the inaugural Rally for A/I Research. Despite this shift, we still saw great enthusiastic attendance at the Rally. The AAAAI Annual Benefit was also very successful, and it is where we announced the 2024 Faculty Development Award recipients. These young researchers have shown a strong commitment to advancing research in the field of Allergy/Immunology. Congratulations to the 2024 awardees: Taylor Eddens, MD; Matthew Krantz, MD; Elise Liu, MD; Erin Steinbach, MD. We look forward to hearing more about the impact of their research accomplishments in the years to come.
I am pleased to announce that the Foundation Council and AAAAI Board of Directors have approved an increase in the Faculty Development Awards to $300,000 over three years bringing the total allocation for these four grants up to $1,200,000 a year. In addition, we have created a new bridge grant, the AAAAI Foundation Award to Sustain Research Excellence. This grant awards two highly accomplished early-stage investigators each $100,000 to provide support to their research that was very competitive and just missed the funding payline to earn their R01 grant. We believe this supplemental award is essential for keeping our early-stage investigators on the right path for a successful research career, when they are at a critical time just launching their independent programs.
2024 Foundation Annual Benefit: Erin Steinbach, MD, Matthew Krantz, MD, Elise Liu, MD, and Taylor Eddens, MD
Finally, I would like to express on behalf of myself and the entire AAAAI Foundation team our heartfelt gratitude for your financial contributions. Please continue to make the AAAAI Foundation part of your annual philanthropic pledges. Without your commitment, none of the work accomplished over the many years since the Foundation was first established would have been possible. I encourage all our members to take pride in our specialty by supporting the Foundation’s mission to fund research that leads to the prevention and cure of asthma, allergic and immunologic diseases.
Thank you once again for your commitment to the AAAAI Foundation.
Best regards,
Jonathan A. Bernstein, MD, FAAAAI
Chair
Council Roster
AAAAI Foundation Council Roster 2024-2025
Jonathan A. Bernstein, MD, FAAAAI
Chair
Sharon B. Markovics, MD, FAAAAI
Vice Chair
Frank S. Virant, MD, FAAAAI
President-Elect
Carla M. Davis, MD, FAAAAI
Secretary-Treasurer
Subcommittees
Annual Giving
Patricia A. McNally, MD, FAAAAI
Chair
Ulus Atasoy, MD, MA, FAAAAI
Vice Chair
Faculty Development Awards
Seema Aceves, MD, PhD, FAAAAI
Chair
David D. Chaplin, MD, PhD, FAAAAI
Vice Chair
Mitchell H. Grayson, MD, FAAAAI
Past Chair
Lectureship and Major Gifts
Donald Leung, MD, PhD, FAAAAI
Chair
Mary Beth Fasano, MD, MPH, FAAAAI
Vice Chair
Research and Long-Range Planning
Nora A. Barrett, MD, FAAAAI
Chair
Elizabeth J. Phillips, MD, FAAAAI, FIDSA
Vice Chair
Special Events
Basil M. Kahwash, MD
Chair
Joseph D. Diaz, MD, FAAAAI
Past Chair
Grants
2024 Faculty Development Awardees
Taylor Eddens, MD
University of Pittsburgh
“Neonatal stem-like CD4+ T Cells and Asthma Development After Early Life Viral Infection”
Matthew Krantz, MD
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
“A Translational Bioinformatics Approach for Deep Phenotyping and Genetic Risk of Severe Cutaneous Adverse Drug Reactions”
Elise Liu, MD
Yale University
“Invariant Natural Killer T cells in the Development of Food Allergies”
Erin Steinbach, MD
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
“Revealing the Mechanisms of Increased Intestinal Epithelial Cell Barrier Permeability in Peanut Allergy”
“Receiving the 2024 AAAAI Foundation Faculty Development Award is the highlight of my early career. The Foundation’s support will be instrumental in kickstarting my research program focused on viral infections and asthma development. I am exceedingly grateful to the AAAAI Foundation and my mentors for not only believing in my research but for helping me get to this stage of my career.”
Taylor Eddens, MD
2024 Faculty Development Awardee
University of Pittsburgh
“Neonatal stem-like CD4+ T Cells and Asthma Development After Early Life Viral Infection”
2023-2024 Faculty Development Awards Impact Study Results
$
0
has been provided by the Foundation in major awards since 1993
$
0
in federal grants have been granted to our award recipients after the Foundation provided initial support
47 of our 49
major awardees have continued their careers in allergy/immunology
2023 Faculty Development Awardees
Santiago Alvarez-Arango, MD
John Hopkins University School of Medicine
“Pathogenesis of Non IgE-Mediated Immediate Drug Hypersensitivity Reactions”
Sara Barmettler, MD
Massachusetts General Hospital
“Immunologic Impact and Risk for Infection in Patients with Secondary Hypogammaglobulinemia”
David Hill, MD, PhD, FAAAAI
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
“Contribution of Interferon-Mediated Epithelial Cell MHCII Expression to EoE”
2022 Faculty Development Awardees
Sergio E. Chiarella, MD
Mayo Clinic
Division of Allergic Diseases
“The AAAAI Foundation & Donald YM Leung, MD, PhD, FAAAAI, Faculty Development Award: “Investigation of Tmem178 as a Novel Endogenous Inhibitory Pathway in Asthma”
Jocelyn Farmer, MD, PhD
Beth Israel Lahey Health
“Define Immune Correlates of a Protective Response to SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine in Patients with Humoral Immunodeficiency”
Hsi-en (John) Ho, MD
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
“Dissecting Differential Inflammatory Response to Microbial Translocation in Primary Antibody Deficiencies”
Jessica W. Hui, MD
National Jewish Health
“The Role of Temperature on the Skin Barrier and the Development of Atopy”
2021 Faculty Development Awardees
Derek Chu, MD, PhD
McMaster University
“Tree Nut Allergen Thresholds, Biomarkers, and Methods of Desensitization - TITAN and TRADE studies”
Torie Grant, MD
Johns Hopkins University
“Allergen Exposure Reduction as a Disease-Modifying Strategy in Allergen-Sensitized Children with Asthma”
Melanie Ruffner, MD, PhD
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
“Investigation of the Role of STAT6 Signaling in Proton-Pump Inhibitor Response in Eosinophilic Esophagitis”
Cosby Stone, MD, MPH
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
“Defining the Key Epidemiologic and Immunogenetic Risk Features of True IgE Mediated Cephalosporin Allergy”
Financials
2023
Corpus Value at End of 2023
$
0
Grants Paid Out in 2023
$
0
Revenue
$
0
Events
2024 Rally for A/I Research
Thank you to all who joined us for a fun and exciting day to support allergy/immunology research!
We would especially like to thank the following individuals, who put forward an immense effort to make the 2024 Rally for A/I Research a success!
2024 Rally for A/I Research Subcommittee
Basil Kahwash, MD
Joe Diaz, MD, FAAAAI
Priya Bansal, MD, FAAAAI
Diana Chernikova, MD, PhD
David Kaufman, MD, FAAAAI
Tanya Laidlaw, MD, FAAAAI
Bob Miyake, MD
Andrew Moore, MD, FAAAAI
Ally Tevrizian, MD, FAAAAI
Ilean Zamlut
Thank you to Takeda for their support of the AAAAI Foundation Rally for A/I Research!
2024 Annual Benefit
Our guests at the 2024 Annual Benefit enjoyed dinner, a presentation of our 2024 Faculty Development Awardees, and a surprise performance from a Fife and Drum Trio.
Thank you to Genentech for their ongoing support of the AAAAI Foundation Benefit
lecturesHIPS
AAAAI Foundation Lectureship
The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Foundation provides the opportunity to honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the allergy/immunology field with Named Lectureships presented at each AAAAI Annual Meeting. Lectureships are typically established by an AAAAI member interested in honoring a respected colleague or mentor, or a member wishing to contribute to the mission of the Foundation through the establishment of a Lectureship. All funds raised for Named Lectureships and Awards are invested in the AAAAI Foundation endowment, proceeds from which directly support young investigators through our annual Faculty Development Awards.
We are excited to announce that two new lectureships will be presented at the 2025 Joint Congress in San Diego.
The Raif Geha, MD, FAAAAI Lectureship
The Raymond G. Slavin, MD, FAAAAI Lectureship
To learn more about our current lectureships, including those with active fundraising campaigns:
We are extremely grateful to have support for the AAAAI Foundation Lectureship Series from
GAIN and RSL
GAIN
The GAIN (Grow Allergy & Immunology Now) Campaign, supported by BioCryst, was successful again in 2023! The annual fundraising campaign, with all of your support, made it possible to fund FOUR Faculty Development Awards in 2024.
Thank you to all of our supporters!
Total 2023 GAIN Campaign Funds Raised
$
0
We are extremely grateful to have support for the GAIN Campaign and RSL Challenge from: BIOCRYST.
Donor Recognition
We are immensely grateful for your steadfast support and generosity again in 2023. Your contributions have profoundly impacted our ability to fulfill our mission to fund research and positively impact patient lives. We want to express our deepest gratitude for your dedication to supporting Allergy/Immunology research.
To honor and acknowledge your invaluable support, we have compiled a comprehensive list of donors on our website. We invite you to visit our supporters page to view the list and see the collective efforts that have propelled our initiatives forward.
Your name, along with other esteemed supporters, is featured as a testament to your commitment to our cause.
Once again, we extend our heartfelt appreciation for your continued partnership and generosity. Your donations have empowered us to grant four awards in 2024, and we are inspired by your generous support. We hope you take pride in the impact you have made and join us in our ongoing endeavors to build a better future.
Staff
Emma Corning
Director
Katie Tetzlaff
Program Manager, Awards