Chair Message
Dear Colleagues, Friends, and Supporters
It is an honor to lead the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) Foundation Council as 2025 Chair and present to you the latest annual report. I would like to sincerely thank the entire Foundation Council, specifically Vice Chair Sharon Markovics, MD, FAAAAI, who has been a great help this past year. Significant progress has been made due to 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 on their journey to become independent investigators in our specialty.
Since 1993, $11,800,000 has been provided by the Foundation in major awards, and $120,380,646 in federal grants have been granted to our award recipients after the Foundation provided initial support. To date, 50 of our 52 major awardees have continued their careers in allergy/immunology.
The steadfast support by AAAAI to clinical, translational and basic science research is instrumental for our specialty so we can bring advancements in management and treatment to the patients we treat. I am amazed at so many novel therapeutics that are now available to treat chronic diseases like asthma, CSU, HAE, EoE, food allergy and nasal polyps to name a few, which have made a palpable impact on the lives of our patients. In addition, the exciting introduction of artificial intelligence techniques is starting to reshape how we think about diagnostic testing, implementation of therapeutic strategies for our patients, and novel approaches to research. These innovations offer predictive modeling that are being used to make real-time clinical decisions that can improve the personalized health care we are providing to our patients. All of these accomplishments would not be possible without the research contributions that we have all participated in directly or indirectly throughout our careers.
This past year was an enormously successful one for the AAAAI Foundation. As always, February was an important month for the AAAAI Foundation. We had a wonderful time at the 13th Annual Run/Walk. We noted some of the highest registration and attendance numbers, to date, in sunny San Diego. The AAAAI Annual Benefit was also very successful. At this much-anticipated event, we announced recipients of our 2025 Faculty Development Awards and AAAAI Foundation Award to Sustain Research Excellence Bridge Grant. These young researchers have shown a strong commitment to advancing research in the field of allergy/immunology. Congratulations to the awardees: Radomir Kratchmarov, MD, PhD; Stephen A. Schworer, MD, PhD; Simin Zhang, MD; Sarah E. Henrickson, MD, PhD, FAAAAI; and Whitney Stevens, MD, PhD, FAAAAI. We look forward to hearing more about the impact of their research and accomplishments in the years to come!
As you are aware, funding for research not just in our practice but in all areas of public health, is currently in question. That is why the Foundation continues to fund junior investigators, bestowing three $300,000 Faculty Development Awards and two $100,000 AAAAI Foundation Award to Sustain Research Excellence bridge grant awards.
2025 Foundation Annual Benefit: Sarah E. Henrickson, MD, PhD, FAAAAI; Whitney Stevens, MD, PhD, FAAAAI; Simin Zhang, MD; Stephen A. Schworer, MD, PhD; Radomir Kratchmarov, MD, PhD
Both our current and past awardees continue to put in the work to help the prevention and cure of asthma, allergic and immunologic disease. This past year, three of our Faculty Development Awardees, David A. Hill, MD, PhD, FAAAAI, from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Sergio E. Chiarella, MD, FAAAAI, from the Mayo Clinic, and Cosby A. Stone, MD, MPH, FAAAAI, from Vanderbilt University, and one of our AAAAI Foundation Award to Sustain Research Excellence awardees, Sarah E. Henrickson, MD, PhD, FAAAAI, from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, all received their first R01 grants. All awardees credit the support of their Faculty Development Award with helping to secure the funding.
On behalf of the entire AAAAI Foundation team, thank you for your generous financial support. Now, more than ever, your generous contributions have a significant impact on the field of A/I. We are deeply grateful for your continued support.
Looking ahead, I ask that you please keep the AAAAI Foundation in mind as part of your annual philanthropic giving. Your contributions directly support the Foundation’s mission to fund research that leads to the prevention and cure of asthma, allergic and immunologic diseases.
Once again, thank you for your commitment to the AAAAI Foundation!
Best regards,
Jonathan A. Bernstein, MD, FAAAAI
Chair
Council Roster
AAAAI Foundation Council Roster 2025-2026
Jonathan A. Bernstein, MD, FAAAAI
Chair
Sharon B. Markovics, MD, FAAAAI
Vice Chair
Carla M. Davis, MD, FAAAAI
President-Elect
Leonard B. Bacharier, MD, FAAAAI
Secretary-Treasurer
Subcommittees
Research and Long-Range Planning
Elizabeth J. Phillips, MD, FAAAAI
Chair
Special Events
Basil M. Kahwash, MD, FAAAAI
Chair
Justin C. Greiwe, MD, FAAAAI
Vice Chair
Annual Giving
Patricia A. McNally, MD, FAAAAI
Chair
Ulus Atasoy, MD, MA, FAAAAI
Vice Chair
Lectureships and Major Gifts
Mary Beth Fasano, MD, MSPH, FAAAAI
Chair
David A. Khan, MD, FAAAAI
Vice Chair
Faculty Development Awards
Seema Aceves, MD, PhD, FAAAAI
Chair
David D. Chaplin, MD, PhD, FAAAAI
Vice Chair
Grants
2025 Faculty Development Awardees
Radomir Kratchmarov, MD, PhD
Brigham & Women's Hospital
“Defining Th2 Progenitor Cell Function in Chronic Allergic Disease”
Stephen A. Schworer, MD, PhD
University of North Carolina School of Medicine
“T2-Skewed Basal Cells Promote Small Airway Mucus Plugging in Asthma”
Simin Zhang, MD
University of Cincinnati
“Effect of Complement Proteins on Mast Cells and Fibroblasts in Eosinophilic Esophagitis”
2024 AAAAI Foundation Award to Sustain Research Excellence Awardees (Bridge Grant)
Sarah E. Henrickson, MD, PhD, FAAAAI
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
"Amplified STAT3 Signaling Drives CD8 T cell Dysfunction in STAT3 Gain of Function"
Whitney Stevens, MD, PhD, FAAAAI
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
"Understanding Anaphylaxis to Platinum-Based Cancer Chemotherapy and Rapid Drug Desensitization that Enables its Use in Allergic Patients"
“Receiving the 2025 Faculty Development Award is a game-changer for my career. The $300,000 in funding not only empowers me to start on my path to being an independent researcher but also gives me the confidence and support to pursue bold ideas and can make a real impact in the allergy/immunology specialty.”
Stephen A. Schworer, MD, PhD
2025 Foundation Faculty Development Awardee
University of North Carolina School of Medicine
“T2-Skewed Basal Cells Promote Small Airway Mucus Plugging in Asthma”
2024-2025 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
50 of our 52
major awardees have continued their careers in allergy/immunology
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 Reaction”
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”
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”
Financials
2024
Corpus Value at End of 2024
$
0
Grants Paid Out in 2024
$
0
Revenue
$
0
Events
2025 Run/Walk
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 2025 Run/Walk a success!
2025 Run/Walk Subcommittee
Basil Kahwash, MD, FAAAAI
Joseph Diaz, MD, FAAAAI
Priya Bansal, MD, FAAAAI
David Kaufman, MD, FAAAAI
Tanya Laidlaw, MD, FAAAAI
Bob Miyake, MD
Justin Greiwe, MD, FAAAAI
Amy Dowden, MD, FAAAAI
Ally Tevrizian, MD, FAAAAI
Ben Stewart-Bates, DO
Ashley Nguyen, MD
Gail Tan, MD
Ilean Zamlut
Crystal Riccio
Thank you to Takeda for their support of the AAAAI Foundation Run/Walk!
2025 Annual Benefit
Our guests at the 2025 Annual Benefit enjoyed dinner and the presentation of our 2025 Faculty Development Awardees and the 2024 AAAAI Foundation Award to Sustain Research Excellence Awardees.
Thank you to Genentech for their ongoing support of the AAAAI Foundation Benefit.
lecturesHIPS
AAAAI Foundation Lectureships
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 extremely grateful to have support for the AAAAI Foundation Lectureship Series from
We are excited to announce that three new lectureships will be presented at the 2026 Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.
The Thomas, Jean and Jeffrey Casale Lectureship
The Charlotte Cunningham-Rundles, MD, PhD, FAAAAI Lectureship
The David A. Khan, MD, FAAAAI Lectureship
To learn more about our current lectureships, including those with active fundraising campaigns:
GAIN and RSL
GAIN
The GAIN (Grow Allergy & Immunology Now) Campaign, supported by BioCryst, was successful again in 2024! The annual fundraising campaign, with all of your support, made it possible to fund THREE Faculty Development Awards and TWO Foundation Awards to Sustain Research Excellence in 2025.
Thank you to all of our supporters!
Total 2024 GAIN Campaign Funds Raised
$
0
We are extremely grateful to have support for the GAIN Campaign and RSL Challenge from
Donor Recognition
We are immensely grateful for your support and generosity again in 2024. 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 supporter’s 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.
We extend our heartfelt appreciation for your continued partnership and generosity. Your donations have empowered us to grant five awards in 2025, 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
Becca Surges
Director of AAAAI Foundation
Katie Tetzlaff
Awards Program Manager
Nick Ouchie
Development Manager