Didactics and Conferences
During the two-year fellowship program, 25% of the program is devoted to educational and didactic activities. The Allergy/Immunology division has multiple weekly conference and educational activities. Additionally, all fellows attend national conferences including ACAAI and AAAAI. On a regional level, our fellows also attend the LSAAI meeting held annually here in New Orleans where they present case reports and didactic lectures to the members.
COLA Series
During the summer months, fellows participate in the COLA (Conferences Online Allergy) Lecture Series, hosted by Children’s Mercy Kansas City in collaboration with the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI). This series covers fundamental topics in allergy and immunology and provides fellows with a broad knowledge base.
Friday Lecture Series
During the remainder of the academic year, Friday morning is dedicated to fellow education and all the fellows and faculty participate in these weekly lectures and activities. Blocks of time are set aside during the week for fellows to read scholarly articles and prepare for the Friday conferences.
The Friday schedule is as follows:
8AM: Basic Immunology Course. Faculty lead an interactive basic immunology course using Cellular and Molecular Immunology by Abul K. Abbas, MBBS, Andrew H. Lichtman, MD PhD, and Shiv Pillai, MD PhD. Fellows complete a full review of the textbook twice during their fellowship.
9AM: City Wide Case Conference. Fellows present complex or unique clinical cases to faculty and trainees, including medical students and residents. These conferences foster discussion and enhance diagnostic and management skills.
10AM: Bench to Bedside to Boards Series. Faculty deliver formal and informal didactic lectures covering topics from the American Board of Allergy and Immunology (ABAI) Certification Blueprint. Fellows reinforce their learning by completing board-style questions to prepare for both the in-training and certification exams. Additionally, fellows lead an interactive journal club throughout the academic year, critically appraising clinically relevant articles.