Committee-Sponsored Sessions

Additional sessions will be added below as details become available.

Saturday, May 3 | 12:30 – 14:30 | Room 311

Back to School: A Review of Four Fast-Moving Fields

Sponsored by the AAI Program Committee

Chairs:

Chandrashekhar Pasare, Cincinnati Children’s Hosp. Med. Ctr., USA, AAI Program Committee Chair 
Carrie Lucas, Yale Univ. Sch. of Med., USA

Speakers:

Alexander Hoffmann, UCLA, USA, Chromatin Accessibility, CUT and RUN, CUT and TAG etc.
Anna E. Beaudin, Univ. of Utah, USA, Bone marrow hematopoiesis
Ingunn M. Stromnes, Univ. of Minnesota Med. Sch., USA, Immune engineering in cancer
Smita Krishnaswamy, Yale Univ., USA, Bioinformatics

Sunday, May 4 | 8:45 – 10:15 |

The State of U.S. Biomedical Science and Funding for Research: Significant Challenges, Far Greater Opportunities

Sponsored by the AAI Committee on Public Affairs

Join the AAI Committee on Public Affairs (CPA) for a compelling and timely session on strengthening the biomedical research enterprise. The event will feature two outstanding speakers: Mary Woolley, President and Chief Executive Officer of Research!America and co-author of the National Academy of Medicine’s report on “The State of the U.S. Biomedical and Health Research Enterprise” and Kasisomayajula Viswanath (“Dr. Vish”), Ph.D., Lee Kum Kee Professor of Health Communication at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Chair of the National Academies Committee on Understanding and Addressing Misinformation about Science.

These distinguished speakers will explore the strengths and vulnerabilities of the U.S. biomedical research enterprise, strategies to sustain the nation’s global preeminence in science, and opportunities to cultivate a strong pipeline of future scientific leaders in an era of great uncertainty. They will also address the crucial challenge of the rise of scientific misinformation including ways that the immunology community can help safeguard public trust in science. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights and engage with the speakers during an interactive Q&A session.

Chair:

Cherié Butts, Biogen, USA, AAI Committee on Public Affairs Chair

Speakers:

Mary Woolley, President and CEO, Research!America, USA
Kasisomayajula Viswanath, Professor of Health Communication, Harvard T.H. Chan Sch. of Pub. Health

Monday, May 5 | 7:00 – 9:00 | Room 316B

Immunology Teaching Interest Group: Enhancing Your Immunology Teaching

Sponsored by the AAI Education Committee

Are you looking for new ideas or strategies to enliven and improve your teaching? If so, please join us for this special interest group which will focus on strategies that instructors can use to successfully convey immunology concepts to students at the undergraduate and graduate level. The session will explore teaching strategies through talks and structured breakout discussion groups. Current educators, new faculty, and trainees with an interest in teaching are welcome.

Chairs:

Melanie R. Gubbels Bupp, Randolph-Macon Col., USA
Jasty Singh, Univ. of Toronto, CAN

Speakers:

Nicholas A. Pullen, Univ. of Northern Colorado, USA, Establishing AAI-recommended immunology content guidelines for medical education in the USA
Matthew Woolard, Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA, Using AI software to enhance games to teach immunology to medical students
Elizabeth Delery, Marian Univ. Wood Col. of Osteopathic Med., USA, Tools for teaching immunology: using DrawItToKnowIt in graduate and medical education
John K. Cusick, California Northstate Univ., USA,Using popular media to introduce immunology to students
Jennifer Manilay, Univ. of California, Merced, USA, Innovative approaches in teaching developmental immunology: integrating inclusive practices, group work, and AI tools

Breakout Session Leaders:

Amanda M. Burkhardt, Univ. of Southern California, USA, Stay CALM and research on: teaching human subjects and laboratory research to undergraduates through fully independent projects
Maurizio Costabile, Univ. of Southern Australia, AUS, Simulations as a tool for advancing undergraduate immunology student laboratory education
Shannon Z. Jones, Univ. of Richmond, USA, Immunology education fueled by social justice: Asthma Alley

Monday, May 5 | 9:15 – 10:30 | Room 316B

Unlocking the Future of Medical Immunology: Revealing and Refining Learning Objectives

Sponsored by the AAI Education Committee

The AAI Medical Immunology Curriculum Task Force was established to develop recommendations for the immunology content taught in U.S. medical schools. The primary audience for this effort is the medical education community, with downstream effects on medical students throughout their pre-clinical and clinical training. This effort is driven by iterative, grassroots surveys of medical immunology educators. As of April 2024, faculty from all U.S. medical schools (both M.D. and D.O. programs) were invited to participate in the initial research survey. Approximately 30% of the invited participants responded, with 25% from D.O. programs and 75% from M.D. programs, which reflects the population distribution of these schools. This session will follow presentation of our initial findings, including the core content identified by the participating faculty, along with various demographic and opinion-based metrics, at the Immunology Teaching Interest Group. Based on these initial findings, the Task Force developed specific learning objectives (LOs) for each core area of content. A secondary survey focused on the refinement of the LOs will be distributed nationwide for feedback. During this session, we will present the LOs and solicit input from the audience to collaboratively advance this educational endeavor.

Chairs:

Nicholas A. Pullen, Univ. of Northern Colorado, USA, AAI Education Committee Chair
Aimee Pugh-Bernard, Univ. of Colorado Anschutz Med. Campus, USA

Tuesday, May 6 | 8:30 – 10:30 | Ballroom A

Careers in Biotech: Panel Discussion and Networking

Sponsored by the AAI Education Committee

Many opportunities exist in industry for scientists with advanced degrees. There are positions in laboratory research, program management, business development, regulatory affairs, clinical trials oversight, medical liaison, and more. This panel features scientists employed in a variety of positions in industry discussing their career paths and the skills required for success in each. Following the panel discussion, enjoy casual conversation with the speakers and other scientists from industry at a networking reception.

Chair:

Kiyomi Komori, Uniquity Bio, USA