Research and scholarship activities begin during the first year of training. Allergy and immunology fellows spend their first six weeks meeting with the training program director and faculty to learn about research opportunities and to select a research mentor and project.
During their first and second years, fellows are assured a minimum of 25 percent of protected research and scholarly time.
Requirements
Fellows are required to attend at least one meeting of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and to complete the Clinical Research Investigator/Coordinator Certificate (CRICC) program.
They’re also required to submit abstracts to local, regional or national allergy meetings. Each fellow is expected to have at least one abstract presented before completing the fellowship.
Faculty Research and Highlights
Research interests of the allergy and immunology faculty are broad-based, involving both basic and clinical research. The intertwined activities of clinical and basic research provide an unique opportunity for fellows to pursue a concept from clinical observation to fundamental pathophysiologic mechanisms.
Basic science interests focus on:
- The regulation of granulocyte (neutrophil and eosinophil) functions in the pathogenesis of acute and allergic lung injury during acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and asthma
- Lipid mediators of lung inflammation
- Oxidant-mediated lung injury
The research of Stephen Peters, MD, focuses on the epithelial cell-mesenchymal cell interactions in airway remodeling in asthma. He has been closely involved in the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Asthma Clinical Research Network.
In addition, the training program has strong collaborative ties with several investigators in basic science areas, including biochemistry and microbiology and immunology.
Clinical interests cover ongoing studies in areas including:
- Asthma
- Allergy
- Bronchial hyperactivity
- Genetics of occupational lung diseases