Dear Allergy Training Program Director:

Recent AAAAI and ACAAI studies show the demand for allergists will increase considerably over the next 15 years, while the number of allergists will decline.  As a result, I’m pleased to announce that the College will launch a major effort to train more allergists.  But we need your help.

We ask your cooperation in identifying and encouraging more pediatric and internal medicine residents to consider allergy as a career.  Over the years, I’ve noticed that many residents take an elective in allergy to explore the field of allergy.

If you – and each and every Allergy Training Director – will identify and select a first or second-year resident from your program, the College will provide them with a Resident Travel Grant to attend the ACAAI Annual Meeting, Nov. 8-14, 2007, in Dallas.  This will give them the opportunity to meet other young physicians with similar interests.

Once you have identified the individual, please give him/her the following enclosures:

• A Travel Grant application to complete and return to ACAAI by September 24.  (The application should be accompanied by a letter of recommendation from you.)

• The Annual Meeting Preliminary Program and Registration Form to complete and return to the College with the Travel Grant application.

Travel Grant recipients will receive (A) Waiver of general registration fee; (B) A $500 grant plus roundtrip coach airfare if they have already submitted an abstract or a $300 grant plus roundtrip coach airfare if they did not submit an abstract; and (C) An invitation to participate in all Plenary Sessions, symposia and Fellow-in-Training programs and social events outlined on page 26 of the Preliminary Program.

The College will track the residents to see what impact the program has on the recruitment into training programs.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Daniel Ein, MD

President