Allergy and Immunology Fellowship

The Allergy and Immunology subspecialty residency (fellowship) program at Saint Louis University is a single, totally integrated internal medicine-pediatric program which provides comprehensive exposure to allergy, asthma and immunology in children and adults, with an emphasis on clinical medicine. Entrance into the program requires board eligibility in either internal medicine or pediatrics. Experience is provided in both clinical and basic research. The standard training period of two years may be extended to three years for additional research training. Successful completion of our program confers eligibility for certification by the American Board of Allergy and Immunology, a conjoint board of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Pediatrics.

The training program is noteworthy for providing its trainees with an unusually well-balanced exposure to a vast spectrum of allergy, asthma and immunology disorders in both adults and children, thereby equipping its graduates with the experience, skills, knowledge, versatility and professional assurance needed to provide expert subspecialty care to both children and adults in nearly any clinical setting. Training sites on the Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center Campus are Saint Louis University Hospital (a quaternary referral hospital with one of the highest acuity of illness ratings in the country), Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, and the University Medical Group Building where most adult ambulatory patents are seen. These clinical buildings are adjacent to buildings containing research laboratories of the allergy and immunology faculty. Adult patients are also seen at the John Cochran St. Louis Veterans Administration Medical Center, another important training site for the program which is located 1.5 miles north of the Health Sciences Center campus. Active clinical assets include a venom referral center where insect sensitive patients are evaluated; a challenge referral center where patients are diagnosed and in some cases desensitized to a broad spectrum of agents including aspirin, sulfites, local anesthetics, foods and inhalants; a Comprehensive Sinus Clinic with a fully equipped Nasal and Paranasal Sinus Physiology Laboratory which provides trainees with experience needed to perform specialized procedures such as fiberoptic nasal pharyngoscopy and anterior rhinomanometry; the Occupational Asthma and Allergy Evaluation Service which evaluates patients with a wide variety of work-related respiratory and dermatologic conditions; and an active immune deficiency evaluation service at our children's hospital that is complemented by cord blood and bone marrow transplantation services. Trainees have the option of taking clinical electives in related fields such as dermatology and otolaryngology.

Medical students and housestaff from residency programs in internal medicine, pediatrics and occupational medicine regularly rotate through our clinics. This affords the subspecialty resident with excellent teaching opportunities that also include participation in a variety of conferences. Scheduled weekly specialty conferences include an interdisciplinary immunology journal club, an adult clinical conference, and a pediatric clinical conference. Research conferences are also scheduled.

Subspecialty residents participate in clinical and basic research activities such as the pathogenesis of allergic aspergillosis, the relationship of allergic aspergillosis to cystic fibrosis, sinusitis and its association with asthma, mechanisms of drug allergy, studies on hemophilia and AIDS regulation of IgE production and asthma in inner-city children. In addition, the Division carries out clinical trials involving studies of allergy and asthma medications including anti-leukotrienes, bronchodilators, antihistamines, mast cell inhibitors and corticosteroids.

Full-time faculty include two internist allergists-immunologists and two pediatric allergist-immunologists, all of whom areboard certified and actively engaged in research.

Effective in 2006, applications should be submitted only through
ERAS.

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