Meetings

Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases Consortium Conference
June 11, 2009
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
San Francisco, CA

This year's PID Consortium was co-organized by the Clinical Immunology Society (CIS) and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI). The PID Consortium was held on June 11, 2009, in San Francisco, California in conjunction with the FOCIS Annual Meeting.

Organizing Committee
Charlotte Cunningham-Rundles, MD PhD
Mt. Sinai Medical Center

Kari Nadeau, MD PhD
Stanford University

Joao Bosco Oliveira, MD
National Institutes of Health

Kathleen Sullivan, MD PhD
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Troy Torgerson, MD PhD
University of Washington

Target Audience
This activity was intended to reach an international target audience consisting of fellows-in-training, junior faculty, as well as noted experts in the field.

Content
This symposium brought together experts in the field to discuss recent updates as well as material related to our understanding of the scientific processes affected in various primary immune deficiencies. Both by lecture and networking during the symposium, clinicians and researchers came away with an improved knowledge of primary immune deficiencies. The material was delivered primarily in lecture format, but there were also a poster session and scheduled breaks to allow networking, mentoring, and one-on-one time with the state-of-the art lecturers.

Objectives
The Consortium promoted systems based practice by emphasizing alternative treatment approaches for patients and by demonstrating a variety of styles of medical care. This symposium exists primarily to enhance knowledge of physicians and basic science researchers in the field of immunology but should ultimately lead to improved patient care. The rapidly moving nature of immunology was discussed; the conference emphasized the need for life-long learning skills.