Meetings

2002 Summer School in Primary Immune Deficiency Disorders

Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
August 28-September 1, 2002

The Clinical Immunology Society (CIS), in collaboration with the Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCIS), held its first Summer School in Primary Immune Deficiency Disorders at the beautiful Hotel El Convento in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, August 29 - September 1, 2002. This was the first of a series of proposed Summer School opportunities planned by CIS. The intention of the Summer School is to train new clinical investigators in our field in an informal setting with a low student/faculty ratio. The CIS Summer School in Primary Immune Deficiency Disorders was geared toward fellows in training, with a primary goal of education on the diagnosis, pathogenesis, and treatment of primary immunodeficiency diseases. CIS received a number of very good applications for the Summer School. In keeping with the informal, intimate setting desired, CIS accepted 28 applicants from the United States, Canada, and South America.

The four-day course consisted of faculty presentations intermingled with student case presentations on Primary Immune Deficiency Disorders. Topics covered include: SCID, transplantation, defects of B cells, Hyper IgM syndrome, neutrophil disorders, cytokine receptor defects, Di George syndrome, new defects, IPEX and some unknown cases. The close interaction between the faculty and students throughout the weekend was invaluable.

The weekend wasn't all lectures and note taking. The group had an opportunity to see the sights of Old San Juan and take in some of the nightlife. There are rumors that some people stayed out till the wee hours of the night dancing the Salsa, but this has not been verified!

At the end of the weekend, the group parted with valuable handouts and materials to be used and shared with others in their labs, contact information to keep the lines of communication open, and a better understanding of Primary Immune Deficiency Disorders. It was a great learning experience for all that attended.

Charlotte Cunningham-Rundles, MD, PhD
Mt. Sinai Medical Center
New York, NY
CIS Summer School Chair