CAAIF-CSACI-AllerGen Emerging Clinician-Scientist Fellowship

ECS
AllerGen Scientific Director Dr. Judah Denburg (2nd from L) with Fellowship recipients (L to R) Dr. Moshe Ben-Shoshan, Dr. Marylin Desjardins and Dr. Philippe Bégin

Award Recipients: 2019 Ɩ 2016 Ɩ 2014 Ɩ 2013 Ɩ 2011

AN URGENT NEED

There has been an alarming increase in the prevalence of allergy and immune-related diseases over the past 20 years, especially among children. Novel, patient-oriented diagnostic and treatment protocols are urgently needed, and there is a dire shortage of allergy and clinical immunology expertise in Canada.

AllerGen, the Canadian Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Foundation (CAAIF) and the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (CSACI) share the fundamental goal of addressing this urgent need.

The CAAIF-CSACI-AllerGen Emerging Clinician-Scientist Research Fellowship is a joint endeavour to support Canadian clinical immunologists and allergists in the pursuit of research training and a combined career as a clinician and academic researcher.

A PRESTIGIOUS AWARD WITH AN AMBITIOUS GOAL

This Fellowship, one of the most prestigious in the country, provides the highest annual award value of any Fellowship in Canada. Its intention to train a new generation of leaders in allergy and immunology is strengthening the field.

Specifically, the CAAIF-CSACI-AllerGen Emerging Clinician-Scientist Research Fellowship aims to:

  • strengthen the academic capacity of Canadian clinical immunology and allergy sub-specialists;
  • increase Canadian capacity for translational clinical immunology and allergy research; and
  • facilitate enhanced patient care through excellence in basic and clinical allergy and related immune disease research.
A TRACK RECORD OF TRANSFORMATIONAL IMPACT

Since 2011, AllerGen and its partners have invested $1.25 million in support of five outstanding clinician-scientists:

2011 – Dr. Moshe Ben-Shoshan, MD, Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Specialist, Montreal Children’s Hospital; and Assistant Professor, Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, McGill University

2013 – Dr. Philippe Bégin, MD, Allergy and Clinical Immunology Specialist, Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal; and Associate Researcher, Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal

2014 – Dr. Marylin Desjardins, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, McGill University

2016 – Dr. Catherine Biggs, MD, Allergist and Clinical Immunologist, BC Children’s Hospital

2019 – Dr. Derek Chu, MD, PhD, FRCPC, Clinical Immunology and Allergy Fellow, McMaster University; Emerging Clinician-Scientist Fellowship in progress

The first two recipients, having completed their Fellowships, have already gone on to develop new, highly impactful Canadian research programs.

Dr. Ben-Shoshan has spearheaded the nationwide Cross-Canada Anaphylaxis REgistry (C-CARE), the first prospective study on anaphylaxis to assess the rate, triggers and management of anaphylaxis in different provinces and settings across Canada. The unique registry has provided the first reliable estimate of anaphylaxis rates in Canada; identified which foods are the most common anaphylactic triggers for children and adults; quantified the annual incidence of recurrent anaphylaxis in children; and highlighted the frequency of accidental exposure to known allergens. As C-CARE expands across the country, it will open the door to new ways of preventing and treating anaphylaxis. In 2017, Dr. Ben-Shoshan was awarded the F. Estelle R. Simons Award for Research by the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (CSACI).

Dr. Bégin has established a new clinic in Montreal’s Sainte-Justine Hospital offering oral immunotherapy (OIT) treatments to children with potentially life-threatening food allergies. A three-year pilot project at the clinic aims to bolster support—and to develop protocols and procedures for adoption by other treatment centres—for this promising form of therapy, which, though offered by private clinics in the US, has been largely unavailable in Canada. In 2017, Dr. Bégin was recognized with the CSACI’s Early Career Award.

AWARD DETAILS

The award provides up to $250,000 for a maximum of two years (an award of $100,000 plus a $25,000 research allowance each year) to a clinician who has completed clinical immunology and allergy sub-specialty training.

Eligible foci include basic and/or clinical research related to allergy, asthma and/or anaphylaxis. The quality of the research or training opportunity and the potential for a combined career as a clinician and researcher are the principal criteria on which applications are judged.

Details regarding the terms and conditions of funding, eligibility, evaluative criteria and the application process are all outlined in the Call for Applications below.

About CAAIF: The Canadian Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Foundation (CAAIF) is a non-profit organization founded in 1995, to improve the quality of lives of Canadians by supporting allergy, asthma and clinical immunology research. Each year, CAAIF awards grants, and fellowships to leading Canadian researchers pursuing asthma, food allergy and related immune-related disease research with potential to improve the health of Canadians.

About CSACI: The goals of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (CSACI), a specialty society founded in 1945, are to: improve the standards of teaching and practice of allergy and clinical immunology; foster co-operation between those engaged in the study and practice of allergy and clinical immunology; encourage research in the field of allergy and clinical immunology;and promote harmony and understanding between physicians engaged in the practice of allergy and clinical immunology and others of the medical profession.


Competition Deadline

The 2019 deadline has closed


For more information, please contact:


info@allergen.ca