Mast cells, wellness, biologics take spotlight at ACAAI Annual Scientific Meeting

Key takeaways:

• Gary N. Gross, MD, FACAAI, will receive the Gold Headed Cane Award.
• The presidential plenary will address “hot topics.”
• David R. Stukus, MD, FACAAI, will host “Jeopardy — What’s That Rash?”

Providers will gather in Anaheim this week under the banner of “Embracing the Evolution of Patient Care” for the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting.

“We always want to make sure our meeting has patient care at its heart,” Jay A. Lieberman, MD, FACAAI, annual meeting program chair, told Healio. “This year, we wanted to focus on how patient care is evolving, such as in the digital age, and with changes in the therapeutic landscape.”

Scheduled for Nov. 9 to 13, the program will feature lectures, literature reviews, abstract and poster presentations, hands-on training, awards ceremonies, delegate and committee meetings, corporate forums and a job fair, in addition to the exhibit hall.

“I am very excited about our full-day Thursday program,” Lieberman, who also is a Healio Allergy/Asthma Peer Perspective Board Member, said of the events scheduled for the opening day on Thursday, Nov. 9. “This is a full-day session on mast cells and anaphylaxis with talks from world leaders in this area.”

Specific sessions will explore drug allergy, tryptase and hereditary alpha-tryptasemia, alpha-gal allergy, risk stratification for food allergy, epinephrine use and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Events on Friday, Nov. 10 will include “Everything You Should Have Read Last Year, but Didn’t!” along with general sessions on pollen, diagnostic tests, immunodeficiencies, adolescence and young adulthood, non-IgE food allergy, and food anxiety, in addition to programs on practice management and for advanced practice health care providers.

Friday evening also will feature the President’s Welcome Reception, open to all attendees.

“The president’s reception is always amazing,” Lieberman said.

The conference’s opening ceremony on Saturday morning will honor Gary N. Gross, MD, FACAAI, with the Gold Headed Cane Award, acknowledging his pursuit of the highest standards of scientific excellence and integrity. Other awards in a variety of categories will follow during the business meeting on Sunday, Nov. 11.

“All the awardees are amazing people, have put tireless effort into what they do, and these are well deserved,” Lieberman said.

Outgoing ACAAI president Kathleen R. May, MD, FACAAI, will lead the presidential plenary on Saturday, Nov. 10.

“Dr. May developed this session to address some main ‘hot topics’ that are facing allergists currently,” Lieberman said. “It will include talks from allergists on novel therapies in the management of asthma and anaphylaxis, as well as a talk from a member of the FDA on updates on guidance regarding diagnostic testing for food allergy.”

The presidential plenary also will feature David R. Stukus, MD, FACAAI, presenting the Bela Schick Lecture, “Life is Too Short to Drink Bad Wine.”

“Dr. Stukus’ named lecture will be on the timely topic of physician wellness, which has become more and more important in the post-Covid world,” Lieberman said.

General sessions on Saturday will explore mild food allergy phenotypes, advances in diagnosing and monitoring respiratory conditions, urticaria, pediatrics, rhinosinusitis and airway diseases, atopic dermatitis, and baked egg and milk, among other topics.

Plus, Saturday evening’s 32nd Annual FIT Bowl Competition will pit more than 25 teams from training programs around the country against each other in a quiz show format with questions posed by an expert panel. Drinks and appetizers will be available.

“Every year, I think the FIT bowl is the best and most exciting event,” Lieberman said.

On Sunday, Nov. 12, John J. Oppenheimer, MD, FACAAI, will present the Edward J. O’Connell Lecture, “Biologics for Asthma – 20 Years Since the First Approval and Where We Are Headed in 20 Years.”

“Dr. Oppenheimer’s named lecture will be on the topic of biologic therapies,” Lieberman continued. “These medications have been in allergists’ hands for the past 20 years, and he will give us an outlook on where we are headed with their use.”

Also, there will be a Sunday symposium on “Asthma: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” featuring Oppenheimer discussing clinical remission in asthma, Michael S. Blaiss, MD, FACAAI, addressing unmet needs in asthma care and Tamara T. Perry, PhD, exploring disparities.

Other Sunday sessions will explore the Community Allergist Partnership in Education, dermatology, food allergy therapies, venom allergies, rhinolaryngoscopy, asthma and food allergy prevention, current immunotherapy parameters and COVID-19.

Also, Stukus will return to host “Jeopardy — What’s That Rash?” with Kelly M. Maples, MD, FACAAI; Stephanie L. Mawhirt, DO, FACAAI; and Anitha Shrikhande, MD, matching their wits in a contest based on the long-running television show.

The conference will close on Monday with sessions exploring inborn errors of immunity; anaphylaxis; immunotherapies; and supplements, immune boosters, special diets and cannabis.

Plus, hands-on training on Friday, Saturday and Sunday will allow attendees to roll up their sleeves for practical experience in subcutaneous immunoglobulin infusion, spirometry, wet wraps and cream, shave and punch skin biopsies, and more.

“While all topics should have strong clinical relevance, the hands-on sessions such as on patch testing and rhinolaryngoscopy are always so helpful and clinically relevant,” Lieberman said.

Lieberman is excited about the opportunities the conference will provide.

“I hope everyone enjoys it,” he said. “We have spent a lot of time putting this together, and we are really proud of the product.”

Healio is an official media partner of ACAAI. The Healio team will provide coverage from the meeting, including reports on the sessions above and more.

Reference:

• Full schedule. https://annualmeeting.acaai.org/2023/conference_schedule.cfm. Accessed Nov. 6, 2023.