November 12, 2020

Ensuring that our members have access to the education they need to provide optimal patient care—while meeting CME and MOC requirements—is a critical component of the AAAAI’s mission. After all, knowledge is power. The pandemic has brought myriad challenges and changes to our lives. This includes changing the way we deliver education. Yet what hasn’t changed is the quality of the education that the AAAAI provides.

We recognize the tremendous value of education, which is why we also recognize that there is an opportunity in front of us to consider educational innovations. In order to position ourselves to innovate in this area, the members of the Academy’s Office of Medical Education have been prioritizing approaches to faculty development and training, development of a faculty database, and instructional technology. Just as telemedicine visits have become a critical component of how we deliver patient care, virtual learning activities have and will continue to be an important and necessary way for the AAAAI to provide high quality educational activities.

Let me briefly highlight some Academy educational offerings related to COVID-19 and other important topics:

 We have two new virtual CME patient modules: Care of an Older Adult with Asthma During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Care of an Older Adult with Immune Deficiency During the COVID-19 Pandemic. You can learn the best ways to discuss COVID-19 with patients and provide guidance on treatments for existing health conditions at a time when resources may be scarce and logistical challenges to providing care continue.  Our 2020 Virtual Practice Management Workshop webinar series has covered a variety of COVID-19 topics. All our past webinars are available as recordings that you and your staff can watch at your convenience.  The AAAAI's Conversations from the World of Allergy podcast series has produced a number of episodes about COVID-19. They’re a great way to learn while on the go.  Watch our two online CME lectures [here and here] on performing drug allergy assessments via telemedicine to help expand your scope of practice during the pandemic.

Visit the AAAAI COVID-19 resources page and click on the Webinars, Podcasts, & More section to find all of these activities.

Other educational offerings not related to COVID-19 that I want to mention are the new drug allergy supplement from JACI: In Practice and the new rhinitis practice parameter published in JACI.

The drug allergy supplement, entitled “Practical Guidance for the Evaluation and Management of Drug Hypersensitivity”, goes into detail about symptoms, diagnosis, and management of more than 300 specific drugs and addresses general concepts in drug allergy. JACI: In Practice has also put together two YouTube videos on immediate and delayed hypersensitivity drug allergy testing.

And if you haven’t already done so, I urge you to read the new rhinitis practice parameter published in the October issue of JACI. This comprehensive practice parameter on allergic and nonallergic rhinitis provides updated guidance on diagnosis, assessment, selection of monotherapy and combination pharmacotherapy options, and allergen immunotherapy.

In closing, please know that the Academy remains committed to providing you with the educational resources necessary to provide optimal patient care. Until next time, take care and stay safe.