The American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology: An 80-year legacy of accomplishments (1942–2022), part 3: Events and achievements (2012–2022)

Introduction

In 2022, the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) celebrated the 80th anniversary of its founding in 1942. The history of the first 50 years of the College was written by Dr Bellanti in his presidential address (1991–1992) and published in the Annals,¹ documenting events that occurred during the first 5 decades of our organization from 1942 to 1992. The next 20-year follow-up of College events and achievements was published in the Annals,² documenting events and achievements that occurred during the period from 1992 to 2012. This publication continues our ACAAI history in the making and together with the previous 2 publications, collectively reflects 8 decades of College events and achievements as we celebrate the 80th anniversary of its founding in 2022.

The First 50-year History of the College (1942–1992)

The American College of Allergists was officially incorporated as a legal entity on November 23, 1942, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The events that led to its establishment have a poetic and poignant history and are described in detail in a previous publication of the history of the College.¹

The Ending of the First 50-year History of the College (1942–1992)

The first 50-year history of the College (1942–1992) ended with the 49th annual meeting of the College, which was held in New York City in 1991, under the presidency of Edward J. O’Connell, MD (1990–1991). The programmatic theme of the meeting, Quo Vadis? (Where Are We Going?), was ironically appropriate because the College had reached a defining moment in its history. The leadership was confronted with a watershed crisis of deciding a possible merger with the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology as a single professional organization. With the unanimous support of the membership, however, the College opted against a merger, thus ensuring the vitality of the organization to perform its mission as a single entity and to fulfill the mandate of its founders. A more detailed description of the first 50-year history of the College (1942–1992) can be found in study by Bellanti.¹

The History of the College (1992–2012): The Next 20 Years

Dr Bellanti completed his Presidency in the 50th year of the College during the annual scientific meeting in Chicago in 1992, whose programmatic meeting theme was Carpe Diem! (Seize the Day!). The chapter for the next 50 years was launched during the Presidency of the late Dr John “Jack” Selner (1992–1993). The continued growth of the College occurred under the guiding leadership of the next 20 College presidents, who are shown in Table 1, together with the years of their presidency, meeting sites, and programmatic themes of their meeting programs. During this period, there were continued membership recruitment and growth, with an emphasis on younger members and support of fellows-in-training (FITs) and younger allergists entering practice. In addition, this period saw the development of a strong research and educational fund under the aegis of the Foundation, which was newly established and which continued the support of many innovative College programs. A more detailed description of this subsequent 20-year history of the College (1992–2012) can be found in study by Bellanti.²

Table 1.

Presidents, Years of Term, Meeting Sites, and Programmatic Themes of Annual Meetings of the College (1992–2012) [Reproduced with permission from Bellanti²]

President	Year of presidency	Meeting site	Programmatic theme of Annual Meeting
Joseph A. Bellanti, MD	1991–1992	Chicago, Illinois	Carpe Diem!
John C. Seiner, MDa	1992–1993	Atlanta, Georgia	Health Care Reform!
Robert T. Scanlon, MDa	1993–1994	San Francisco, California	Prescription for Change!
Diane E. Schuller, MDa	1994–1995	Dallas, Texas	Expanding Horizons!
Ira Finegold, MD	1995–1996	Boston, Massachusetts	Meet the Challenge!
Betty B. Wray, MD	1996–1997	San Diego, California	Pathways to the Future!
Jean A. Chapman, MDa	1997–1998	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Gateway to the 21st Century!
Robert M. Miles, MD	1998–1999	Chicago, Illinois	Follow the Leader Into the New Millennium!
Don Q. Mitchell, MDa	1999–2000	Seattle, Washington	Distilling the Past & Envisioning the Future!
Emil J. Bardana, MD	2000–2001	Orlando, Florida	Scientific News You Can Use!
Bob Q. Lanier, MD	2001–2002	San Antonio, Texas	First the Patient!
William E. Berger, MD	2002–2003	New Orleans, Louisiana	Defining the Allergist/Immunologist: The Multidisciplinary Approach to Care!
Michael S. Blaiss, MD	2003–2004	Boston, Massachusetts	Lighting Our Path to the Future!
MyronJ. Zitt, MD	2004–2005	Anaheim, California	Vade Mecum!
William K. Dolen, MD	2005–2006	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	We Have Only Just Begun!
Daniel Ein, MD	2006–2007	Dallas, Texas	Across the Quality Chasm!
Jay M. Portnoy, MD	2007–2008	Seattle, Washington	Embracing the Challenges of Change!
Richard G. Gower, MD	2008–2009	Miami Beach, Florida	Expanding the Spectrum!
Sami L. Bahna, MD, DrPH	2009–2010	Phoenix, Arizona	eACAAI: Excellence in Clinical Education, Communication and Patient Care!
Dana V. Wallace, MD	2010–2011	Boston, Massachusetts	Proud of Our Past -Preparing for Our Future!
Stanley M. Fineman, MD	2011–2012	Anaheim, California	Over the Horizon: Expanding Expertise!

^adeceased.

Specific Goals Set Forth by our Founders

Thus, the purpose, motivation, and genesis for the formation of the College derived from a group of dedicated visionaries who believed that there was a need for a liberal, democratic organization that was ecumenical in its composition and receptive to its charge to build and develop an organization that could meet the needs of the practicing allergist and ultimately the patients whom we served, a charge that has been maintained with fidelity to the present day!

To attain these goals, a set of key specific objectives was also delineated in subsequent years that included:

• The establishment of a Foundation of the College through funds donated by benevolent patrons or grateful victims of the disease who are desirous of furthering our knowledge and scope of allergy;

• The promotion of international educational relationships with other countries through the establishment of chapters;

• The creation of a mechanism for certification of allergists by the College.

The Attainment of Goals of the Founders of the College … a Dream Fulfilled!

Over the years, all the goals of the founders of the College have been fulfilled. Of these, 3 accomplishments stand out and warrant special recognition:

• The creation of a mechanism for certification of allergists by the College.

In 1972, the American Board of Allergy and Immunology (ABAI), a Conjoint Board of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Pediatrics, was formed, and the first certifying examination was given in March of 1974. After a contentious 30-year struggle, the College leadership prevailed in having its membership eligible for certification by this newly formed Board and continues to play a vital role with the ABAI in establishing qualifications and in examining physicians to become recognized specialists in allergy and immunology.

• The establishment of a Foundation of the College.

The establishment of a foundation of the College was finally accomplished in 1999, when Dr Don Q. Mitchell was president. The first members of the foundation’s board of directors included Dale B. Sparks, MD (foundation president), Jean Chapman, MD, Robert Miles, MD, Linda Ford, MD, Rufus E. Lee, MD, and Don Q. Mitchell, MD, and this board has become 1 of the key elements for support of the research and educational programs of the College. Recently, the name of the foundation has been changed to The Allergists Foundation of the ACAAI and is currently focusing its programming on empowering community practicing allergists on the front lines of patient care by funding innovative projects with grant support that address barriers to asthma and allergy care, particularly in underserved populations.

• The role of the College in promotion of international educational relationships with other countries through the establishment of chapters.

This accomplishment fulfilled the dream of Fred Wittich, who was one of the pioneers in identifying the importance of international educational collaboration. In 1951, the leaders in allergy from all over the world came together to form the International Association of Allergology and Clinical Immunology, and Dr. Wittich was installed as the first president of the organization at its first meeting in Zurich, Switzerland.⁴ For the next 60 years, the allergy world converged at meetings of the International Association of Allergology and Clinical Immunology, which in later years became the World Allergy Organization.

• The gradual changes to the College’s name.

In 1942, the founders named the organization the American College of Allergists, which was then changed to the American College of Allergy and Immunology in 1987 and subsequently to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in 1993, as it now exists.

The History of the College (2012–2022): The Last 10 Years

Table 2 shows a list of presidents who served the College over the previous 10 years, together with the years of term, meeting sites, and programmatic annual meeting themes. Figure 1 provides a description of the contributions of each president who served the College during the period (2012–2022), including a brief summary of the events and accomplishments during their term of leadership.

Table 2.

Presidents, Years of Term, Meeting Sites, and Programmatic Themes of Annual Meetings of the College (2012–2022).

President	Year of presidency	Meeting site	Programmatic theme ofAnnual Meeting
Richard W. Weber, MD	2012–2013	Baltimore, MD	New Frontiers in Allergy and Immunology: From Bench to Clinic
Michael B. Foggs, MD	2013–2014	Atlanta, GA	Faces and Facets of Allergy & Immunology
James L. Sublett, MD	2014–2015	San Antonio, TX	Practice Excellence – Education, Patient Care, Leadership
Bryan L. Martin, DO	2015–2016	San Francisco, CA	New Times, New Treatments, New Standards
Stephen A. Tilles, MD	2016–2017	Boston, MA	Precision Medicine in Allergy Practice
Bradley E. Chipps, MD	2017–2018	Seattle, WA	Practice Empowerment – Patients, Community, Partners
Todd Mahr, MD	2018–2019	Houston, TX	Advocating for Patients, Practices and Research
J. Allen Meadows, MD	2019–2020	Virtual meeting, was slated for Phoenix, AZ	The Changing Practice Landscape – Rising to the Challenge
Luz Fonacier, MD	2020–2021	New Orleans, LA	Promoting Innovation & Diversity
Mark Corbett, MD	2021–2022	Louisville, KY	Advancing Allergy & Immunology Care

Figure 1.

Contributions of each of the presidents who served the College during the period (2012–2022), including a summary of the events and accomplishments during their term of leadership.

Accomplishments of the College Over the Last 10 years (2012–2022)

There have been notable achievements of the College in its historical trajectory, many occurring during the last decade, associated with the expanding scope of the field of allergy and reflected by the College’s gradual name changes. These have included the College’s seminal role in the creation of the Joint Council of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology, and its continuing role in specialty advocacy with the creation of the Advocacy Council, one of the premier ways we best serve our membership. During our history, the House of Delegates was created and later aligned—through changes in bylaws—with the Advocacy Council, and most recently, a grass-roots campaign was created to align national advocacy issues with those at the state and regional levels. The involvement of past and current College leaders serving on the ABAI Board of Directors has contributed to the collaborative reshaping of the ABAI, and the ABAI Maintenance of Certification (MOC) process has additionally occurred in the past 10 years. The challenges and resolution of the USP 797 compounding issue best illustrate how the College led the way during difficult times and could be held up as a specific example of leadership.

With general shifts in demographics over the past 10 years, there has been a major effort by the College to engage fellows and new members with programs that include FIT representation on the College Board of Regents as voting members, formation of a vibrant New Allergist Committee, and changes to bylaws creating a new committee structure and selection processes that allow for increased inclusiveness and participation in College programs. Moreover, there have been positive development opportunities for future College leaders (ie, the Leadership Summit), which also represent a positive change in the past 10 years. A new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Task Force is currently assessing ways to bring diverse voices into College membership and leadership, and also increasing health diversity, equity, and inclusiveness for our patients. These changes dovetail with the Allergists’ Foundation Community Grants Program.

Other Highlights of the College in the Last 10 Years

A major educational objective of the founding of the American College of Allergy in 1942 was the establishment and circulation of a journal, which was originally named the Annals of Allergy. The Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology has continued to be the premier vehicle of communication of clinical and research and educational contributions for the College under the capable leadership of several editors,¹ who historically have included Dr French Hansel (1942–1956), Dr Fred Wittich (Managing Editor) (1942–1956), Dr Ethan Allen Brown (1956–1965), Dr M. Coleman Harris (1965–1982), Dr Bellanti (1982–1990), R. Michael Sly (1990–1998), Edward J. O’Connell (1998–2006), and Dr Marshall (2006–2021). In one of his prescient editorials, Dr Wittich penned the future of the College in the article Why a college [editorial]? Ann Allergy. 1943;1:62e63.³ During the 2012–2022 period, the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology has continued to be the premier vehicle of communication of clinical and research and educational contributions for the College under the outstanding leadership of Dr Marshall. In January 2022, Mitchell H. Grayson, MD became Editor-in-Chief and will continue to serve in upholding the commitment of the journal to the practicing allergists and the patients whom we serve.⁵

Established as the American College of Allergy Auxiliary in 1954, and now referred to as the Alliance of the ACAAI, the organization continues to support and augment the activities of the College and its mission of education and research by encouraging the growth of the specialty of allergy and clinical immunology. The Alliance continues to provide Clemens von Pirquet Awards and travel grants to FITs for their outstanding abstracts in the field of allergy, asthma, and immunology and offers ACAAI KIDS programs, hospitality, and its well-attended international reception at the ACAAI annual meetings.

The College also continues its support and affiliation with several lay organizations, including the Allergy and Asthma Foundation, the Allergy & Asthma Network, and the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network.

The administration, under the able direction of Mr. Rick Slawny and staff, has continued to provide excellence in the management of College programs. A special thanks is due to Rick and all the staff for their outstanding contributions to the College.

Conclusion

The legacy of accomplishments of the ACAAI over the past 80 years is a remarkable history of the contributions of many. The Archives Committee wishes to congratulate the College on the occasion of its 80th anniversary.