AllerGen researchers recognized for excellence by CSACI
Four AllerGen investigators were recently recognized with awards by the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (CSACI) at that organization’s 2017 Annual Scientific Meeting.
Dr. Susan Waserman was named the inaugural recipient of the Milton Gold Memorial Lectureship, “presented to a speaker at the CSACI Annual Scientific Meeting whose lecture exemplifies the role of advocacy in the field of Allergy & Immunology.”
Dr. Waserman is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Allergy/Clinical Immunology at McMaster University. She is the Director of the Adverse Reactions Clinic at the Firestone Institute of Respiratory Health, St Joseph’s Hospital; President of the Canadian Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Foundation (CAAIF); and past President of the Ontario and Canadian Societies of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
Her research interests and activities include clinical trials in a variety of therapeutic areas related to allergy, including rhinitis and asthma, as well as determinants of allergic expression in asthma and food-related anaphylaxis.
Dr. Moshe Ben-Shoshan was awarded the F. Estelle R. Simons Award for Research in recognition of his “exemplary research in the field of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.” Among his research accomplishments are: establishing, with AllerGen investigator Dr. Bruce Mazer, protocols for milk, peanut, tree nut and egg desensitization; creating, with AllerGen support, a cross-Canada anaphylaxis registry; and analyzing the diagnostic approach to antibiotic allergy in children, which led to a fundamental change in clinical practice around the diagnosis and management of amoxicillin allergies. Dr. Ben-Shoshan was AllerGen’s first Emerging Clinician-Scientist Research Fellow.
“I am honoured,” Dr. Ben-Shoshan was quoted as saying in a McGill newsletter story about the award: “Receiving this award acknowledges not only the important findings of my research on food and drug allergy but also the impact that this research has had on the management of severe allergies in Canadians.”
Dr. Philippe Bégin received the CSACI Early Career Award for “showing dedication to our specialty through his contribution to the CSACI.”
Dr. Bégin was AllerGen’s second Emerging Clinician-Scientist Research Fellow; during his fellowship, he worked at Stanford University with Dr. Kari Nadeau, who is internationally recognized for her work on oral immunotherapy (OIT) for the treatment of food allergy. Dr. Bégin has since established himself as a productive clinician-scientist at the University of Montreal and Sainte-Justine Hospital, and recently established an OIT clinic in Montreal. Read more about Dr. Bégin’s work on the ByeByeAllergies.ca blog.
Dr. Edmond Chan was presented the Jerry Dolovich Award for “demonstrating excellence in clinical work, teaching, and research, and serving as a leader and role model in our specialty.”
Dr. Chan attends patients in the BC Children’s Hospital, and conducts research on various clinical aspects of food allergy, including prevention, diagnosis and management. He is also involved in AllerGen’s National Food Allergy Strategy (NFASt) initiative. Read more about Dr. Chan’s work in a University of British Columbia newsletter story about the award.
Read more about these awards on the CSACI website, and in the CSACI Winter 2017 newsletter.