Information updates

ASCIA Highlights 2020

12 July 2020:

Whilst 2020 has been challenging, work has continued on initiatives that support ASCIA’s Mission, to advance the science and practice of allergy and clinical immunology, by promoting the highest standard of medical practice, training, education and research, to improve the health and quality of life of people with allergy and other immune system disorders.

ASCIA members will be invited to attend (by videoconference) the ASCIA Annual General Meeting (AGM) in September 2020 and an agenda is on the ASCIA website www.allergy.org.au/members/ascia-agm.

In the meantime the following highlights from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020 can be viewed as a pdf at www.allergy.org.au/about-ascia/highlights

Education and Training

ASCIA Website

From 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020 the ASCIA website had over 3.3 million pageviews and over 1.885 million visits.

In 2020 two new ASCIA webpages have been developed in response to COVID-19 and telehealth changes.

www.allergy.org.au/members/covid-19

www.allergy.org.au/ascia-telehealth

All ASCIA anaphylaxis resources have been updated in 2020, including Guidelines, Action Plans and e-training courses.

www.allergy.org.au/hp/anaphylaxis

ASCIA Online Training Courses

ASCIA continues to provide world leading online training, with more than 650,000 registrations since 2010.

ASCIA Conference

The next ASCIA Conference will be held in September 2021 (postponed from 2020). This follows the hosting of a highly successful ASCIA 2019 Conference in Perth, Western Australia.

Submissions and Communication

ASCIA Submissions and Reports

ASCIA lodged 15 submissions from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020, including a submission to the Inquiry into Allergies and Anaphylaxis. The Inquiry Report was published in June 2020.

www.allergy.org.au/ascia-reports

ASCIA Newsletters

ASCIA has continued to inform members and the community each month (over 4,600 subscribers in 2020), about new and updated allergy and immunology information.

Research

AIFA Research Grants

In 2020 AIFA will award $110,000 in grants for allergy and immunology research, following $120,000 awarded in 2019.

Plans for 2021 include:

Further expansion of ASCIA online resources, member services, AIFA research grants, collaborations and partnerships, including the National Allergy Strategy.
ASCIA 2021 Conference in Melbourne, Australia www.ascia2021.com/
Completion of the ASCIA Immunodeficiency Strategy.
Continued work on the ASCIA Education Project.