Dr. Reginald F. Baugh, M.D., is Professor and Chief in the Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology, at the University of Toledo (UT) College of Medicine.  He earned his medical degree and completed his otolaryngology residency at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.  He is board certified in otolaryngology.
During his career, Dr. Baugh has held leadership roles in several respected, well known hospital systems, including the University of Kansas and the Kansas City Veteran’s Medical Center as the Chief of Otolaryngology; Kaiser Permanente of MidAmerica where he served as Chief of Otolaryngology and Assistant Medical Director for Resource Improvement; the Henry Ford Health System, where he served as Medical Director of Clinical Services; CIGNA, where he was one of six national Vice Presidents and Senior Medical Directors; Texas A&M University of Health Sciences Center, College of Medicine as Professor and Chief of Otolaryngology, and Vice Chairman of the Department of Surgery. 
Dr. Baugh has lectured on a variety of topics in Otolaryngology nationally and internationally.  He has over 70 publications, presentations, and book chapters.  He was awarded a Certificate of Honor by the American Academy of Otolaryngology and has served as an American Board of Otolaryngology examiner.   
Dr. Baugh and his wife, Bobbie, have two adult sons; both are currently attending medical school.

 

Dr. Baugh’s clinical interests include sinus disease, pediatric Otolaryngology, and sleep medicine. His research interests are in nasal and oropharyngeal physiology, mucosal immunology.   

Daisuke Tsuruta received the MD degree from Osaka City University Medical School, Osaka, Japan in 1992. He researched on the interaction between Langerhans cells and dendritic epidermal T cells in contact hypersensitivity and received the PhD degree from Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine in 1999. He worked as a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Northwestern University, Chicago in 2000-2003 supervised by Prof. Jonathan Jones. After coming back to Japan, he appointed as an assistant professor in Osaka City University Graduate School in 2003-2010 with Prof. Masamitsu Ishii.

 

His research interests include dynamics of matrix adhesions in normal, wound, and diseased keratinocytes and the role of matrix adhesions in hair cycle. He is currently working as an associate professor in the Department of Dermatology, Kurume University School of Medicine and Kurume University Institute of Cutaneous Cell Biology, Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan.

Professor, Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy, Brigham and Womens Hospital, USA

rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, osteoarthritis,adolescent rheumatology, nephrogenic systemic fibrosis,Ehler Danlos syndrome and Marfans syndrome,musculoskeletal ultrasound

Director Allergy and Immunology

pediatric allergy and immunology

Elaine C. Siegfried, M.D. is a Pediatrician and Dermatologist, board certified in Pediatric Dermatology.  She received her medical degree from University of Missouri-Columbia in 1985 and completed dual residency training at the University of Iowa in both Pediatrics and Dermatology.  She served on the faculty at the University of Iowa, Northwestern University and, since 1992, at Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center, where she is currently Professor of Pediatrics and Dermatology and Director of the Division of Dermatology at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital.
Dr Siegfried has provided professional expertise for numerous organizations including: the Board of Directors for the American Board of Dermatology, serving as president in 2010;  the Executive Committee of the Society for Pediatric Dermatology;  several committees of the American Academy of Dermatology, most recently chair of the Environment and Drugs Committee;  the Executive Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Dermatology; the Scientific Advisory for The National Foundation for Ectodermal Dysplasias.
Dr Siegfried currently serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of Dermatology Times.  She is the author or co-author of more than 80 original papers, abstracts, and book chapters, and a frequently invited lecturer.  She has been repeatedly recognized as one of Woodward White’s Best Doctors in America.
In addition to running a busy clinical division, she serves as principle investigator for multiple industry-sponsored clinical trials, manages and provides consultation for pediatric inpatients with severe skin diseases, and provides surgical and laser treatment.
 

Dr. Siegfried’s academic practice focuses on all aspects of caring for children with congenital and acquired skin problems. 

Wilbert S. Aronow, MD is Clinical Professor of Medicine at New York Medical College.
He has edited 8 books and is author or coauthor of 1,180 papers (618 original research papers, 150 chapters in 84 books, 364 review papers, and 48  editorials), 163 Letters to the Editor, commentaries, or book reviews, and 846 abstracts. He has given 1,167 talks at meetings.
Dr. Aronow has been a member of 54 editorial boards of medical journals, an associate editor for 5 medical journals, a guest editor for 6 other medical journals, and has reviewed manuscripts for 193 medical journals.  He has been a consultant to numerous government agencies and a member of committees in numerous professional societies. He has received numerous awards including the Walter Bliefeld Memorial Award for distinguished contributions to clinical research from the International Academy of Cardiology at the 15th World Congress on Heart Disease in 2010.
 

David Price completed his medical degree at Cambridge University in 1984 and his general practitioner training in Norwich in 1989 Between 1990 and 2000 he worked as a principal in general practice in Norwich and he continues to work there as a GP with a special interest in respiratory disease David Price is currently the Primary Care Respiratory Society Professor of Primary Care Respiratory Medicine at the University of Aberdeen Scotland an Honorary Professor at the University of East Anglia England and Affiliate Associate Professor in the Department of General Practice at the University of Adelaide Australia

David Price is extensively involved in respiratory and allergy education and research. His special areas of interest are screening, ‘real-life’ effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of interventions, compliance, and patient attitudes to their disease. He has authored over 180 peer-reviewed publications since 2000 and is currently responsible for research grants in excess of $20 million. Professor Price previously headed the research committee of the International Primary Care Respiratory Group, and is a member of the executive committees for the ARIA and EPOS guidelines groups.

Toshiharu Hayashi is a Professor Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology Faculty of Agriculture Yamaguchi University He has received a PhD 1982 and a MS 1976 from The University of Tokyo He graduated as DVM at Miyazaki University 1973 He was the Dean of The United Graduate School of Veterinary Science Yamaguchi University He was a visiting fellow in NIH/NIDR/LOM 19841986 He is serving as a editor Veterinary Pathology: 2009~ and an editorial advisory board member Open Autoimmunity Journal:2009~ No of publication 130Reviewer experienced Mol Therapy Int J Exp Path Virchows Arch British J Dermatol Microbiol Immunol Nephrology Vet Path and others

Experimental pathology especially Immunopathology (lupus, Sjogren s Syndrome, Type 1 diabetes, allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma). Therapy for autoimmune diseases and allergic diseases

Giuseppe Caruso is a Medical Director at the ENT Unit University Hospital Siena Italy Professor of ENT School of Medicine Siena University He graduated in Medicine and Surgery Padua University 1979 He specialized in ENT in Padua University 1982 He is Author or coAuthor of nearly one hundred publications in national and international journals He is on the National Board of SIOP Italian Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology He is a cofounder of the Italian Academy of the Nasal Cytology AICNA

Pediatric Rhinology Allergic and non-allergic rhinitis Primary and secondary ciliary dyskinesia Nasal cytology Surgery of nose and paranasal sinuses Nasal problems in the elderly.

Linda Cox MD is an allergist in private practice in Ft Lauderdale and a clinical associate professor of medicine at Nova Southeastern University She attended medical school at Northwestern University in Chicago and completed her fellowship in allergy and immunology at National Jewish Center in Colorado She is a member of the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology s Board of Directors 20072011 and chair of the AAAAI s Practice and Policy Division She is also a member of the American Board of Allergy and Immunology Board of Directors She has received the ACAAI s Distinguished Service award and the Woman in Allergy Award in 2008 She received AAAAI s Presidents Award for Outstanding Leadership as chair of the Immunotherapy and Allergy Diagnostics committeeShe is also a member of the Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters and a chief editor of the Allergen Immunotherapy Practice Parameters 2 nd and 3 rd updates

She has been involved in standardization of allergy diagnostic testing and allergen immunotherapy since 2002. She has recently worked with other members of the international allergy community to develop a uniform grading system for subcutaneous immunotherapy systemic reactions. She has chaired numerous committees and task forces related to her specialty s organizations. She was chair of the AAAAI Immunotherapy and Allergy Diagnostics Committee and the ACAAI Immunotherapy and Diagnostics Committee. She has been chair of several AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Forces including the Sublingual Immunotherapy Joint Task Force, Specific-IgE test task force (SETTaF) and the Omalizumab Joint Task Force.

Associate ProfessorDepartment of DermatologyUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Immune evasion by melanoma, Role of C-type lectin receptors in innate immunity , Negative regulation of T cell-mediated immunity

Associate Professor of Medicine and PediatricsUniversity of Colorado

Lung Cancer, Interventional Pulmonology, Other Pulmonary Disease Research

Ji-Yih Chen MD, Associate Professor, Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital, No.5 Fu-Shin St, Kwei-Shan, TaYuan, 333, Taiwan, Republic Of China.
 

Genetic analysis and functional characterization of immune response genes and their clinical association with autoimmune diseases and allergic disorders (hyper IgE syndrome).

Rodolfo de Paula VieiraWas born in Sao José dos Campos, state of Sao Paulo, Brazil in 09 December of 1979. Received the title of Bacharel in Sport Sciences (Physical Education) in 2001 and the Master’s in Biology (Physiology and Pharmacology) in 2003. The PhD degree (Pathology -Immunopathology of the lungs) was obtained in 2007 in the University of Sao Paulo, School of Medicine, Brazil. The first post-doctoral period was performed in the University of Sao Paulo, School of Medicine, Brazil, between the period of December of 2007 until January of 2009. The second period of post-doctoral training was comprehended between February of 2009 until June of 2010 in the Department of Pneumology of University Hospital Freiburg, Germany. The third post-doctoral period was performed through the Post-doctoral fellowship awarded by European Respiratory Society and Marie Currie Foundation and European Union. Since June of 2011, I occupy a position of associated researcher in the Department of Pneumology of University Hospital Freiburg.

1- Pathophysiology of asthma:
•    Dendritic cells in asthma
•    T-cells in asthma
•    Intra-cellular mediators (Akt, ERK, MAPK, NF-kB)
•    Fibroblasts in asthma
•    Epithelial cells in asthma
•    Lung remodeling in asthma
•    Mechanisms of bronchial hyperreactivity
•    Purinergic signalling in asthma
•    Serotoninergic signalling in asthma
•    Toll-like receptor in asthma
2- Mechanisms of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction
3- Pulmonary rehabilitation in different pulmonary diseases (asthma, COPD, acute respiratory distress syndrome, pulmonary fibrosis, lung cancer).
4- Sport supplementation in different pulmonary diseases (asthma, COPD, acute respiratory distress syndrome, pulmonary fibrosis, lung cancer).
5- Creatine supplementation in different pulmonary diseases (asthma, COPD, acute respiratory distress syndrome, pulmonary fibrosis, lung cancer).
 

Baohua Zhou, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Pediatrics
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Wells Center for Pediatric Research
Indiana University School of Medicine
1044 W Walnut Street, R4 272
Indianapolis, IN 46202

 

Allergic diseases have emerged as major health problems in western society with a dramatically increased prevalence over the past decades. Studies from our laboratory established that thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of asthma and allergy. Our current focuses in the lab are to decipher how TSLP regulates Th2 immunity and tolerance. We found that TSLP not only suppressed antigen-specific iTreg differentiation but also is required and sufficient to initiate Th2 differentiation.
 

Dr John F Alcorn has received his PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from Duke University during the period of 19982003 Currently he is working as an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Dr Alcorn received his PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from Duke University during the period of 19982003 Prior to that training he received his BS and MS in Physiology from Youngstown State University Dr Alcorn has served as a peer reviewer for many journals and funding agencies He is currently serving as a reviewer for several reputed journals like the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine and the American Journal of Physiology He is the author for a recent book chapter in the Annual Review of Physiology concerning the role of TH17 cells in asthma and COPD

Dr. Xu received his Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Neurobiology, at Shanghai Brain Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1998. He has been trained in the United States as a visiting scientist and postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology at the University of Texas Medical Branch since 1998. In August 2004, He was recruited as an instructor and been working independently in the Department of Internal Medicine at University of Texas Medical Branch. He was promoted as an Assistant Professor in 2005 because of his excellent accomplishments.   He has established a chronic visceral pain research lab and was funded by many research grants including NIH grants as a PI or Co-Investigator in the United States.  He is currently a distinquished Professor in the Institute of Neuroscience at the Soochow University and adjunct Professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
He has published his major findings in peer-reviewed journals including PNAS, Journal of Neuroscience, Gastroenterology, GUT, Journal of physiology (London), and American Journal of Physiology-GI.  Please note that Dr. Xu is the first author or corresponding author of most of these papers. In recognition of his extraordinary abilities and accomplishments, He has appointed as a contributing associated Editor-in Chief of World Journal of Gastroenterology and the Editorial Board member of Acta Phyaiologica Sinica (Chinese Journal of Physiology).  He also served as a scientific reviewer for many national and international journals including Neuropeptides, Neuroscience Letters, Brain Research, European Journal of Pain, Digestive Disease and Science, Journal of Minerva Medicine, Frontiers in Medicine, Neuroscience Bulletin, etc. In addition, He has been elected to become an associated chairman for Symposium of Chinese Neuroscientists Worldwide 2012 and Chairman for Symposium of Chinese Neuroscientists Worldwide 2014. He is also an active member of the Society for Neuroscience, and American Gastroenterology Association.
 

Dr. Xu’s research objective is to elucidate the neuronal and molecular mechanisms of chronic visceral pain associated with functional gastrointestinal disorders, particularly the neonatal injury-induced irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Functional gastrointestinal disorders, defined as recurrent symptoms unexplained by structural or biochemical anomalies, constitute a frequent problem throughout the world, affecting up to 20% of worldwide population. Current treatment options for these disorders are very limited in large part due to the lack of suitable animal models and our incomplete understanding of the neuronal and molecular mechanisms underlying the initiation and maintenance of chronic pain.  A popular theory is that IBS has its roots early in life with various factors being implicated, including psychological stress, parental influence, physical/social abuse, dietary and/or chemical intolerance, and infections. He has spent a considerable time to successfully develop the IBS model by neonatal colonic stimulation.  This would allow him to investigate the mechanism of the same. The following questions are specifically interesting for him and his colleagues to address: (1) how neural excitability changes and what ion channels (both voltage- and ligand-gated ion channels) contribute to the chronic visceral pain, and (2) how inflammatory mediators (e.g., growth factors and H2S) modulate ion channel activity (function and expression), and (3) how intracellular molecules (such as CaMKII and p38MAPK) involve in the peripheral sensitization of primary sensory neurons and thus contribute to the chronic visceral hypersensitivity. State of the art electrophysiological (patch clamp) techiques, image analysis, behavioral, molecular and epigenetic approaches in acutely isolated neurons or in intact animals will be employed to answer these questions. His research findings and ongoing studies will shed light on the neuronal and molecular mechanisms underlying chronic visceral pain and provide valuable insight into the potential therapeutic value of drugs in the management of chronic visceral pain.

Dr. Johnston, is an Allergist/Immunologist in private practice in Greenville, South Carolina and an assistant professor of  Internal Medicine / Allergy & Immunology at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine.  Dr. Johnston received his D.O. from New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in Old Westbury, New York.  He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, New York, and received fellowship training in Allergy and Immunology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.  He serves on several professional committees which aim to improve the quality of care in the field of Allergy and Immunology. 

Dr. Johnston has been published in several journals and has an interest in Hereditary Angioedema.

Shutang Zhou received his Ph.D. at Queen’s University, Canada in 2003. He is currently an assistant professor at Duke University Medical Center. He has 11 peer-reviewed papers and 1 patent. He has recently investigated the novel functions for neuronal PAS domain protein 3 (NPAS3) and the neuropeptide GRP in lung development and/or chronic lung disease. Two major discoveries he has recently made are: (1) NPAS3 is the functional mammalian homolog of trachealess, the master regulator of Drosophila respiratory system; and (2) GRP mediates immediate and delayed airway hyperreactivity and airway inflammation in asthma. GRP blockade prevents airway inflammation, cytokine production, and airway hyperreactivity in two mouse models of asthma. These discoveries have resulted in 2 papers published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA.

My major research interest is to identify molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways of lung development and chronic lung diseases, with emphasis on two distinct pathways:
(1) Neuronal bHLH-PAS transcription factor NPAS3. Our data demonstrate that NPAS3 is the functional mammalian homolog of trachealess, the master regulator of the Drosophila respiratory system. Studies are being conducted to further elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms of lung development regulated by NPAS3, to determine how NPAS3 deficiency might contribute to emphysema and asthma, and to identify the role of NPAS3 in lung cancer. (2) Neuropeptides, immunity and asthma. In both ozone and OVA models, the gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) blockade abrogates AHR and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) macrophages and granulocytes, and also decreased BAL levels of cytokines implicated in asthma. Thus, GRP mediates airway hyperreactivity and airway inflammation in mice, suggesting that GRP blockade is promising as a broad-spectrum therapeutic approach to treat and/or prevent asthma in humans. We are now investigating the critical target cells for primary effects of GRP and the signaling pathways transducing these effects. We anticipate direct effects on airway smooth muscle, macrophages, and T cells, leading to in-depth analyses of immunoregulation by the multifunctional G protein-coupled GRP receptor.
 

Dr. Michael Wallner is an Assistant professor at the University of Salzburg. After graduating he received his PhD from the University of Salzburg in 2004 with full marks. He has received the “Clemens von Pirquet” Award from the Austrian Society of Allergology and Immunology and the Austrian Life Science Award. He is reviewer of the International Archives of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Clinical and Experimental Allergy, Mediators of Inflammation and Allergy

His research is focused on inhalant and food allergens. He has been involved in the development of novel therapeutics applicable for specific immunotherapy. In addition, he has been interested in the intrinsic properties that turn innocuous proteins into allergenic molecules.

Dr. Calman Prussin is head of the Lymphocyte Biology Unit within the Laboratory of Allergic Diseases, NIAID. He received his medical training at the University of Southern California and has an undergraduate degree in chemistry from the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Prussin received his both his post-doctoral laboratory training and Allergy and Immunology clinical training within the NIAID.

Dr. Prussin’s major research interests are the role of Th2 cells in the pathogenesis of eosinophilic GI disease, food allergy and eosinophilic inflammation.


 

Director of Education and Health ResearchUniversity of Guadalajara

Allergy research

The Dermatology Specialty Group Lead of Leicestershire Northamptonshire Rutland Comprehensive Local Research Network Consultant Dermatologist Leicester Royal Infirmary UK He has received a PhD in Immunology from The Institute of Paediatric Haematology Moscow Russia in 1993 He has completed his MB ChB in Paediatrics Vrach First Class in NI Pirogov Russian State Medical University 1991 He is serving as an editorial board member of Clinical Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology and reviewer of a number of reputable journals including British Medical Journal British Journal of Dermatology International Journal of Dermatology Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Expert Review of Dermatology He has 77 publications and 66 published abstracts Sum of the Times Cited: over 500 hindex: 11 Thomson Scientificmiddot;s Institute for Scientific Information

contact dermatitis hair disorders psoriasis and cardiovascular disease and other multisystem manifestations of psoriasis cosmetic dermatology dermatological oncology

Michelle L. North, PhD, is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. She is supported by an Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation Post-Doctoral Fellowship Award, and her research focuses on epigenetics and the developmental origins of allergic disease. She is also involved in clinical studies in the Environmental Exposure Unit at Kingston General Hospital. Her research interests also include the relationship between air pollution and allergic disease. She completed her PhD at the University of Toronto, in the Institute of Medical Science, with specializations in Environment & Health and Biomedical Toxicology. Her doctoral thesis focused primarily on murine models of allergic airways inflammation and airways hyperresponsiveness and was supported by a Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship Doctoral Award.

Epigenetics, Air pollution, ozone, arginase, nitric oxide synthase, developmental origins of allergy, atopy, cord blood, murine models, airways hyperresponsiveness.

Dr. Alexandra Marita Preisser
Nationality: German (born in Frankfurt am Main)
Year of birth: 1963
Adress: Institute for Occupational and Maritime Medicine
Department Clinical Occupational Medicine
University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
Seewartenstraße 10, 20459 Hamburg, Germany.
 

My research interests are occupational diseases of the lung, esp. occupational allergy and asthma, also RADS (reactive airways dysfunction syndrome) and others like asbestos related diseases.

Marina Braga, PhD
Unit of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
Tel. +39 0303996688
Fax +39 0303996016
 

 IgE-mediated reaction, allergic bronchial asthma and rhinoconjuntivitis, food allergy, SNAS ( Systemic Nickel Allergy Syndrome) and Nickel Allergic Contact Dermatitis, drug allergy.

Edzard Spillner is group leader for molecular immunology at the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry, at the University of Hamburg, Germany. After studying chemistry in Hamburg and Kiel he received his Diploma in Chemistry 1998, a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2002 and his Venia Legendi for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2009. Actually he is working on the interface of the innate and adaptive immune response and pathgenic structures with special emphasis on allergen/antibody interactions.  Another focus is hymenoptera venom allergy with respect to the nature of implicated allergens, their molecular mode of action and the development of therapeutic approaches.
 

Molecular Allergology; Insect Venom Hypersensitivity; IgE und IgG epitopes; Carbohydrates and Immunogenicity; Recombinant antibodies; Allergy diagnostics

Academic Medical Center (AMC)
Department of Otorhinolaryngology
Amperestraat 36
1221 GJ Hilversum
The Netherlands

- Interaction of aeroallergens with respiratory epithelial cells
- Proteolytic activity of the major allergen Phl p 1
- Comparison of the influence of house dust mite extract and grass pollen
extract on gene expression in respiratory epithelial cells (core-response to
aeroallergens?)
- Dysregulation of transcription factors and their influence on the allergic
phenotyp
- Specific immune therapy
- Expression of TLRs in nasal epithelium
- Respiratory epithelial cells as modulators of the immune response (interaction
with basophiles, B- and T-cells)