Footnotes¹

Article Outline

• In Person
• Web Drilldown
  • The Year in Review
  • New in 2009
• Practical Issues for the Practicing Allergist

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In Person 

This month, Eugenia Hahn, MD, FAAAAI, took time to answer a few questions. Hahn is Chair of the AAAAI's New Allergist/Immunologist Assembly (NAIA).

In what ways has membership in the AAAAI benefitted you?Being an active member of the AAAAI keeps me connected to a community of allergists. Also, as developments in the field unfold, being a member helps me to stay current with new ideas, methods and recommendations. For example, the AAAAI Web site has kept me informed regarding pertinent H1N1 information, and a recent broadcast email to members alerted me to the availability of PRE-PEN®.

The Academy's best resource is its members. Participating in the NAIA has offered many networking opportunities. I became a member after graduating from fellowship because I recognized the valuable resources available. It is great working with others who have similar interests, strong drive and commitment to the specialty.

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As a young member of the AAAAI, I have had the opportunity to present at a Difficult Cases course at an Annual Meeting. I have had the chance to discuss young allergists' needs with seasoned leaders of the field. To me, participating actively is a way of supporting the specialty and the AAAAI.

What key initiatives is the NAIA working on for the near future?I see the role of the NAIA as a conduit for young members to participate actively in the AAAAI and fulfill their potential as future leaders of the specialty.

We recently launched a Webinar series for NAIA members, fellows-in-training (FITs) and STAR participants interested in a career in academia. The program idea was initiated by Sameer Mathur, MD, PhD, and was further developed by Tao Le, MD, MHS, FAAAAI, and Steve Folstein, Director of Education. The purpose of the Webinar series is to support junior faculty members and FITs interested in academic careers by offering guidance on grantwriting, on understanding the AAAAI's role in relation to their career, identifying grant sources, getting involved in clinical research and publishing scientific papers.

Programs that are in the process of being developed include a mentor program, longitudinal giving to the Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Education and Research Trust (AR Trust) and projects that help active participants find their place in the interest sections and committees.

Participating in the NAIA is a great and interesting experience. Even the manner in which ideas are developed has changed in the last two years through technology. The NAIA Academic Career Development Course was originally planned as a program for the Annual Meeting, but has evolved to a Webinar series. This format may be a model for other member programs. The NAIA was at the forefront of using Basecamp, another technology tool. This pilot experience was a factor in the AAAAI's recent decision to adopt Basecamp as a collaboration and communications tool for various constituency groups.

What would you say to graduating fellows who are considering joining the NAIA?It's easy to participate. I encourage anyone who has graduated from a training program in the last five years to attend the NAIA Business Meeting and Reception and the leadership committee meeting during the upcoming Annual Meeting to see what the NAIA is working on and to meet peers. Graduating FITs are also welcome to attend. Inclusion into the NAIA is automatic when graduating FITs transition into full membership.

The NAIA offers much more than just networking with peers. It's a place to have our voices heard in the Academy. Personally, I have found committee members, assembly leaders, interest section leaders and the members of the Board of Directors interested in having newer members participate. These groups have been receptive audiences to the NAIA's ideas. The NAIA has representatives on the AR Trust Board of Trustees and the Joint Council of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. NAIA members are also active in interest sections, committees and state and local societies.

Any tips for new allergist/immunologists trying to find a balance between work and family?Prioritizing, recognizing that you can't do it all and communicating are all important to get through the demands of busy professional and personal lives. For all of us, there isn't enough time in the day to accomplish everything that we want. I try to efficiently utilize the time that I have for each situation. I am lucky to have a supportive and understanding husband and family.

What do you see as the biggest challenges for the next generation of allergist/immunologists?Being recognized for our expertise in A/I, facing challenges in reimbursement, maintaining a balance between clinical duties and research and adapting to changes due to political and economic forces. I would really like to see Board-eligible, Board-certified allergists regarded as the forefront specialists who optimally manage patients with asthma, allergies and immunodeficiencies.

What path did you take to becoming Chair of the NAIA? What would you tell others about this leadership experience?It all started when Mitch Grayson, MD, FAAAAI, sat my fellowship class down and told us to participate and get involved with the AAAAI. In addition, FITs from prior years had encouraged and invited me to the NAIA events. I quickly realized that NAIA was an assembly within the Academy for people who are in the early stages of our careers. My first committee work was with the Membership Committee. From there, I was nominated for the Vice Chair position.

The NAIA is definitely a place where young members can have their voices heard and participate in idea development. Two years ago, I had the idea of NAIA ribbons for members to wear at the Annual Meeting as a way for them to recognize each other and to increase visibility. Last year, the NAIA ribbon evolved into an AR Trust fundraising program, which ultimately raised $2,000.

Working with other NAIA members has been a great experience. It has also been an opportunity to work with AAAAI leaders and staff members. I appreciate the invitations to Board of Directors' meetings, the recent strategic planning retreat and other meetings.

The Academy leaders care about the field and the future of the specialty. I find participating in AAAAI events to be motivating and inspiring. This is something that I wish all NAIA members could experience for themselves. The first step is to come and express your interest; people will hear you as they heard me.

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Web Drilldown 

The Year in Review 

A total of 1,696,762 visitors viewed 5,788,630 pages on www.aaaai.org during 2009.

Page views in each of the Web site target audience areas:

The majority of visitors to www.aaaai.org are patients and consumers searching for accurate information on allergies, asthma and immunology. A large percentage of these consumers also visit the AAAAI Physician Referral Directory in search of an allergist/immunologist.

Within the Patients & Consumers Center, Diseases 101 had 179,290 page views with the most popular disease being skin allergies, which had 43,878 of those total page views.

The most popular area of the Members Center in 2009 was the Annual Meeting portion with 254,539 page views. The second most clicked on area is the JACI with 29,957 page views.

People enter the AAAAI Web site from many different sources on the Internet, including links to our site from others. The Web site bringing the most visits to www.aaaai.org is the United States National Library of Medicine with a total of 70,374. Additional top referring sites include:

New in 2009 

The Virtual Allergist™ and the Physician Resources for Novel H1N1 Virus sections have become “go-to” resources on the AAAAI Web site. The Virtual Allergist is an interactive consumer reference and referral guideline resource, and Physician Resources for Novel H1N1 Virus has raised the visibility and credibility of the specialty among a wide viewing audience.

As we look to 2010, a new Web Site redesign project will be launched so the AAAAI can continue to provide members and consumers with a product that is user friendly and informative.

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Practical Issues for the Practicing Allergist 

New Quality Performance Measures for Asthma in Development

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and the American Medical Association (AMA) Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement® (PCPI), through a workgroup formed of clinical experts and leaders in asthma treatment, has developed a set of draft quality performance measures for asthma. The draft measures, including components, technical specifications and other details, were posted for public comment between October 22, 2009, and November 23, 2009. They are briefly described as follows:

This measure calculates the ratio of prescriptions for controller medications over prescriptions for controller medications plus prescriptions for short acting/reliever medications for persistent asthmatics.

Controller Prescriptions

Controller Prescriptions + Reliever Prescriptions

The posting for public comments of these proposed measures was publicized in the November issue of AAAAI eNews. In addition, President Paul A. Greenberger, MD, FAAAAI, reached out to a number of AAAAI constituencies to work together to develop a response on behalf of the AAAAI. Comments submitted on behalf of the AAAAI included the following highlights:

The workgroup that developed the measures will review all submitted comments and present an updated document to the NCQA and AMA Board of Directors for approval.

There will be a workshop on these measures presented at the 2010 AAAAI Annual Meeting in New Orleans. In addition, the AAAAI will continue to follow the development, approval and implementation of these measures, keeping you informed throughout the process.

For any questions regarding the measures, contact the AAAAI Practice & Policy Division at (414) 272-6071.