The types of patients seen here most frequently include those with difficult to manage asthma and/or rhinitis, severe atopic dermatitis, idiopathic anaphylaxis, food hypersensitivity, recurrent infections, and genetic immunodeficiency disease. The division provides care for one of the largest populations of patients with genetically-determined immunodeficiency diseases in the U.S. The division has two renowned transplantation programs, one for bone marrow transplantation of infants with severe T cell immunodeficiency diseases and another for thymus transplantation of infants with complete DiGeorge anomaly. These immunodeficient patients are a unique resource for the study of T cell ontogeny, mechanisms of tolerance induction, and cooperation of genetically disparate immune cells. A major interest is in the molecular bases of these various diseases and in future gene therapy.
The division also plays an active role in the Duke Asthma Clinical Research Center where state-of-the-art asthma care is provided. In addition to clinical care, the center is one of the twenty American Lung Association-funded research centers for the development and evaluation of new therapies for the treatment of asthma. The center also has NIH-funded research evaluating the cause of asthma.
Mentoring Program
The incoming first year pediatric allergy and immunology fellows will identify a mentor and scholarship committee comprised of one member from the Division of Allergy and Immunology and two faculty members from other divisions within Duke or outside the institution. The committee will be developed in cooperation with the fellow-in-training, pediatric allergy and immunology division chief and faculty. Mentors will be assigned based on the trainee's specific clinical and academic interests, personal and professional goals, and previous research experience. Mentors will be identified based on a proven record of investigative, educational, and clinical excellence. One faculty member of the mentorship committee will be designated committee chair and will take a leadership role in assuring that the committee operates productively and is of appreciable benefit to the fellow-in-training.