Mission

To train exemplary allergists and immunologists who demonstrate clinical excellence, scholarly activity, and commitment to serving the health care needs of military personnel and their families. 

Vision

To be a premier training program recognized for producing leaders in the field of allergy and immunology, dedicated to advancing patient care, research, and education within the military health care system.

Aims

• Provide comprehensive clinical training in the diagnosis and management of allergic and immunologic disorders, with a focus on the unique needs of military populations
• Foster a culture of inquiry and scholarship by encouraging fellows to engage in research projects, quality improvement initiatives, and scholarly activities aimed at advancing the field of allergy and immunology.
• Promote interdisciplinary collaboration and teamwork by facilitating interactions with other premier medical institutions, medical specialties, and healthcare professionals involved in the care of patients with allergic and immunologic disorders.
• Cultivate leadership skills and professional development opportunities to prepare fellows for roles as career military medical officers, educators, and advocates for excellence in allergy and immunology care within the military healthcare system.
• Emphasize the importance of ethical practice, cultural competency, and compassionate care in all aspects of patient interaction, recognizing the diverse backgrounds and experiences of military personnel and their families.

Fellows and faculty meet several days per week at noon for a lecture and on Thursday afternoons for formal didactic sessions. These include, but are not limited to immunology review sessions, interactive seminars, quizzes, journal clubs, visiting faculty lectures, case-related conferences, and attendance at NIH (NIAID) and Johns Hopkins allergy ground rounds. Fellows also take a yearly in-service training examination and regional and national specialty meetings (e.g., AAAAI and ACAAI).

Rotation Schedule per year: 12 month-long blocks. Schedules vary by fellow preference and leave requirements.

• Pulmonology
• Otolaryngology
• Dermatology
• Rheumatology
• Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology
• Genetics
• Allergy procedures technician
• Other electives on case-by-case basis

Three months (one during first year and two during second year) of inpatient call during weekdays in 1-month-long blocks throughout a 2-year fellowship (with weekend call split evenly by all fellows).

Supervising the administration of vaccines, evaluating and diagnosing potential duty-limiting conditions, writing duty-limiting profiles, participating in pre-commissioning evaluations of USMA and USNA students. Fellows are also involved in the training/education/development of Enlisted Service Members assigned to the Allergy Immunology Clinic and those who are participating in the Y8 technician training course.

• Molecular Biology and Immunology course – One week during first year of fellowship
• Annual national specialty meetings

Our fellows complete an anaphylaxis simulation curriculum.

Each fellow will serve as Chief Fellow during a portion of their 2nd year. This is a unique opportunity to develop their leadership skills as they prepare to become a Staff Physician and Clinic Officer in Charge. Additional leadership-relevant discussions will be provided throughout the fellowship during didactics.

Allergy immunology fellows are expected to complete two minor works by the end of their first year and an additional minor work plus one major work by the time of graduation (minimum total three minor works, one major work). Fellows have six months of dedicated research time throughout their 2-year fellowship to complete these requirements. Examples of major works include IRB protocol authorship, and peer-reviewed original research or review articles. Examples of minor works include peer-reviewed case reports or letters to the editor, podium (oral) presentations at national meetings or the annual military allergy/immunology assembly, national meeting poster presentations, and extramural grand rounds.

Additional required work:

• National Capital Consortium Research Competition
• Journal Round Table

As a part of clinical and professional development, quality improvement projects are a part of the training curriculum. Projects can focus on areas such as reducing medical errors, improving patient satisfaction scores, streamlining clinic workflow, and enhancing communication among health care team members. Some examples might include interdisciplinary work between internal medicine, clinical pharmacy, and allergy to develop a streamlined penicillin allergy delabeling initiative or developing a quick reference sheet for coding purposes.

Fellows have opportunities to serve on hospital committees as well as specialty organization committees at the regional and national levels. Fellows will attend at least one of the national conferences each year of their training. These educational conferences are opportunities to present their scholarly work, network and learn from renowned experts.

• Walter Reed National Military Medical Center; primary site
• A.T. Augusta Military Medical Center
• National Institutes of Health

Our training program welcomes medical students, residents, and interested fellows (i.e. Otolaryngology, Pulmonology) to complete 2- or 4-week rotations. Additionally, our ATAMMC training site also accepts physician assistant students. Rotations are preferentially offered to internal medicine and pediatrics residents first (given they can attend allergy/immunology fellowship after residency) and all other potential rotators are approved on a case-by-case basis by the program director.

Interviews for interested candidates can be scheduled by contacting the program director at dha.ncr.walter-reed-med-ctr.list.ncc-allergy@health.mil.

Program graduates take the American Board of Allergy-Immunology Certification Examination. The ABAI offers the exam annually. To become fully Board Certified, applicants are eligible to take board certification exam following graduation. Board Eligibility criteria can be found at The American Board of Allergy & Immunology site.

Fellows have regular opportunities to engage in formal and clinical teaching. They are responsible for teaching noon lecture, reviewing immunology chapters, facilitating journal club discussions and journal round table reviews, and presenting at least one grand rounds presentation each year of their training. Fellows also supervise and teach rotating medical students and residents.

Fellows give lectures during the Y8 allergy-immunology technician training course.

• Internal Medicine
• Pediatrics
• Allergy & Immunology

Our program offers formal military counseling, feedback, and evaluations (OER/FITREP). Regular mentorship is provided throughout fellowship.

Our tight-knit program hosts team building activities in the DC, Maryland, Virginia region throughout the academic year. Fellows also receive training on sleep hygiene, burnout prevention, and other resilience topics. We prioritize physician well-being, as we firmly believe that happy doctors are better doctors.