World Allergy Organization
Formation1951
HeadquartersMilwaukee, Wisconsin
Official language
English
President
Bryan L. Martin
President-Elect
Mário Morais-Almeida
Secretary-General/Treasurer
Gary W.K. Wong
Past-President
Motohiro Ebisawa
Websitehttp://www.worldallergy.org

The World Allergy Organization (WAO) is an international umbrella organization of 108 regional and national allergology and clinical immunology societies.[1] Since the first World Allergy Congress (WAC) held in Zurich, Switzerland in 1951, there have been 28 WACs as well as a number of WAO International Science Conferences (WISC), Webinars, and Symposia.[2] Beyond sharing research findings, these meetings also allocate funds for postgraduate programs on allergy and clinical immunology.[1]

History

After the International Association of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (renamed as World Allergy Organization) was founded at the 1951 International Congress of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (renamed as World Allergy Congress), these major conferences were held triennially until the 2003 switch to a biennial format.[3]

International Meetings

The Annual World Allergy Congress (WAC) attracts global experts and scientists working and interested in the fields of allergy, immunology and other related fields. In most cases, WAO partners with a regional or national Member Society to host the Congress.

The XXIX World Allergy Congress will take place in Bangkok, Thailand in association with the Allergy Asthma & Immunology Association of Thailand (AAIAT) and Asia Pacific Academy of Pediatric Allergy, Respirology & Immunology (APAPARI) from 1-3 December 2023.

Mission and Vision

Mission

The World Allergy Organization's mission, as a world-wide alliance of allergy and clinical immunology societies, is to be a global resource and advocate for the specialty, advancing awareness and excellence in clinical care through education, research, and training.

Vision

The present vision for WAO is to remain committed to the progress of Allergy and Clinical Immunology for the benefit of patients all over the world through:

  • Continued support of WAO's Mission and extending the effect of the mission
  • Raise the profile of training and research to enhance academic content of WAO
  • Develop efficient means of administering Board activities
  • Improvement of allergy care in developing countries and deprived areas of the world
  • Enhance the recognition and function of WAO

Programs

  • World Allergy Week, an annual initiative by WAO to raise awareness of allergic disease and related disorders and advocate for the provision of training and resources in the diagnosis, management, and prevention of these diseases and asthma, which are rising in prevalence around the world.
  • WAO Centers of Excellence (COE) intensify and accelerate multidisciplinary scientific and clinical innovation, education, and advocacy worldwide providing excellence in education, research, training to various stakeholders in allergy, asthma and clinical immunology.
  • World Allergy Training Schools (WATS) was started by the WAO Emerging Societies Program (ESP) with the goal to develop learning communities, appropriate to a specific regional context, which will help build sustainable capacity in the field of allergy by strengthening already existing knowledge and skills and encouraging local experts to apply this knowledge to further develop the specialty of allergy and to widen the provision of patient care. Since its inception in 2002, nearly 40 WATS have taken place on six continents. The ESP World Allergy Training School is a joint program of the World Allergy Organization (WAO) and the American College of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).
  • World Allergy Forum (WAF) is the longest running educational program series sponsored by the World Allergy Organization (WAO). World Allergy Forum symposia are held at major international allergy meetings. Each symposium is developed by an international expert advisory panel to provide up-to-the-minute presentations on scientific and clinical developments in the field of allergic disease
  • WAO Junior Members Group was launched in March 2011 to support and encourage young clinicians and scientists in their professional careers.

Publications

The WAO publishes monthly issues of the open-access World Allergy Organization Journal with Alessandro Fiocchi and Mona Sulaiman Al-Ahmad serving as co-editors.[4]

Aim and Scope

The WAOjournal publishes original mechanistic, translational, and clinical research on the topics of allergy, asthma, anaphylaxis, and clinical immunology, as well as reviews, guidelines, and position papers that contribute to the improvement of patient care. WAOjournal publishes research on the growth of allergy prevalence within the scope of single countries, country comparisons, and practical global issues and regulations, or threats to the allergy specialty. The Journal invites the submissions of all authors interested in publishing on current global problems in allergy, asthma, anaphylaxis, and immunology. Of particular interest are the immunological consequences of climate change and the subsequent systematic transformations in food habits and their consequences for the allergy/immunology discipline.

Partnerships

WAO is a member of the Council for International Organizations of Medical Science (CIOMS).[5] Its collaborations with the World Health Organization (WHO) include a January 2002 meeting on the "Prevention of Allergy and Allergic Asthma" held in Geneva, Switzerland that emphasized minimizing air pollution and teaching patients to carry epinephrine autoinjectors.[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "About WAO". World Allergy Organization. 2022. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  2. ↑ "WAO Meetings". World Allergy Organization. 2023. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  3. ↑ Ring, Johannes (2011-09-03). "History of the World Allergy Organization: Personal Reflections of a Board Member, Vice President, Congress Organizer, and Journal Editor". The World Allergy Organization Journal. 4 (9): 147–150. doi:10.1097/WOX.0b013e318231667d. ISSN 1939-4551. PMC 3488919. PMID 23268463.
  4. ↑ "Home Page". World Allergy Organization Journal. 2023. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  5. ↑ "CIOMS Members". Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences. 2022. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  6. ↑ World Health Organization (January 2002). "Prevention of Allergy and Allergic Asthma". Institutional Repository for Information Sharing. hdl:10665/68361.
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