| Job Category |  | Life, Physical, & Social Science |
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| Job Description | | An immunologist is a research scientist who investigates the immune system of vertebrates (including the humans). The immune system is a complex system of bone marrow-derived cells (often referred to as white blood cells) that mount protective responses to pathogens (disease-causing organisms) such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Immunologists include research scientists (Ph.D.) who work in laboratories carrying out studies of the cells, genes, proteins, and cellular interactions necessary for a healthy immune system. They also study diseases that disrupt normal immunity. Immunologists also include physicians (M.D.) who, for example, treat patients with immune system disorders such as allergies and autoimmune disease. Some immunologists are physician-scientists who combine laboratory research with patient care.
According to the AAAAI, "an allergist/immunologist is a physician certified in either internal medicine or pediatrics, who has completed an additional two years of training in allergy and immunology at an accredited training program and passed the examination given by the American Board of Allergy and Immunology (ABAI).
The allergist/immunologist is uniquely trained in:
Allergy testing (skin, in-vitro)
History-allergy test correlation
Bronchoprovocation testing (e.g. exercise, methacholine)
Environmental control instructions
Inhalant immunotherapy
Immunomodulator therapy (e.g. anti-IgE, IVIG)
Venom immunotherapy
Food and drug challenges
Drug desensitization
Evaluation of immune competence
Education (disease, medications, monitoring)
Management of chronic or recurrent conditions where allergy is not always identified: rhinosinusitis, conjunctivitis, asthma, cough, urticaria/angioedema, eczema, anaphylaxis
According to the AAAAI, “the immune system is complex and involves the orchestrated interactions of billions of cells communicating both directly and over very long distances (within the body). Immunologists study every aspect of this system, from the behavior of genes inside cells, to the proteins they secrete to combat infection, to the molecular signals in blood vessels that tell cells where to go to find and destroy or remove an invading pathogen. Because the immune system is designed to detect and destroy invading organisms, it has had to develop a means for distinguishing “self” (the body’s own cells and proteins) from non-self e.g., bacterial cells and toxins. When this system of discrimination fails, autoimmunity can develop. Because this system usually works well, organ transplants from one person to another are problematic. The immune system recognizes the transplant as foreign and seeks to destroy it. It is believed that emerging cancer cells are often destroyed by the immune system because they are recognized as foreign, and much current research focuses on developing methods to enlist the help of the immune system in destroying residual cancer cells from patients who have been treated by surgery and/or chemotherapy. Autoimmunity, transplantation biology, tumor immunology, allergy, resistance to infectious diseases including vaccine development – all of these are aspects of immunology on which immunologists (including those with Ph.D and/or M.D. degrees) work.”
According to the AAAAI, physicians specializing “in allergy and immunology may manage patients with the following types of problems: diseases of the respiratory tract, such as allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, asthma and hypersensitivity pneumonitis; skin rashes, including atopic dermatitis or contact dermatitis; gastrointestinal disorders caused by immune responses to foods; adverse reactions to drugs, other pharmacologic agents and diagnostic testing materials; diseases associated with autoimmune responses to self-antigens; symptoms or disorders caused by immunodeficiency; stem cell, bone marrow and organ transplantation.” |
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| Working Conditions | | According to the AAAAI, many immunologists who are involved in research work and/or manage research laboratories in universities, medical schools, research institutes, or biotechnology companies. They are assisted by highly trained technicians, Ph.D. students, and postdoctoral fellows who participate in the design and execution of the laboratory’s research. Many physicians work in small private offices or clinics, often assisted by a small staff of nurses and other administrative personnel. Others work at universities and medical centers. |
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| Salary Range | | In 2004-2005, Ph.D. immunologists on the basic science faculties of universities and/or medical schools earned a median income of $74,000 - $132,000, depending on academic rank, with at least one quarter of that income coming from research grants awarded to the immunologist. Earnings of physicians and surgeons (MDs) are higher. According to the US Department of Labor, the median income of physicians and surgeons was $139,600 per year in 2004. |
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