| Education Required |  | An advanced degree, such as a Ph.D. or M.D. degree, is usually necessary for independent research and is required for advancement to faculty and administrative positions. A master's degree (M.S./M.A.) is sufficient for some jobs in industry. Advanced degree (M.A. and Ph.D.) programs include classroom work, laboratory research, and a thesis or dissertation. In addition to their formal education, most immunologists with Ph.D. degrees spend 2 to 4 years in a postdoctoral training fellowship working in an immunology research laboratory under the supervision of a senior scientist. Ph.D. immunologists with postdoctoral research experience take faculty positions at colleges, universities, and medical schools, or take research scientist positions at medical research institutes or in industry (pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies).
The training path for a physician with specialization in immunology is different from that of an immunologist with Ph.D. According to the AAAAI, "typically, an Allergy/Immunology fellowship involves 24 months of required clinical education and research after completion of residency in internal medicine or pediatrics or a medicine-pediatrics program. FITs (Fellows in Training) who have completed the required training may take the certification examinations given by the American Board of Allergy and Immunology (ABAI)." |
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| Recommended High School Courses | | Biology, Mathematics, English, Chemistry |
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| Postsecondary Instructional Programs | | Education and Training, English Language, Personnel and Human Resources, Administration and Management, Mathematics, Communications and Media, Chemistry, Biology, Computers and Electronics, Medicine and Dentistry, Clerical |
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| Certification and Licensing | | "The ABAI believes that all allergists/immunologists must be familiar with the fundamental elements of the immune system, such as the types of immune cells and the anatomical organs that constitute the immune system, the circulation patterns of immune cells, the biologic roles of products of the immune system, the abnormal conditions of the immune system that constitute immunopathology, and the biology of inflammation. Moreover, the candidate will be expected to be proficient in understanding the molecular basis of allergic and other immune reactions, including interaction between immune cells, cell membrane signal transduction pathways, gene expression, cytokine release, receptor targeting, cellular differentiation and cell death. Proficiency must be demonstrated in the diagnosis and treatment of allergic and other immunologic diseases.
Because the ABAI is a conjoint board representing pediatric and adult medicine, the candidate must master the spectrum of allergic and immunologic diseases as it presents in children and adults. In addition to a familiarity with allergic diseases, including allergic rhinitis, asthma, atopic dermatitis, and urticaria, the candidate must be knowledgeable in autoimmune conditions. An understanding of immunodeficiency states is required, including congenital disorders, absence of specific complement components, lack of specific neutrophil function, absence of specific adhesive cellular glycoproteins, and dysfunctional states of the immune system produced by external agents. Candidates must also be familiar physiological conditions and treatment of bone marrow and solid organ transplantation and their impact on aspects of the immune system other than the intended target.
It is important for the candidate to demonstrate proficiency in the proper selection of appropriate clinical and laboratory tests, which aid the formulation of a clinical diagnosis based upon first obtaining a detailed medical history and performing a complete physical examination. The candidate must understand the scientific basis of the following list (non-inclusive) of tests:
---serum immunoglobulin determination,
---functional antibody measurement,
---complement component and functional assays,
---lymphocyte subset analysis using monoclonal antibodies and flow cytometry,
---lymphocyte proliferation assays with mitogen and antigens, and assessment of neutrophil and monocyte chemotaxis,
---phagocytosis, and killing.
In addition, the candidate must be familiar with the use of molecular diagnostic techniques such as:
---the binding of ligands to nucleic acid or polypeptide sequences. ---DNA replication technology
---the molecular basis for immediate hypersensitivity skin testing in the context of the detailed molecular events occurring in the tissue mast cell and blood basophil
---skin testing for T cell competence with recall antigens in relation to antigen presentation, cytokine secretion and interaction, and lymphocyte subset activation and function.
Candidates must also have familiarity with the misuse of standard tests and with controversial tests in allergy and immunology and must understand the principles and analytic methods employed in experimental clinical studies. They must be able to determine the diagnostic utility of specific tests and evaluate the safety, toxicity, efficacy, and outcomes of treatments and drugs for allergic and immunologic disease. Candidates must be familiar with the principles and methods employed in epidemiologic studies.
A corollary of the competence of the candidate is the knowledge of appropriate treatment options for example, treatment options for asthma, allergic rhinitis, and various immunologic diseases due to antibody deficiency, immunodeficiencies and gene therapies for congenital immune disorders. |
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