With an intensive two-day course on allergies and eczema CAG Allergy has started to bridge the gap between research and clinic and attract new researchers to the field of allergies. The translational focus is popular among the many PhD students who find it profitable to gain insight into both the clinical and the basic research within allergy.
New education initiatives in CAG Allergy strengthen knowledge within the field of allergy
With the course, CAG Allergy hopes to attract new researchers to the field, which represents one of the major challenges for the healthcare system. An increasing number of patients suffer from allergic diseases, including eczema, asthma and rhinitis, as well as food and drug allergies. The course Allergies and eczemas is an example of how the CAG’s work is linked directly to new education initiatives that strengthen knowledge in the field of allergy.
One of the main forces behind the popular course is the experienced professor and doctor Jeanne Duus Johansen : ” If CAG Allergy is to help solve the challenge of an increasing number of patients suffering from allergic diseases including eczema, asthma, rhinitis and food allergy, it is important that we educate new researchers who can navigate both in clinical and basic research. Therefore, students should not only learn about the latest knowledge. Both physicians and MSc’s should be able to learn from each other, create networks and develop ideas”, Jeanne explains.
Great interest in latest knowledge about eczema and allergy
On 24 April, CAG Allergy thus completed its first PhD course with a fully booked team, where the participants were presented with the latest knowledge within the field of skin and allergy. Among the teachers were a number of CAG Allergy’s high profile experts in allergy, including 10 leading rearchers and clinicians from the University of Copenhagen and the Capital Region of Denmark. In addition, specially invited guests from Kings College in London and industry were teaching.
The PhD students were very pleased with the outcome of the course, and found it meaningful to gain insight into both the clinical and the research part of the work with allergy.
“It was a really exciting course especially because the teaching was organized in a way that enabled us to understand, learn and contribute regardless of whether your background was within biomedicine or medical science and it was interesting trying to link research and clinic,” says course participant Stine Skovbo Hoffmann, doctor, PhD student.
The translational focus was also important for Anne-Sofie Østergaard Gadsbøll, MSc In human biology, PhD students: “The interaction between participants from clinical and basic research created exciting discussions, where many ideas were aired and new angles discovered. As a basic researcher it is very meaningful to get an insight into the challenges related to the clinical research”, Anne-Sofie explains.
CAG Allergy and CHSP
CAG Allergy is part of Copenhagen Health Science Partners (CHSP). The purpose of CAG Allergy is to reduce the increasing number of patients suffering from allergic diseases including eczema, asthma, and rhinitis as well as food and drug allergy. The CAG will solve this major challenge by ground-breaking research concerning early diagnosis, new individualized treatments and by creating a new holistic approach to patient care.
Course: ’Allergies and eczemas’
The course Allergies and eczemas presents the newest knowlegde within the field of allergies and eczemas.
The course contains lectures about Type 1 and Type IV allergies from what is an allergen and immunological mechanisms to clinical oriented lectures on food allergy, allergic asthma, rhinitis and allergic contact dermatitis, epidemiology, clinical presentations and diagnostic aspects and a special lecture on how to get from identification of an allergen to a validated diagnostic test and prevention of contact allergy. The course also contains lectures on the skin barrier in healthy and atopic skin, gene regulation and expression in atopic dermatitis and on epidemiology, clinical presentations and diagnostic aspects.
The course was held on 23–24 April 2018. 20 students were participating, of which 14 were PhD students.
The course is highly relevant for PhD students with a background in natural and medical sciences, who wish to obtain cutting edge knowledge about eczema and allergy.
CAG leadership – CAG Allergy
CAG leader, CAG Allergy Jeanne Duus Johansen
Jeanne Duus Johansen is professor, head of centre, consultant, DMSc, National Allergy Research Centre, dep. Dermatology and allergy, Herlev and Gentofte Hospitals. She is an expert in allergies and deeply involved in the field of allergy. She is general manager of the Danish ‘Videncenter for Allergi’, chairman of the ‘the Danish organization ‘Kosmetikrådet’, responsible for the Allergy Tests Clinic at the ‘Hud- og Allergiafdelingen’ at Gentofte Hospital, as well as a member of a number of international research networks within contact allergy and eczema.
Lean about Jeanne Duus Johansen
CAG-deputy leader, CAG Allergi Carsten Geisler
Carsten Geisler is professor in Molecular Immunology and head of Department of Immunology and Microbiology at University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Health and medical Sciences.
