Committee Sponsored Sessions
Friday, April 17, 2026
Immunology Teaching Interest Group: Enhancing Your Immunology Teaching
Sponsored by the AAI Education Committee
Friday April 17, 2026
08:00–10:00 AM
No fee, registration not required
Chairs:
- Viviana P. Ferreira, Univ. of Toledo, USA
- Matthew D. Woolard, Louisiana State Univ., USA
Speakers:
- Louis B. Justement, Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham, USA, Computer-Based Models to Teach Immunology from the Undergraduate to Professional and Graduate Level
- Aimee Pugh-Bernard, Univ. of Colorado Anschutz, USA, AAI-Recommended Immunology Content Learning Objectives for Undergraduate Medical Education in the U.S.A.
- Raffaella Ghittoni, Univ. of Southern California, USA, Immunology and Infection Biology in Cinema: An Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Course
- Nurcan Kilic, Univ. of North Dakota, USA, Beyond Memorization: Active and Adult Learning Strategies in Undergraduate Immunology
- Ivo Boudakov, Med. Col. of Georgia; Augusta Univ., USA, Immunology Integration and Team-Based Learning (TBL) Enhance Comprehension in a Foundations to Medicine Module
Breakout Session Leaders:
- Rebecca Clements, Kenyon Col., USA, Taboo! A Game-Based Strategy to Build Conceptual Understanding and Communication Skills in Immunology
- Crystal Walline, Univ. of North Carolina at Pembroke, USA, Powering health literacy with STEAM: Using an infographic project to teach the public about complex topics in immunology
- Manoj K Mishra, Alabama State Univ., USA, Mentorship to Nurture the Next Generation: Immunology Education at Minority-Serving Institution
- Parameswaran Ramakrishnan, Case Western Reserve Univ., USA, 3D – Design, Discover, Decipher: Integrating Experimental Design in Didactic Immunology Teaching
Looking for fresh approaches to strengthen and energize your immunology teaching? This special interest group brings together educators to explore effective strategies for helping undergraduate and graduate students grasp complex immunology concepts. The session features short talks and structured breakout discussions focused on practical, evidence-informed teaching methods. Whether you are an experienced instructor, a new faculty member, or a trainee interested in developing your teaching skills, you are invited to join this interactive and collaborative session.
The Future of Vaccination and the Critical Need for Evidence-Based Policies
Sponsored by the AAI Committee on Public Affairs
Friday, April 17, 2026
8:30–10:00 AM
No fee, registration not required
Chairs:
- Lauren Ehrlich, Univ. of Texas, Austin, USA
- Marion Pepper, Univ. of Washington, USA
Speakers:
- James Campbell, Incoming Chair, Committee on Infectious Diseases, American Academy of Pediatrics, USA, Pediatric Immunizations: Past, Present, and Future
- Bruce Gellin, Vaccine Integrity Project, former deputy assistant secretary for health and director of the National Vaccine Program Office at the US Department of Health and Human Services, USA, The Vaccine Integrity Project: why evidence matters…now more than ever.
- Daniel Jernigan, former Director, CDC National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Disease, USA, TBD
The session will broadly focus on the current state of U.S. vaccine policy. Speakers will address recent federal policy actions, including changes to the CDC childhood immunization schedule; the central challenges and potential solutions to achieving sound U.S. vaccine policy; and the role non-federal entities have in providing data-driven guidance for medical professionals, parents, and patients. The formal presentations will be followed by an audience Q&A.
Sip and Learn
Sponsored by the AAI Education Committee and ImmunoHorizons
Friday April 17, 2026
9:00 – 10:00 AM
Fee and registration required
Sip and Learn is your chance to connect with fellow immunology educators and explore strategies for teaching the next generation of scientists. Perfect for educators, trainees, and anyone curious about careers in scientific teaching. This two-part program includes:
- Small-group table discussions led by education experts offering insights into diverse approaches to teaching immunology
- A relaxed networking session to continue conversations over coffee and light refreshments
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Early/Regular |
On-site |
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|
Members |
$40 |
$55 |
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Nonmembers |
$50 |
$65 |
Emerging Therapeutics for Human Disease
Sponsored by the Clinical Immunology Committee
Friday April 17, 2026
12:30 – 2:30 PM
Chairs:
- Samik Basu, Cabaletta Bio, AAI Clinical Immunology Committee Chair
- H. Kiyomi Komori, Uniquity Bio
Speakers:
- H. Kiyomi Komori, Uniquity Bio, Introduction
- Olusegun Onabajo, Takeda Pharmaceuticals Company Ltd, Zasocitinib: A Case Study in AI-Enabled Precision Drug Discovery
- Jinmin Lee, Cabaletta Bio, The IND journey: Preclinical development of rese-cel
- Sofia Järnum, Hansa Biopharma AB, IgG proteolysis as a therapeutic strategy: From mechanism to proof of concept
- Adnan Khan, Sanofi, Tenet-style discovery: Moving R&D forward by looking at the clinic in reverse
Followed by a panel discussion.
Careers in Science Roundtable
Sponsored by the AAI Committee on the Status of Women
Friday April 17, 2026
12:45–1:45 PM
Fee and registration required
The Careers in Science Roundtable invites early-career participants to sit down with scientists from across academia, industry, government, and nonprofit sectors. Come ready with questions, this is an outstanding chance to get candid advice from leaders across the immunology community.
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Early/Regular |
On-site |
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|
Members |
$60 |
$75 |
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Nonmembers |
$70 |
$85 |
Careers in Science Keynote Lecture
Sponsored by the AAI Committee on the Status of Women
Friday April 17, 2026
1:45–2:15 PM
No fee, registration required
Speaker: Akiko Iwasaki, Yale Univ., USA
TBD
Resource Highlight: Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Research
Sponsored by the AAI Program Committee
Friday April 17, 2026
3:30 – 5:45 PM
Chairs:
- Harinder Singh, Univ. of Pittsburgh, USA
- Arup Chakraborty, MIT, USA
Speakers:
- Harinder Singh, Univ. of Pittsburgh, USA,AI and systems immunology: from prediction to learning to convergence
- Jimmie Ye, Genentech, Functionalizing immune coding variation
- Christina Leslie, Mem. Sloan Kettering Cancer Ctr., USA, Neural ODEs to model the dynamics of germinal center B cells
- Paul Thomas, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Res. Ctr., USA,AI in research
- Arup Chakraborty, MIT, USA,Studying humoral immune learning by exploring and exploiting analogies to how machines learn
Followed by a panel discussion.