Allergy and Immunology Questions

[GoCubsGo20]

Hi there,

I'm an M1 finishing up first year and have a couple of questions about matching allergy and immunology. Of all the subjects we've covered, nothing buttered my biscuit quite like immunology. Since then my interest in the field has grown tremendously. That being said, I have no idea what I should be doing to better my chances of becoming an AI doc. How important is research in the field? Is shadowing and getting to know people in my home department important? Sorry if these seem obvious, but I really have no idea. If anyone has any other advice I'd love to hear it.

Thanks

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[bronx43]

Are you interested in allergy? Or in immunology? If the latter, you should probably realize that other fields like heme/onc and rheumatology have as much if not more advancements in immunology than AI. In fact, heme onc is the clear leader in the field of immunology at this point.

 

[GoCubsGo20]

Good point. I suppose I'm more interested in the immunology side of the field. I've found that I much prefer the micro stuff (ie immunology, ID, etc.) than the macro stuff like anatomy (yuck).

 

[bronx43]

Good point. I suppose I'm more interested in the immunology side of the field. I've found that I much prefer the micro stuff (ie immunology, ID, etc.) than the macro stuff like anatomy (yuck).

If that's the case, then you may want to look into the other fields I mentioned. Also, there's a difference between having an intellectual curiosity for the scientific mechanisms and liking the practice of a particular specialty. In allergy/immunology, unless you're at some big academic center, you're probably dealing with 95%+ rhinitis and various other allergies. In heme/onc, unless you're doing research on the latest immunotherapy, you're going to be giving chemotherapy with protocols. In rheumatology, unless you're in academia, you'll be doing mostly MSK.

 

[GoCubsGo20]

If that's the case, then you may want to look into the other fields I mentioned. Also, there's a difference between having an intellectual curiosity for the scientific mechanisms and liking the practice of a particular specialty. In allergy/immunology, unless you're at some big academic center, you're probably dealing with 95%+ rhinitis and various other allergies. In heme/onc, unless you're doing research on the latest immunotherapy, you're going to be giving chemotherapy with protocols. In rheumatology, unless you're in academia, you'll be doing mostly MSK.

That's a very good distinction to make, and one that I don't think I've grasped yet. I suppose clinicals will help illuminate my true preferences. What field are you pursing, if you don't mind me asking of course?

 

[bronx43]

That's a very good distinction to make, and one that I don't think I've grasped yet. I suppose clinicals will help illuminate my true preferences. What field are you pursing, if you don't mind me asking of course?

I'm a rheumatologist. There's a lot of immunology in rheumatology, and there are opportunities to pursue bench research should that tickle your fancy. However, don't expect much NIH funding...

 

[UncommonVariable]

If you're interested in AI....research is important. Having LORs from an AI attending, especially a well known one, will go a long way.

 

[CatFactorial]

You are too early. See if you actually want to be in medicine, pediatrics, or combined. If that’s actually the case and you still want AI, then look more deeply into it.

 

[mercaptovizadeh]

Hi there,

I'm an M1 finishing up first year and have a couple of questions about matching allergy and immunology. Of all the subjects we've covered, nothing buttered my biscuit quite like immunology. Since then my interest in the field has grown tremendously. That being said, I have no idea what I should be doing to better my chances of becoming an AI doc. How important is research in the field? Is shadowing and getting to know people in my home department important? Sorry if these seem obvious, but I really have no idea. If anyone has any other advice I'd love to hear it.

Thanks

I'm going into A/I, feel free to email with any questions. It's a very dichotomous field, in much the way heme/onc is with their benign hematology, solid and liquid oncology, and transplantation. Depending on whether you take the medicine, pediatric, or med-peds path, and depending on your clinical and research interests, you could be doing a private practice allergy shot mill with lots of skin testing and allergic rhinitis or be working in a major academic medical center investigating CVID, Hyper-IgM, HIES, eosinophilic esophagitis, SCID, immunodysregulatory disorders, gene therapy, and HSCT or thymic transplantation.

 

[rheum18]

I'm a rheumatologist. There's a lot of immunology in rheumatology, and there are opportunities to pursue bench research should that tickle your fancy. However, don't expect much NIH funding...

Hi bronx! Do you mind sending me a private message / DM? Thank you.