About | Clinical Immunology Update: Immunization

About Clinical Immunology Update: Immunization

Learn more about the accredited course from the France Foundation and American Association of Immunologists.

Target Audience

This educational activity is intended for healthcare provider learners, including primary care physicians, pediatricians, obstetrician/gynecologists, immunologists, infectious diseases physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and pharmacists.

Program Overview

Patients look to their physicians for guidance on vaccines. This half-day activity will enhance clinicians’ understanding and knowledge of the scientific basis of immunization and further their ability to translate this knowledge to patients. Expert faculty, including world renowned immunologists in the field of immunization, will address basic science considerations in identifying and evaluating targets for vaccination and biomarkers of efficacy, vaccine clinical trials, and considerations for lay communications with patients and the public regarding vaccines.

Learning Objectives

Describe how vaccine targets are identified and how biomarkers can be used to assess efficacy.
Explain how vaccines are developed and tested in clinical trials.
Translate and communicate the science behind vaccine efficacy and safety to patients and caregivers.

Faculty

Catarina Hioe, PhD (AAI ’97), Icahn School of Medicine, Mt. Sinai

Dr. Hioe is a professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, and Department of Microbiology. Her research focuses on HIV-envelope-mediated immunity and immune pathogenesis, with the goal of developing preventative or therapeutic vaccines against HIV.

Her lecture will focus on identifying targets for vaccination and related biomarkers for gauging efficacy (Learning Objective 1).

Ofer Levy, MD, PhD (AAI ’05), Boston Children’s Hospital

Dr. Levy is the Director of thePrecision Vaccines Program, a senior physician, and professor. His research focuses on immune responses to vaccines, and he focuses on infectious diseases in the clinic.

His lecture will cover vaccine development and testing, including considerations for groups with potentially inadequate immune responses—children, older adults, and immunocompromised patients (Learning Objective 2).

Ross Kedl, PhD (AAI ’02), Univ. of Colorado Anschutz Med. Campus

Dr. Kedl is a professor and the current chair of the AAI Public Communications Committee. His research focuses on the discovery and development of novel and clinically applicable vaccine technology.

His lecture will focus on engaging with patients and/or the public regarding vaccine use and safety (Learning Objective 3).

Planning Committee

Viviana P. Ferreira, DVM, PhD, Vice Chair, AAI Education Committee, Professor, Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences
Jonathan S. Bromberg, MD, PhD, Professor and Vice Chair for Research, University of Maryland, Baltimore
Yuri Kim, RN, Clinical Research Nurse, MIT
Sophie Shieh, PA-C, Physician Assistant, Transplant Surgery, University of Maryland, Baltimore

Continuing Education

AAI is pleased to offer the opportunity for healthcare provider learners, including primary care physicians, pediatricians, obstetrician/gynecologists, immunologists, infectious diseases physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and pharmacists to obtain ACCME, ANCC, and AAPA credits (up to 3 credits) for this activity.

If you are requesting AMA credits, ANCC credits, AAPA credits, or a certificate of participation, your certificate will be available for download.

Accredited Provider

This activity is jointly provided by The France Foundation and the American Association of Immunologists.

Accreditation Statement

In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by The France Foundation and the American Association of Immunologists. The France Foundation is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Physician Credit Designation
The France Foundation designates this live activity for a maximum of 3.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Nurses
The France Foundation designates this activity for 3.0 contact hours.

Physician Assistants
The France Foundation has been authorized by the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) to award AAPA Category 1 CME credit for activities planned in accordance with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for 3.0 AAPA Category 1 CME credits. PAs should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.

All other healthcare professionals completing this course will be issued a statement of participation.

Disclosure Policy

In accordance with the ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education, all individuals in a position to control the content of this educational activity must disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies. All identified conflicts of interest are reviewed and mitigated to ensure independence, objectivity, balance, and scientific rigor.

This activity adheres to generally accepted standards of scientific integrity, including requirements for appropriate study design, data collection, and analysis. The organizers of this activity are committed to providing high-quality CME/CE that promotes improvements in healthcare and serves the needs of learners and not commercial interests. When applicable, collaborating partners participate in the disclosure and mitigation process.

Planning committee members, faculty, reviewers, and activity staff have disclosed the following relevant financial relationships. All relevant financial relationships listed have been mitigated.

Name of Individual	Role in Activity	Name of Commercial Interest(s)	Nature of Relationship(s)	Mechanism(s) implemented to resolve conflict of interest
Ashley Smeaton	TFF Staff	No relevant financial disclosures	N/A	N/A
Bryna Burrell, PhD	AAI Staff, Planning Committee Member	No relevant financial disclosures	N/A	N/A
Catarina E. Hioe	Faculty	No relevant financial disclosures	N/A	N/A
Jonathan S. Bromberg, MD, PhD	Planning Committee Member	No relevant financial disclosures	N/A	N/A
Mary T. Litzinger, PhD	AAI Staff, Planning Committee Member	No relevant financial disclosures	N/A	N/A
Ofer Levy, MD, PhD	Faculty	ARMR Sciences	Stock ownership in a privately held company	Content was reviewed by a non-conflicted member of the planning committee to ensure that it is not commercially biased, is fair-balanced, and is based on scientific evidence and/or clinical reasoning Based on information available at the time of planning, ARMR Sciences has not entered a regulatory pathway (eg, no IND submission) and does not currently market, sell, or distribute health care products used on patients. Therefore, ARMR Sciences is not classified as an ineligible company under the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education Standards for Integrity and Independence.
Ross Kedl, PhD	Faculty	No relevant financial disclosures	N/A	N/A
Sophie Shieh, PA-C	Planning Committee Member	No relevant financial disclosures	N/A	N/A
Viviana P. Ferreira, DVM, PhD	Planning Committee Member	No relevant financial disclosures	N/A	N/A
Yuri Kim, RN	Planning Committee Member	No relevant financial disclosures	N/A	N/A

Disclosure of Unlabeled Use

Faculty for this educational activity are required to disclose when a therapy or procedure being discussed is off-label, unlabeled, experimental, or investigational, and to note any limitations of the data presented (e.g., preliminary findings, ongoing research, or expert opinion).

Some faculty may discuss uses of pharmaceutical agents or devices that are not included in U.S. Food and Drug Administration–approved labeling. These discussions are provided solely for educational purposes and should not be construed as a recommendation for any particular use. Learners are encouraged to review full prescribing information for products discussed.

Disclaimer

This activity is intended for healthcare professionals for educational purposes only. The content reflects information available at the time of development and may not represent the most current evidence, regulatory status, or prescribing information. Participants should consult current package inserts, clinical guidelines, and institutional policies before prescribing medications or making clinical decisions.

This activity has been planned and implemented in compliance with applicable accreditation standards to ensure that content is fair, balanced, evidence-based, and free of commercial bias.