APSID-sponsored Fellowship for junior members

Aim of the Fellowship:

• Identify gaps in clinical service, diagnostic/therapeutic procedures or lab techniques in primary immunodeficiency at the home institution (can be clinical or laboratory)
• Identify an APSID Centre of Excellence that provides this service routinely
• Targeted learning at the host centre to transfer the expertise to the home institution

APSID Centres of Excellence (CoE):

• Pediatric Allergy Immunology Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Advanced Pediatrics Centre, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
  • Applicants to this COE are subject to approval by the Deanery of the institute. For Indian candidates, applications from only government hospitals / colleges / institutes / universities are generally approved.
• Joint BCH-HKU CoE:
• Department of Immunology, National Centre for Children’s Health, Beijing Children’s Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
• Paediatric Immunology, Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
• Department of Paediatrics, Graduate School of Biomedical & Healthy Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan

Eligibility:

1. APSID member
2. Travel visa can be approved
3. APSID faculty is present at the host centre to supervise the junior member
4. Conditions of host institution fulfilled – eg health, travel and ethical requirements
5. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound objectives, with plan and schedule for the Fellowship, set before beginning the Fellowship
   This should be drafted by the candidate, and then discussed with the host institution supervising faculty before being sent to the EB for approval

Deliverables

6. Commitment to setting up required clinical, therapeutic or diagnostic service at the home institution thereafter, for 1 year
   This should be written up at the end of the Fellowship, signed off by the host institution supervising faculty and the candidate’s head of clinical department, followed by sending to the APSID Executive Board for review
7. Presentation of experience and learning points at an upcoming APSID conference

Proposed format	3 months (short)	6 -12 months (long)
Example objective	Laboratory attachment to learn flow cytometry and molecular diagnostic techniques	Research-based attachment to learn how to, and set up APSID registry
	Clinical attachment to learn how to set up newborn screening programme for PID	Clinical attachment to learn clinical and laboratory diagnostic techniques for PID
Example schedule	- Attend flow cytometry and molecular diagnostic courses conducted by host university - Daily attachment to immunology diagnostic lab	- Learn how to set up a registry from host institution - Set up APSID registry with the support of APSID EB members / support staff at HKU - Make video tutorial for APSID clinicians on how to input and access data into registry
	- Attachment to clinical immunology department, following inpatient rounds and clinics - Attendance at clinical genetics clinics in same host institution - Learning directly relevant laboratory techniques	- Attachment to clinical immunology department, following inpatient rounds and clinics - Attendance at clinical genetics clinics in same host institution - Daily attachment to immunology diagnostic lab
Total cost (taking accommodation to be USD 750/month, and airfare to be USD 1000)	$4250	6 months: $6500 12 months: $11 000

 

Funding will include:

• Airfare: USD 1000 for regional (within Asia), USD 2000 for international
• Accommodation: USD 500-1000 (location dependent)
• Miscellaneous expenditures eg local ground transportation, visa applications, attending conferences: USD 1000

Applications requirements:

1. Completed application form
2. Complete Curriculum Vitae
3. Draft project objectives and plan
4. Letter of support from the head of the department