Throughout 2020 we had planned to host four IUIS face-to-face courses in Ethiopia (February), Algeria (June), Argentina (September), and Chile (November).
We were lucky that the Immuno-Ethiopia course on “Neglected Tropical Diseases and Malaria Challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa” proceeded as planned in Bar Dahir from February 23 to 29. This course, as well as a previous course in November 2019 in Benin, were both generously sponsored by the Volkswagen Foundation. A report on the Immuno-Ethiopia course will be available shortly on the IUIS EDU Committee website.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we had to cancel the face-to-face Immuno-Algeria course on “Challenge of Allergy in the Molecular Era”, scheduled to take place in June. However, we joined forces with the Immunopaedia team to organize a two week online course instead, which is currently taking place for accepted participants, with two sessions per day (two hours each). This is a new and challenging experience for all of us!
The Immuno-Argentina course on “Immunological Memory in Infection and Vaccination: Current Knowledge and Future Directions” planned for September, has been postponed to May 2021.
Currently, the organization of the Immuno-Chile course on “Inflammation, Cancer and Intestinal Mucosal Immunology” for November is still on-going, and we do hope that this course can take place as planned.
Unfortunately, other courses for which EDU provides travel fellowships such as DGfI Spring School and AAI courses, have also been cancelled. We are planning many activities once safe travel is again possible!