As the current chair of the Research and Training Division, I would like to convey that the AAAAI membership would like the NHLBI to consider the following in the development of its strategic plan:

There has been a decline in research-based faculty in the past few years.  The challenge is two-fold.  First, increase the research faculty pipeline with increased focus on training and recruitment of research focused fellows... more »

Expanding the base of the program foci (e.g. including NCI in addition to the current HLBS).

Increasing opportunities for junior faculty trainees to network (e.g. cross-training with other NIH institutes)

Expanding the training efforts (e.g. greater number of funded summer programs, extend training beyond 2 summers, provision for 5-year grants so an additional cohort can be included) would be highly beneficial.