In June, several of our JMF Center Directors came together at the inaugural JMF Symposium at Universidad del Desarrollo in Chile to present and discuss the latest knowledge and research about Primary Immunodeficiencies with other medical professionals.
Educational events like this symposium help to advance medical knowledge, encourage collaboration, and allow physicians to stay up to date and informed about rapid changes in the field.
We are so grateful to our JMF physicians for their dedication to advancing the field and supporting our global PI village! You can watch a video about the symposium on our Instagram page (in Spanish) today. The full transcript, in English, is available below.
………
Dr. Poli: It is a true honor for us here at the Science Institute for Innovation in Medicine in Chile to be recognized globally as a Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic and Research Center for Primary Immunodeficiencies. It is also an honor to be able to organize this event here at our facility, for the inaugural Jeffrey Modell Foundation Symposium to teach and share the latest developments in PI.
Dr. King: This course is very important because PI pathologies although considered as rare, but if you look closely at global incidence, 1 in 2000 can have a PI.
Dr. Bezrodnik: The enormous task that Vicki and Fred Modell have had through the creation of Jeffrey Modell Centers like this one, is to make PI patients be seen and brought to the forefront. When Vicki and Fred arrived in Latin America, they helped all of us make our Centers seen and heard, in addition to our patients.
Dr. Lagos: Well, these types of events that are held for doctors and instructed by doctors, contribute to our medical knowledge and experience, as things are rapidly changing and we need to stay up to date on the latest information, in all medical aspects to better serve our patients.
Dr. Hernandez: In my experience this is a great event for updating our knowledge about PI, about the latest Jeffrey Modell Foundation Center updates, also it provides an opportunity to interact with colleagues and it brings us all lots of joy.
Dr. Forbes: The importance of this congress is education, and to share newly discovered evidence in PI and the overall immune system. This type of meeting is very important because this field is often and rapidly changing, and these types of gatherings help to keep up with those changes. Treatment is often improved through the use of various methods like genetic sequencing and new medical treatments for immune suppression. It is very important to hold meetings like this one, at least annually, to keep immunologists well informed, as well as other specialists that treat PI patients.