Ain Shams University (Cairo, Egypt)
The Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Unit
Children's Hospital, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
The Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Unit, Ain Shams University, pioneered the development of the specialty in pediatrics in Egypt and North Africa. The unit is dedicated to achieving excellence in education, training, and research with the aim of producing new generations of highly qualified pediatric allergists, immunologists and rheumatologists. Its ultimate goal is to serve patients with compassionate health care of highest clinical and ethical standards.
The PAI unit was founded in 1988 by Prof. Yehia El-Gamal and has tremendously grown ever since in number of staff and services. The unit deals with pediatric allergic disorders, primary immunodeficiency and pediatric rheumatology and autoimmune disorders in infants, children, and adolescents. It is a tertiary care center that receives patients from all over the country. Its outpatient clinic operates three days a week and receives about 300 patients per week; new cases mount up to 25 per week. The integrated laboratory provides services five days a week. The unit also has an SPT and immunotherapy facility that operates five days a week. There are currently 24 in-patient beds that belong to the unit in the children’s Hospital of Ain Shams University.
Faculty members of the PAI unit are very enthusiastic and devoted to teach, train and promote their specialty and they currently comprise 8 professors and associate professors as well as 10 lecturers and assistant lecturers. They hold many workshops to train general practitioners and nurses on caring for allergy/immunology pediatric patients. Many basic and clinical research projects in allergy, asthma and clinical immunology are undertaken in the PAI Unit and it yields papers that are published in peer-reviewed distinguished journals; some of them won awards and recognitions.
Undergraduate rounds are held in the unit because allergy and immunology is included in the Ain Shams undergraduate teaching curriculum. The PAI unit also is a training center for house officers and residents. Many Masters and PhD theses are produced in the unit by postgraduate students from Egypt and Arabian countries. The scientific activities of the unit attract health care providers from other hospitals of Cairo and other Egyptian governorates.
In line with the mission of the WAO, The PAI unit adopts clinical innovation and has good potential advocacy with patients, patient groups, lay community, and government. It has become a proficient center with recognized faculty who are mentors in allergy, asthma and clinical immunology. It represents a well-established research facility and its members have a good deal of published papers in peer reviewed journals. It distributes booklets and brochures that contain brief information about allergy/immunology disorders and the major international guidelines on their management as well as international e-books. The unit is trying to establish local and national registries for pediatric allergy, immunology and rheumatology diseases and is looking forward to participate in international registries.
