THE CANADIAN SOCIETY OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY
The CSACI had its beginnings in 1945. That year, a group of physicians came together at the Canadian Medical Association meeting and founded the Canadian Society for the Study of Allergy (CSSA). Within one year, the membership grew to twenty-five, and the first scientific meeting was held in Banff, AB in 1946. In 1956, the CSSA changed its name to the Canadian Academy of Allergy, and in 1967, the present name, the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology was adopted. The society established a permanent secretariat in Ottawa in 1996. The Canadian Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Foundation (CAAIF) was founded as a charity in the same year. The CSACI remains one of the oldest specialty societies in Canada.
The CSACI has always been active in supporting education and research in the subspecialty. It lobbied for and was successful in obtaining accreditation for Clinical Immunology and Allergy as a medical subspecialty in 1968. The society has convened scientific meetings annually for its members. Prior to 1978, the meetings were held in conjunction with the Canadian Medical Association. From 1978 to 1999, they were held concurrently with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada annual meeting. Since 2000, the CSACI has been holding its own, independent, annual meeting.
Today’s CSACI is the premier Canadian organization for health professionals in the field of Allergy, Asthma, and Clinical Immunology. The society provides leadership and expertise in the subspecialty. It also provides a place for members to interact, network, and learn from each other. The CSACI is a member society of the World Allergy Organization (WAO), as well as the Canadian Medical Association (CMA). It also works closely with patient information organizations to improve the lives of Canadians with allergic and immunologic disease.