A. Wesley Burks, MD, FAAAAI, elected to AAAAI Board of Directors

MIAMI BEACH – A. Wesley Burks, MD, FAAAAI, joined the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology's (AAAAI's) Board of Directors during its 2006 Annual Meeting in Miami Beach, FL.

The AAAAI is the largest professional medical specialty organization in the United States representing allergists, asthma specialists, clinical immunologists, allied health professionals and others with a special interest in the research and treatment of allergic disease.

Dr. Burks is Professor of Pediatrics at Duke University Medical Center in Durham , North Carolina , where he serves as Chief of the Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, Director of the Allergy and Immunology Training Program, and Director of the NIH-sponsored General Clinical Research Center .

Dr. Burks received his fellowship training at Duke University before joining the faculty at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Arkansas Children's Hospital. He advanced through the academic ranks to Professor and then Vice-Chair of the Department of Pediatrics and President of Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute.

Dr. Burks' research interests have focused on the identification of the major allergens in foods, as well as the immunopathogenesis and treatment of food allergic disorders. He has lectured and published extensively on these topics.

Dr. Burks served as the Chair of the Adverse Reactions to Foods Committee, is the current Vice Chair of the Annual Meeting Program Committee and has served on a number of committees within the AAAAI. Dr. Burks is on the Medical Board of the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN), the HAI study section for the NIH, and is a former member of the American Board of Allergy & Immunology. He has served on the Editorial Board of The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and is now on the Board of the International Archives of Allergy & Immunology.

Established in 1943, the AAAAI has more than 6,300 members in the United States , Canada and 75 other countries. The AAAAI serves as an advocate to the public by providing educational information through its toll-free line at (800) 822-2762 and it's Web site, www.aaaai.org.

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