AAAAI Foundation and Louis M. Mendelson, MD, FAAAAI Lectureship: Investing Together in Our Future

Louis M. Mendelson, MD, was born in Virginia and graduated from Vanderbilt University and Medical College of Virginia. He completed his Pediatric Residency at Bronx Municipal Hospital Center at the Albert Einstein School of Medicine in New York. Mendelson went on to complete his fellowship in Allergy and Immunology at the University of California in San Diego. He served as Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut’s School of Medicine and as the Division Head of Allergy and Immunology at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center for many years; enthusiastically teaching and inspiring generations of medical students and pediatric residents.

Since 1972, Mendelson was active in clinical private practices in the Hartford, Connecticut region, becoming a world renowned figure in our field because of his tireless dedication to his patients' care. His excellence as a clinician led to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) honoring him in 2000 with the Distinguished Clinician Award.  He was previously honored with the Food Allergy Network's Marial C. Furlong Award for Making a Difference in 1999. 

 Despite his heavy practice schedule, he was an active researcher and writer, his interests included penicillin allergy, food allergy, anaphylactic reactions, asthma and vernal conjunctivitis; sharing his practical experiences improving our sub-specialty. He was a champion of Regional Allergy Societies serving two terms as President of the Connecticut Allergy Society, and one term as President of the New England Society of Allergy. He served on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), and was the Chairman of the AAAAI Foundation for two years and served on its Board for six years. Dr. Mendelson passed away in December of 2019.

2020 marks the 4th year of the AAAAI Foundation and Louis M. Mendelson, MD FAAAAI Lectureship: Investing Together in Our Future.

John Oppenheimer, MD FAAAAI

Director of Clinical Research at Pulmonary and Allergy Associates and Clinical Professor of Medicine at UMDNJ-Rutgers

 Dr. John Oppenheimer is the Director of Clinical Research at Pulmonary and Allergy Associates as well as Clinical Professor of Medicine at UMDNJ-Rutgers. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Allergy and Immunology.  He trained and was on faculty at the National Jewish Center in Denver Colorado. Dr. Oppenheimer has participated in over 100 clinical studies with over 200 publications. He serves as the Associate Editor of the Annals of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, co-section editor of Current Reports of Allergy and Immunology, Current Opinion of Allergy and Immunology and serves as a reviewer for several journals including the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and JAMA.

He is the past Chairman of the ADT section as well as the Interest Section Coordinating Committee of the AAAAI, serves on the Joint Task Force of the Practice Parameter Committee for Allergy Immunology, the writing committee of the cough guidelines committee for the American College of Chest Physicians, a voting member of PCPI and member of the measures development for atopic dermatitis, was on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Allergy and Immunology 2010-15 and is the past Chairman of the ABAI. He is presently the liaison to the American Board of Internal Medicine for the ABAI and a member of the ABIM council. He has focused his career on guideline development and has been actively involved in measurement development in the field of allergy and immunology.