I. Leonard Bernstein, MD FAAAAI Memorial Lectureship
I. Leonard Bernstein, MD FAAAAI, served as president of the AAAAI (then known as the American Academy of Allergy) in 1982. He was admired for his encyclopedic knowledge of the field of allergy and asthma, and was a founding member of the committee that conceived and wrote the first practice parameters for our specialty. I. Leonard was an expert in environmental and occupational allergies, and published extensively. He was devoted to training future allergists, and developed a Fellowship program at the University of Cincinnati through which he trained more than 60 physicians.
Dr. Bernstein’s contributions to our specialty were vast, and he especially valued good research done in the interest of improving outcomes for our patients and growing the field of Allergy/Immunology. The AAAAI Foundation exists to fund research that leads to the prevention and cure of asthma and allergic and immunologic disease, which was a cause near and dear to his heart.
This Lectureship was established in Dr. Bernstein's memory by his family in 2016. The first Lecture in his name was delivered at the 2017 AAAAI Annual Meeting in Atlanta. The current Lectureship is funded for five years; the family's goal is to increase this to a donation large enough to name the Lectureship for fifteen years. A gift of this size to the Foundation will also name a Faculty Development Award in his honor.
| Year | Lecturer | Topic |
| 2017 | Amal Assa’ad, MD FAAAAI | Emerging and Current Diagnostics and Therapies for Eosinophilic Esophagitis |
| 2018 | David B. Peden, MD MS FAAAAI | Environmental Impacts on Asthma: Biology to Intervention |
| 2019 | Jonathan I. Silverberg, MD PhD MPH | Atopic Dermatitis: Bench to Bedside and Back |
If you wish to honor Dr. Bernstein, please consider a gift to the AAAAI Foundation and I. Leonard Bernstein, MD, FAAAAI Memorial Lectureship Fund. A donation in any amount can be dedicated to this effort. The Bernstein Family will be notified of your gift, and your name will be listed as a donor to this fund in the Annual Report of the AAAAI Foundation. Your donation makes a difference. We appreciate your support and your commitment to our specialty.
To make a contribution by phone call the AAAAI Foundation Office at (414) 272-6071.