Newswise — ROCKVILLE, MD (November 27, 2023) — The American Association of Immunologists (AAI), Inc., announced today it has been recognized by the International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS) with the 2023 Day of Immunology Award for Best Campaign Theme. The award came with a monetary prize of 1,000€. AAI has donated this money to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, whose mission is to vaccinate children in low-income countries against deadly and debilitating infectious diseases.
Each year, IUIS partners with the European Federation of Immunological Societies to recognize the International Day of Immunology, inviting all international societies to join in the effort to increase global awareness of the importance of immunology. The Day of Immunology Awards is a triennial competition that recognizes the four best public relations campaigns conducted in any of the previous three years.
AAI was awarded Best Campaign Theme for its 2023 Day of Immunology social media campaign, which reached more than 270,000 consumers through Facebook, Instagram, and X/Twitter. The campaign concentrated on debunking common myths related to immune system health.
“AAI is honored to again be recognized for its efforts to increase understanding of the role of immunology in health,” says Loretta L. Doan, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of AAI. “This award from the international immunology community reconfirms for all of us how important it is to participate in public awareness opportunities such as International Day of Immunology.” Earlier this year, AAI received the summit award from the American Society of Association Executives for its public awareness work.
“In honor of the IUIS, the AAI staff felt it was important to give back to the public in a way that would further raise awareness of immunology and also benefit people,” continued Doan. “A contest was held in which staff were invited to submit ideas for how to do this using the IUIS award money. Ideas ranged from public transit advertising to donations to worthy organizations. The AAI Public Communications Committee selected the winning idea of making a donation to support Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.”
All of the winners were formally recognized at today’s 2023 IUIS Congress in Cape Town, South Africa. Former AAI President Gary Koretzky, M.D., Ph.D., accepted the award on behalf of AAI. AAI is proud to be amongst the awardees and sends congratulations to the fellow winning societies: Sociedad Argentina de Inmunologia (Best International Campaign), Sociedade Portuguesa de Imunologia (Best European Campaign), and IMMspire – University of Toronto (Best Newcomer).
For more information about the IUIS International Day of Immunology, visit https://iuis.org/activities/2023-day-of-immunology/.
About The American Association of Immunologists
Founded in 1913, The American Association of Immunologists (AAI) (www.aai.org) is an association of professionally trained scientists from all over the world dedicated to advancing the knowledge of immunology and its related disciplines. AAI members have been responsible for some of the most significant immunological discoveries of the past century, including the development of cancer immunotherapies, monoclonal antibodies, transplant technologies, and dozens of life-saving vaccines. AAI’s Immunology Explained campaign seeks to educate the public about the link between immunology and health. The organization counts many Nobel Laureates among its members. AAI owns and publishes The Journal of Immunology, the oldest and most established journal in the field, as well as ImmunoHorizons, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the science of immunology.