The number of patients suffering from allergies and asthma is increasing rapidly in both the urban and rural regions of India. A conservative estimate is that 20 % of the population of our country suffers from one form of allergy or the other. The practice of allergy has never assumed due importance, and hence, there is an urgent need to equip doctors with the skills to evaluate & treat those suffering from allergic diseases.

"Diploma in Allergy & Asthma (DAA)" is a year long distance learning programme, in the subspecialty of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology for specialists in Respiratory medicine/Pulmonary medicine, General medicine, Paediatric & ENT. It is being conducted by the department of Pulmonary Medicine, Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India in collaboration with the International Asthma Services (IAS) - a U.S based charitable organization dedicated to patient and physician education. It has produced over 500 DAA graduates, and has changed the landscape of ‘Allergy’ practice across the country.

The course directors are Dr. D.J. Christopher, Sr. Professor, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, CMC, Vellore and Dr. P.K. Vedanthan, Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado USA.

For further details of the programme refer to ‘Course information’