Asthma and allergic airways disease

By the end of the course, students will be better able to:

• Analyse the factors influencing asthma development, progression and persistence, including the interaction between genetics and environmental factors.
• Interpret the potential factors influencing asthma development, progression and persistence at the individual patient level in children and adults.
• Plan a rational evidence-based approach to the diagnosis of allergic airways diseases in children and adults.
• Plan a rational evidence-based approach to the management of allergic airways diseases in children and adults, including challenging aspects such as poor adherence, difficult psychosocial circumstances or adolescent transition.
• Communicate complex biological and clinical information related to allergic airways disease and asthma to colleagues and/or patients/the public.
• Critically appraise new research findings on the pathophysiology, diagnosis, prevention and management of allergic airways disease and asthma.
• Using current evidence on the pathophysiology, diagnosis, prevention and management of allergic airways disease and asthma, propose improvements to patient care in clinical practice individually and as part of a team.
• Assess the risks and benefits of biologics and allergen-specific immunotherapy for the treatment of asthma in children and adults in clinical practice

Teaching delivery format
The course has been designed in an innovative format combining asynchronous materials (e.g. pre-recorded sessions, reading lists and web-based resources) to revise in your own time, and live interactive sessions both online and on campus which will include focused discussions and case-based elements. A range of formats will be used to encourage active learning, including expert panel question & answer sessions, group work, workshops, role-play, pro-con debates and scenario-based sessions.

A ‘course launch webinar’ will be held in January for registered participants to introduce the course and help you get organised to maximize your learning experience. 

Key Dates and provisional times (UK time): 

• 13 January 2025,  (late afternoon, 20 mins):  Launch webinar (online)
• 29 January 2025, approx. 2.00 - 5.00pm:  Live online teaching
• 12 February 2025, approx. 9.00am - 5.30pm: live teaching (on campus or online)*

*The on-campus teaching will be held at our Royal Brompton or South Kensington campus – live streaming will be made available for those that choose to follow the course online.

Planned topics

Topic 1:  What is this thing called asthma

• Definition, Concept of treatable traits and Pathophysiology of asthma
• Diagnosis and differential diagnosis of asthma
• Non-invasive biomarkers in asthma
• Laboratory models of asthma
• Occupational lung disease (advanced)
• Asthma in a low- and middle-income setting
• Asthma Genetics

Topic 2:  Natural history and interventions

• Early life influences last lifelong
• Asthma across the life course: what have we learned from cohort studies?
• The role of the exposome in asthma
• Effects of environmental pollution
• Airway Microbiome
• Patients’ perspective on asthma’
• Practical aspects in diagnosis and management
• Asthma: how the allergist can help
• Novel approaches to anti-inflammatory therapy in asthma
• Biologics in severe asthma
• Physiotherapist role in asthma: overview and interactive exercise
• Safeguarding in asthma

Live interactive sessions may include:

• Meet the expert ‘Q&A’
• Live interactive cases session: Preschool wheeze
• Live interactive cases session: Difficult School age asthma
• Live interactive cases session: Adult asthma
• Student-led journal club session
• Workshop - Lung Function testing
• Workshop - Breathing control – role of physiotherapy
• Workshop - Asthma medication delivery devices

Please note there might be minor changes to the planned topics above.

The course is suitable for doctors (GPs, specialist trainees and consultants in Allergy, Paediatrics, Respiratory Medicine or ENT), as well as nurses and other healthcare professionals wishing to improve their ability to manage patients with allergic airways disease in daily practice. The course is also relevant for basic scientists and professionals working in industry in the field of asthma and allergy.

Participants have the option of completing an assessment component and on completion will be provided with an official Imperial College London transcript of results. Details of the assessment and deadline for submission will be given during the course. Please note that there is an additional assessment fee payable in full prior to submission date. Please contact us for further information.