According to the GME Data Resource Book for the academic year 2021–2022, there are 84 allergy and immunology fellowship programs in the United States [7]. Allergy and Immunology programs are either 2 or 3 years in duration. The mean number of fellows per program is 3.8. The number of allergy and immunology fellows in training for this academic year is 320. A&I training programs represent less than 0.3% of all resident specialties. With the administrative push for clinical production, the relatively small faculty numbers per program and competing medical needs, the goal of providing an excellent and comprehensive education can be challenging.

A&I training programs are tasked by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to provide comprehensive education in patient care and procedural skills, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, systems-based practice, and professionalism [8]. The format of the training is to be broad yet detailed. This places a significant burden on each program.

Within the field of Allergy and Immunology, numerous online learning resources are available. The two national Allergy and Immunology organizations, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) and American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI), provide several online educational resources for learners. The AAAAI provides a podcast series called “Conversations from the World of Allergy” in which leaders from the field are interviewed to discuss evidence-based information about diverse topics. It also offers a Webinars page, which compiles all available webinars into one location. The AAAAI Professional Education site provides various educational resources arranged by topic, and AAAAI members are also able to download teaching slides from approved PowerPoint files [9]. Regarding the ACAAI website, fellows in training (FIT) may access a FIT Board Review Corner. This contains over 350 review questions developed by the FIT committee. Another resource is the ACAAI Review for the Allergy & Immunology Boards textbook, currently in its fourth edition. Though also available as a physical textbook, an electronic copy is accessible online along with interactive electronic flashcards. Finally, the AAAAI and ACAAI provide an online Joint Board Certification Review Course, which includes numerous recorded presentations, study guide, and over 170 practice questions, with the added availability of CME credit [10]. More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted the addition of virtual components to the national conferences, with an increase in attendance of the virtual 2020 ACAAI conference compared to the in-person conference in 2019 [3].

As the use of web-based education has increased, several studies have been conducted to examine outcomes, efficacy, and satisfaction of both teachers and students. One such study was performed by Navalpakam et al., who devised a module with interactive cases to teach high yield A&I topics to pediatric residents. Comparison of pre- and post-test scores showed significant improvement after completion of the module, and a majority (67%) of participants preferred the online format over in-person learning [11]. Similarly, Stan et al. developed an online CME presentation for allergists and immunologists about the diagnosis and management of eosinophil-related disorders, after which they noted that 73% of participants improved their knowledge, resulting in a 204% increase in correct responses between pre- and post-tests [12]. In 2019, the Code Ana Program developed a video epinephrine training program for the education of early childhood professionals on the use of epinephrine, followed by a post-video assessment. Of the more than 12,000 participants who completed the training, 94% found it at least somewhat helpful, 57% extremely helpful, and nearly 100% felt more confident in their ability to use epinephrine in the treatment of anaphylaxis [13].