If you are a medical student or internal medicine and/or pediatric resident in the United States or Canada, your future includes a big decision about the path you choose.

The Chrysalis Project presents a great opportunity to explore a career in allergy / immunology. The core of the project is a program that takes place during the AAAAI Annual Meeting, the premier allergy / immunology event of the year. In addition, the best news is that accepted applicants attend this program and the AAAAI Annual Meeting free of charge.

The Program
Allergy / immunology represents a vibrant, challenging career path for physicians interested in working with patients of all ages with a wide range of allergic and immunologic diseases. The didactic content includes both pathogenesis and treatment of allergic and immunologic disorders and cutting-edge research. Additionally, the program offers a Career Paths in allergy and Immunology session, which explores career options in academia, government, private practice and industry. The program also hosts a small group hot topic case discussion session reviewing three different cases. The environment is interactive and informal allowing participants to ask questions. Selected participants are paired with both an allergy / immunology faculty member and fellow-in-training (FIT) mentor who can answer questions about the specialty and guide them through the educational sessions and events. There are additional opportunities to meet with AAAAI Board Members and allergy / immunology training program directors and allergy / immunology faculty during the Chrysalis Project Program reception.

Chrysalis Project Program Application
The purpose of the Chrysalis Project is to provide U.S. and Canadian medical students and internal medicine and/or pediatric residents with the opportunity to explore allergy / immunology and increase interest in the subspecialty. The application typically is available at 8:00 am CT on August 3, 2026 and closes on October 23, 2026 at 11:59 am CT. Appliations for 2027 are now open.

To qualify for the Chrysalis Project, applicants must be an AAAAI member or have applied for membership before applying for the award. The links to the membership applications are below:
• Medical Student Member
• Resident Member

Selected participants receive the following benefits:
• A fellow-in-training (FIT) mentor
• An allergy / immunology faculty mentor
• Up to four nights lodging at the Chrysalis Project assigned hotel
• Roundtrip coach airfare up to $800.00
• A $300.00 stipend to cover meals and ground transportation expenses

Please note the Chrysalis Project is a recruitment program, with priority given to medical students and junior residents who are unsure of their career path, rather than senior residents who are already committed to applying for allergy / immunology fellowship. These residents' applications will still be reviewed and considered for any open slots. Individuals previously selected for the Chrysalis Project are not eligible to participate in the program a second time.

Participant selection into the program is based on various factors, including the number of applications received, the number of applications from the same institution, and if there is an allergy / immunology training program at the applicant's institution. The strength of the letter from a faculty member (allergy / immunology or non-allergy / immunology) also carries weight during the review process. The applicant's personal statement should include any research experience, publications, presentations, career goals, lack of exposure to the field and specific reason(s) of interest in the field. Eligible applicants who are the first author on an accepted abstract/case report for oral presentation are automatically awarded a program slot. Accepted abstracts and case reports will not guarantee acceptance into the program, although submissions and scores will be taken into consideration.

Prior to submitting your application, please note the following additional information and tips:
• When selecting a faculty member for your application, consider who will best describe you, your interest in the specialty, and who can speak to why you should be selected for the program. Keep in mind that this letter should be uploaded when applying, not emailed separately, so give the individual you are asking plenty of time to complete your request. The prompt question for the faculty letter is “Please describe your experience working with the applicant and discuss why you think the applicant would benefit from the Chrysalis Project program. Given the number of applications received and the competitiveness of program, the details and strength of the letter can make a difference in the application process.” 
• Your personal statement should promote yourself to the reviewers. It is your opportunity to highlight yourself, your interest in exploring the field, any exposure you have had to the field and whether you have access to the field at your current or previous institutions. 
• Be sure to submit an updated version of your CV.
• Given the competitiveness of the program, consider submitting an application to the medical student and resident travel scholarship application as well. 
• Register for the AAAAI Annual Meeting, as well as the two Chrysalis Project sessions open to all medical student and resident attendees (Chrysalis Project Program: Didactic and Chrysalis Project Program: Career Paths in Allergy and Immunology sessions.

Allergy / immunology represents a vibrant, challenging career path for physicians and allied health professionals interested in working with patients of all ages with a wide range of allergic and immunologic diseases. The AAAAI can guide you down your career path.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Direct relevance to allergy, asthma and immunology ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is the fundamental predictor.

Strong projects should directly address areas such as:

• Asthma
• Food allergy
• Atopic dermatitis/allergic skin disease
• Allergic rhinitis
• Drug hypersensitivity
• Anaphylaxis
• Eosinophilic disorders
• Immunodeficiency
• Immune dysregulation
• Type 2 immunity
• Respiratory allergy
• Pediatric allergy
• Clinical immunology
• Precision allergy/immunology

The strongest applications make the connection to allergy/immunology patient care and scientific advancement immediately apparent. AAAAI's stated mission is to advance knowledge and practice in allergy, asthma and immunology for optimal patient care.

2. High scientific significance and potential impact ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Reviewers assess the quality and potential impact of the proposed research.

A strong proposal should answer:

• What important problem is being addressed?
• What is currently unknown?
• Why does the knowledge gap matter?
• How will the research advance allergy/immunology?
• Could the results ultimately improve patient care?

Projects with a clear connection between scientific discovery and meaningful clinical benefit are particularly compelling.

3. Innovation and originality ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Innovation is a major success factor.

Competitive proposals may involve:

• Novel immunologic mechanisms
• New biomarkers
• Precision medicine
• Innovative therapeutic targets
• New diagnostic approaches
• Advanced genetic/genomic approaches
• AI or computational methods
• Novel disease models
• New approaches to allergy prevention

For example, the 2026 Faculty Development Awardees include research on hidden splice variants in inborn errors of immunity, T-cell/alveolar-macrophage interactions in lung inflammation, and mast-cell progenitors as biomarkers of food allergy—all highly focused mechanistic or translational questions.

4. Strong scientific methodology ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A promising idea must be supported by a rigorous approach.

Strong applications should provide:

• Clear hypothesis
• Specific aims
• Appropriate study design
• Appropriate controls
• Valid methodology
• Statistical rigor
• Adequate sample size
• Defined outcomes
• Feasible timeline

AAAAI's Grant Review Committee evaluates both the quality and potential impact of proposed research and research-related activities.

5. Potential to prevent or treat allergic/immunologic disease ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The AAAAI Foundation's Faculty Development Award has a particularly clear objective: support excellent research that can contribute to the prevention and cure of asthma, allergic, and immunologic disease.

Therefore, strong projects should ideally show potential to:

• Prevent disease
• Improve diagnosis
• Identify patients at risk
• Develop new treatments
• Improve treatment response
• Reduce disease severity
• Improve long-term outcomes

6. Strong early-career investigator potential ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is one of the most important AAAAI Foundation-specific predictors.

The Faculty Development Award is specifically designed to develop junior faculty into independent investigators.

A strong early-career applicant should demonstrate:

• Strong research training
• Emerging publication record
• Clear scientific direction
• Commitment to allergy/immunology
• Potential for independence
• A strong mentor
• A realistic path toward future NIH/extramural funding

The Foundation reports that 55 of 57 major awardees have continued careers in allergy/immunology, illustrating the strong career-development emphasis of the program.

7. Strong mentor and career-development plan ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

For the Faculty Development Award, applicants must have a current mentor.

A strong mentor should provide:

• Relevant scientific expertise
• Research supervision
• Access to specialized techniques
• Career guidance
• Publication development
• Grant-writing support
• A pathway toward independence

The proposal should make clear that the applicant is progressing from mentored research toward independent research leadership.

8. Health equity, diversity and inclusion ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is an explicit AAAAI Foundation priority, not merely a generic consideration.

The Foundation states that it is especially interested in health-equity research in allergy/immunology and research promoting diversity and inclusivity. It also encourages applications from minority investigators and researchers from diverse geographic areas.

Strong projects may address:

• Allergy disparities
• Unequal asthma outcomes
• Access to allergy care
• Underdiagnosis
• Environmental exposure disparities
• Underserved populations
• Representation in research cohorts
• Geographic barriers to care

9. Strong institutional environment and protected research time ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

For career-development awards, institutional support is critical.

A competitive applicant should have:

• Appropriate laboratory/clinical facilities
• Patient access
• Statistical support
• Research infrastructure
• Protected research time
• Departmental commitment
• Appropriate space and resources

The AAAAI Foundation's Bridge Award application, for example, requires the department/division head to confirm the applicant's full-time faculty appointment, future institutional path, space and funding commitment, and protected time.

10. Potential to generate future NIH/extramural funding ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is an especially strong AAAAI Foundation predictor.

The Foundation reports that its initial support has been followed by nearly $143 million in federal grants to its award recipients since 1993.

Its Award to Sustain Research Excellence (Bridge Award) is explicitly designed to strengthen a revised or planned five-year R01 application and requires applicants to explain how the Foundation funding will increase the competitiveness of the R01.

Therefore, a strong application should show:

AAAAI funding → preliminary/strengthening data → NIH application → independent research program