USERN Spring School on Inborn Errors of Immunity

Through its 9 years of activities, USERN has held different educational events, amongst which international schools were the most welcomed. Starting in 2018 in Italy then the year after in Turkey followed by India and Armenia in 2019, international courses and schools on the topic of immunology were held. Recently, after the successful experience of organizing the 1^st Global Health School, hosted by Akkon University, USERN aimed to plan an amazing school on the topic of Inborn Errors of Immunity in a city filled with history, culture, and most importantly academics during May 28-31, 2024.

The USERN Spring School on Inborn Errors of Immunity was co-organized by USERN and the Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases Laboratory of the esteemed Imagine Institute, in Paris, France. The Imagine foundation which was established in 2007 by Prof. Claude Grischelli, now is Europe's leading center for research, care, and education on genetic diseases, and has expanded its collaborations globally. Due to the shared aims and missions of both USERN and Imagine Institute, a 4-day spring school was organized as a result of this collaboration.

The school had two distinguished chairs: Professor Jean-Laurent Casanova, Director of the Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases Laboratory, and Professor Nima Rezaei, Head of the Research Center for Immunodeficiencies. Professor Jean-Laurent Casanova, who is a globally well-known scientist in the field of innate immunity defects and made invaluable discoveries in this field, officially opened the school by giving some words on how this collaboration started. Professor Emmanuelle Jouanguy and Professor Anne Puel, who are great scientists in the field of inborn errors of immunity, and members of the USERN Advisory Board, were also lecturers of this educational event. Over the four days, participants engaged in a series of lectures and discussions focusing on inborn errors of immunity. The lectures were given by diverse lecturers from different countries. In addition, the participants visited the research, laboratory, and clinical facilities of the Necker Hospital and Imagine Institute. Besides the academic content of these 4 days, the School offered participants the chance to explore different parts of Paris by planning social programs in the evenings. In return, social activities along with scientific activities made almost all participants make unforgettable memories in Paris.