The International Center for Interdisciplinary Studies of Immunology (ICISI) was chartered at Georgetown University Medical Center on February 15, 1975 to meet the needs of research, education and patient care activities at the Medical Center through innovative interdisciplinary intramural programs as well as technology transfer beyond the walls of the institution through community outreach programs. The field of immunology began as the study of the body’s protective responses to infectious diseases but now encompasses a wide range of responses to the body’s encounter with foreign substances which are not only found in the external environment e.g., allergens and toxic chemicals, but which may also arise from within the body, e.g., cancer. Thus, the field of immunology now has clinical relevance to the body’s protective mechanisms to infectious diseases, allergic disorders, autoimmune diseases, immune deficiencies, transplantation and malignancy.

ICISI conducts a wide range of research projects in collaboration with colleagues from the basic science and clinical departments as well as from other institutions. ICISI is responsible for teaching the immunology portion of the microbiology-immunology course to second year medical students in collaboration with the Department of Microbiology-Immunology. The Immunology Center also offers a postdoctoral training program in developmental immunology for a two to three period of training for qualified applicants. The ICISI has trained over 200 candidates who come to the Center from the US as well as from countries throughout the world.

ICISI also provides direct and consultative patient care services in allergy-immunology, respiratory diseases and autoimmune diseases in both children and adults and administratively serves as a consultant in laboratory immunology testing in the Department of Laboratory Medicine of Georgetown University Hospital advising and actively collaborating with colleagues in the development of new test procedures for the diagnosis and therapy of a wide range of immunologically-mediated diseases.