Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery

The American Association of Immunologists, Inc. (AAI) was formally chartered on June 19, 1913 in Minneapolis, Minnesota while the founders, Dr. Gerald Webb, Dr. A. Parker Hitchens and Dr. Martin Synnott were attending a meeting of The American Medical Association.  Three principal objectives were set forth by the 52 enrolled charter members which were to unite the physicians of the United States and Canada who are engaged in the scientific study of immunity and bacterial therapy; to study problems of immunology and to promote by its concerted efforts a scientific research in this department; and to spread a correct knowledge of vaccine therapy and immunology among general practitioners. The Council established a liberal policy of admitting individuals with a doctorate and several years of teaching and/or research in immunology including publications. In 1972 the criterion for membership was modified and additional publishing requirements were imposed in order to create a more exclusionary Society.

In February of 1916 in Baltimore Maryland the Association began publication of its journal, The Journal of Immunology. The following year Association’s constitution and bylaws were adopted on April 6, 1917. There have been two major revisions in the Constitution since that time one in 1950 and the other in 1986. The alterations approved in 1950 expanded the classes of membership to include Honorary and Emeritus members and modified both election procedures and council membership requirements. The 1986 Constitutional revisions expanded the Council, called for the election of the nominating committee, gave formal recognition to Corporate Members, changed the entitlements of Emeritus and Honorary Members, replaced the Editorial Board with a Publications Committee and changed the management of the Journal and the Editor in Chief.

AAI’s Council has the duty of general supervision of the affairs of AAI between annual business meetings.  The voting members of the Council include the President, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer, and four Councillors. Chairs of the committees may also be asked to attend Council meetings as non-voting members. They meet prior to the annual business meeting and at other times deemed necessary by the President and three voting members of the Council.

In the early years and until 1939 AAI scheduled its annual business meetings to coincide with the meetings of the American Association of Pathologists and Bacteriologists. However at the 1938 meeting of the Council and membership at large, a decision was reached to convene joint sessions with the Federation of the American Societies of Experimental Biologists.  In 1942 AAI was formally invited to join the Federation as a Corporate Member Society. From that time and at least until 1991 the annual business meetings have been held in conjunction with FASEB.

For the first fifty years, the Association had no fixed location for executive activity.  During that time the AAI headquarters was either in the residence or the professional offices of the Secretary/Treasurer.  In 1965 a permanent headquarters was established for the administration and management of Association affairs at Beaumont House in FASEB headquarters.  In 1980 the Council initiated moving the editorial office of The Journal of Immunology to the AAI Central Office at FASEB.  At this time AAI began a search for an Executive Officer who would also serve as the Managing Editor for the Journal.  Three years later President Barry Bloom appointed Dr. Joseph Saunders the first professional executive officer of the Association.

In 1968, the Council approved the appointment of a historian to assume responsibility of collecting letters and photographs of past AAI Presidents and people of historic significance to the Association.  Past President Merrill Chase was selected as the first historian and began collecting as much primary source data as possible about the previous AAI Presidents.  Dr. Joseph Saunders assumed the role of archivist as one of his duties as Executive Director in 1983 and collected more data.

Currently AAI is the largest professional association of immunologists in the world.  It is still affiliated with FASEB and continues to have its headquarters located with the FASEB.