APAAACI 2026 Symposium Speakers

Agnes Leung

Assistant Professor

The Chinese University Of Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Dr. Agnes S.Y. Leung is an Assistant Professor in Paediatrics at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, with a clinical and research focus in Allergy and Immunology. Her work centres on food allergy diagnostics and immunotherapy, with a particular interest in seafood allergies in Asian populations. She is the founder of the Asia Pacific Research Network for Anaphylaxis (APRA), which aims to better understand and address regional disparities in paediatric anaphylaxis management. Dr. Leung is involved in clinical trials exploring food immunotherapy and has a research interest in the mechanisms underlying food allergy remission, with the broader goal of developing more personalised approaches to food allergy management. She serves as Chair of the Food Allergy Committee of APAAACI, Vice President of the Hong Kong Institute of Allergy, and Associate Editor of Pediatric Allergy & Immunology. She is also an active contributor to APRA's anaphylaxis initiatives. Dr. Leung has received several recognitions for her work, including the Distinguished Young Fellow Award from the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine (2025), an Outstanding Oral Presentation Award at EAACI 2025, and the Best Young Investigator Prize from the Hong Kong College of Paediatricians (2024)

Cezmi Akdis

Director

Swiss Institute Of Allergy And Asthma Research

Switzerland

Prof. Cezmi Akdis is the director of the Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF) in Davos and Professor in Zurich University Medical Faculty. He has honorary professorships from Beijign Cantional University Tongren Hospital (China), Wuhan University (China), Zhejiang University (Hangzhou, China) Bursa Uludag University (Turkey), Peking University, China and Harvard University (USA). He is a Senate Member of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences. Cezmi Akdis has published more than 800 peer-reviewed articles. His h-index is 173 (Scholar one) 138 (Web of Science). Cezmi Akdis acted as the President of the European Academy of Allergy & Clinical Immunology (20’000 members) between 2011-2013. He is a senate member of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences. He was the editor of Global Atlases of Allergy, Asthma I-II, Chronic Rhinosinusitis and Allergic Rhinitis, Planetary Health, and Co-Editor of Pediatric Allergy. He was the founder and organizer of the World Immune Regulation Meetings, Davos I-XX. He was the Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the Allergy journal. Cezmi Akdis’s current research is the continuation of his epithelial barrier theory development of allergic and autoimmune diseases. He has recently identified 80 diseases linked to Epithelial Barrier Damage and Microbial Dysbiosis overall are responsible for more than 2 billion patients. Cezmi Akdis is currently focused on development of AI solutions to better understand the mechanisms of diseases linked to epithelial barrier defect caused by environmental changes. His major contributions include immune tolerance to allergens, understanding of Type 2 immunity, discovery or first time demonstration of many human immune system cells and cell subsets and many articles at the early stages of Covid including the first human to human infection paper. Website: www.epithelialbarriertheory.com en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cezmi_Akdis

Jiu Yao Wang

Superintendent

China Medical University Children's Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan

Taiwan

Prof. Jiu-Yao Wang is the Chair Professor and Superintendent of China Medical University Children’s Hospital, and Director of Allergy, Immunology, and the Microbiome (A.I.M.) Research Center, of China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan. He has served as Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics, and Director of the Allergy and Clinical Immunology Research (ACIR) center at National Cheng Kung University Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan. He graduated from Department of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, in 1984, and obtained Doctor of Philosophy degree in the MRC Immunochemistry Unit, University of Oxford, United Kingdom in 1996. Prof.Wang’s lab has focused on the genetic, environmental, and immunological studies of innate immunity of allergic and asthmatic children in Taiwan for more than 40 years. These studies have produced more than 220 SCI papers and cited more than 9,500 times. Prof Wang has received several distinguished awards, such as Ten Outstanding Young Persons in Medical Research Award, Gold Medal of the K.T. Li Foundation for the Development of Science and Technology, was awarded National Innovation Award three times, and Future Technology Award from the National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan. He also severed as president of Taiwan Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Clinical Immunology (TAAACI), and also of Asia Pacific Association of Allergy, Asthma, and Clinical Immunology (APAAACI).

Mubeccel Akdis

Head Of Immune Regulation

SIAF

Switzerland

Dr Akdis is working in the Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF), University Zurich since 1995 and received her PhD in Immunology. She worked as a postdoctoral scientist and became a group leader at SIAF, where she has established her own research group in 2003. Dr Akdis made her habilitation in Zurich University Medical Faculty on Experimental Immunology in 2005 and became a professor in 2016. She has published 389 peer-reviewed articles, sum of times cited: 33'143 and her h-index: 99 (135- Google Scholar). She has received honorary professorships from Beijign Cantional University Tongren Hospital (China), Wuhan University (China), Zhejiang University (Hangzhou, China), Bursa Uludag University (Turkey), and Harvard University (USA). She has received research grants and collaborative grants from the Swiss National Foundation, European Union (6 consortium grants) and Stanford University Sean Parker Seed Grant. She received numerous awards, including International Distinguished Fellow Award of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI. European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology EAACI, Paul Ehrlich Award for Experimental Research, Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) Datta Lecture and Medal, Kanton Graubünden Scientific Recognition Award, Sedat Simavi and Bulent Eczacibasi Medical Science Awards. She is currently scientific program co-chair of the EAACI. Her major contributions are on mechanisms of immune tolerance to allergens, viral infection responses of B cells, human B regulatory cells, mechanisms of allergen Immunotherapy and the role of antigen-specific B cells, immune tolerance to food antigens, regulation and subsets of IgG4 memory B cells.

Philip Li

Clinical Associate Professor

The University Of Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Professor Philip Li was the first locally trained Specialist in Immunology & Allergy in Hong Kong and currently serves as a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). He is also Division Chief of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology at both HKU and HKU-Shenzhen Hospital. Additionally, he is the President of the Hong Kong Institute of Allergy and Board Director of the Asia Pacific Association of Allergy, Asthma and Clinical Immunology (APAAACI). Prof Li has special interests in drug allergy, immunodeficiency and urticaria/angioedema. Notably, he established Hong Kong’s first specialist Immunology & Allergy training centre and leads the territory-wide Drug Allergy Delabelling Initiative (HK-DADI). As head of the Immunology & Allergy services of the Hong Kong West Cluster/HKU, he has steered the institution towards accreditation as both an Urticaria and Angioedema Centre of Reference & Excellence, as well as both a World Allergy Organization and APAAACI Centre of Excellence. He is also the Chairperson of the APAAACI Drug Allergy Committee. His research has earned notable recognition, including the distinguished Patrick Manson Gold Medal for the best MD thesis, and the Richard Yu Lectureship by the Hong Kong College of Physicians. In recognition of his advocacy work, Prof Li was honored with the Humanitarian Award by the Hong Kong Red Cross. His substantial clinical contributions have been acknowledged with the Hong Kong Ten Outstanding Young Persons Award, Chief Executive’s Commendation for Public Service and the HKUMed Clinical Service Excellence Award. Prof Li's influence is clearly demonstrated through his significant contributions to various local and international guidelines. These include guidelines on chronic urticaria, hereditary angioedema, and his role as the lead author of the clinical pathway for penicillin allergy testing in the Asia Pacific region. He has authored over 180 peer-reviewed articles in the disciplines of allergy, immunology, and autoimmunity. Additionally, he lends his expertise to Editorial Boards of several international journals including Vaccine, Frontiers in Immunology, Asian Pacific Journal of Allergy and Immunology and Asia Pacific Allergy.

Symposium Speakers

Agnes Leung

An-Soo Jang

Bernard Thong

Carina Venter

Cezmi Akdis

Cherie Zachary

Chirawat Chiewchalermsri

David Fleischer

David Stukus

Duy Le Pham

Elizabeth Tham

Hae-Sim Park

Hoang Thi Lam

Hugo Van Bever

Iris Rengganis

Jason Fok

Jiu Yao Wang

Kent Woo

Kim Tu Trinh Hoang

Le Thi Tuyet Lan

Marysia Recto

Maureen Petersen

Michihiro Hide

Mimi Tang

Mizuho Nagao

Mongkhon Sompornrattanaphan

Mubeccel Akdis

Orapan Poachanukoon

Philip Li

Pongsakorn Tantilipikorn

Quan Vu Tran Thien

Stevent Sumantri

Tho Van Nguyen

Ting Fan Leung