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Four students were co-sponsored to attend this course. 

Deepika Kanojia, PhD, Genes and Proteins Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, India.
Deepika received joint sponsorship from the IUIS Education Committee and the IUIS Gender Equality and Career Development Committee. She really enjoyed the course and provided an amazing summary (please refer to   the GECD website for a copy of this report).

Marta Toscano, PhD Institute of Biology and Experimental Medicine – CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
“I attended to the 2011 FOCIS Advanced Course of Basic and Clinical Immunology as a recipient of the sponsorship for young immunologists from the developing world from the IUIS Education Committee and FOCIS.
Taking part of this course has been a very rewarding experience. The first part of the course covered essential topics in basic immunology such as antigen presentation, leukocyte migration, T and B cell activation and differentiation, and mechanisms of tolerance and immune regulation. The second part of the course covered the major topics in clinical immunology such as allergic diseases, transplantation and autoimmunity. To remark, the lectures were not only up to date as expected but also very didactic and captivating.
I am glad to say that attending this course helped me to increase my understanding of basic immunological mechanisms as well as to integrate their role in immune mediated diseases. In addition, the course was held in a very friendly and relaxing environment, which allowed me to interact and discuss with renowned faculties and to share experiences with young immunologists around the world.”

Erick M. O. Muok, Research Officer/ EDCTP PhD student, Schistosomiasis Research Unit, Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kisumu, Kenya.
Erick was co-sponsored by IUIS Clinical Immunology Committee and FOCIS.
“I would like to express my gratitude for offering me the opportunity to attend the FOCIS Advanced Course in Basic & Clinical Immunology.  The course offered me an excellent ground to meet researchers and clinicians from around the world, a rare event that made me have a new look into my scientific development path.   The shared latest findings, breakthroughs and therapies related to human disease gave me a challenge and at the same time an encouragement to redefine my immunological career and a new focus onto my work in the immunology of infectious diseases. I did actually achieve in the training the concept of interrelationships by meeting several groups that work in different areas and more importantly the group that works on vaccine development, which is my future carrier path.  Apart from my networks created with several individuals within the course and faculty, I also gained knowledge that I believe will contribute to development of new therapies for tropical diseases.” 

Desta Kassa Misgina, PhD student, Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute (EHNRI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Desta was co-sponsored by the IUIS Education Committee and FOCIS.          
“I am a researcher and PhD student focused in infectious diseases mainly in TB/HIV on one hand, and as an employee of the research institute in a country highly challenged with infectious diseases and where resources and knowledge are limited. I believe that updating knowledge and skills are highly relevant to combat and control the infection and non-infection related morbidity and mortaliy. In this respect, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to FOCIS and IUIS for allowing me to participate in this highly relevant training and for sponsoring my travel expenses. My special thanks also to the outstanding lecturers and course organizers over all.
It is such a rare chance for me to attend lectures from such outstanding scientists from the leading Universities. The training was all about understanding basic immunology and its translation to therapies. For me it was just like what I feel after doing my gymnastic (fresh, energetic and bright). I feel more comfortable and confident in my scope of understanding of basic immunology and of my data related to my PhD study.
I could not imagine that the course would be so extensive. I would suggest however, if it is possible to include in the course a lecture about the basic host immune response to some of the important infections like HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and TB. Thank you very much.”