ASHI is the community. A group of people all moving toward one goal and that's taking care of our patients as well as we can. - Peter Lalli, PhD, D(ABHI)
| ASHI History |
Ashi HistoryThe study of human histocompatibility has grown from a few modest research efforts studying human genetics in the 1950s to a broadly based science merging immunology and genetics, including transplantation of organs and tissues, susceptibility to disease, regulation of immune responsiveness, and molecular characterization of the unique supergene HLA. 1972
The beginnings of ASHI came in 1972, in the early days of HLA typing for kidney transplantation, when Don Cross, Glenn Rodey, and Ken Sell organized clinically oriented HLA laboratories for informal collaborative serum procurement and exchange programs. At the 1972 NIH Tray Users meeting, the first HLA organization CRAB (Cooperative Regions Against Bureaucracy) was established. Its purpose was the exchange of sera and scientific knowledge.Although CRAB was limited to the eastern seaboard, it sparked interest in the organization of a national society.
“I feel quite strongly that the time has come for a national organization ... I would hope that CRAB could assume leadership in establishing a national organization devoted to the scientific, technical, and administrative aspects of histocompatibility
testing.”
— Dr. Bill Miller 1974
A steering committee's efforts led to the formal incorporation on May 15, 1974, of the American Association of Clinical Histocompatibility Testing. The first meeting was held in Birmingham, Alabama on April 29, 1975. Within four years, the organization included over 600 members. In 1984, the name was officially changed to the American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI). Ashi TodayToday, ASHI continues its pivotal role in the exchange of scientific knowledge. With over 1,000 members from more than 33 countries, we maintain critical liaisons with major medical organizations worldwide, including the United Network for Organ Sharing. |
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