Viktorija at the EAACI Congress

Undergraduate success at European Immunology Congress

A University of Exeter Medical School undergraduate’s poster has been celebrated at the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) Congress in Lisbon.

Viktorija Kaminskaite, Third Year BMBS Medicine student, presented her poster titled Probiotic supplementation for the acquisition of tolerance to cows’ milk protein allergy, at the EAACI Congress. She was awarded the prize for best poster for her research category.

Viktorija and the team assessed whether probiotic use in premature babies had an effect on the rate as well as the acquisition of tolerance to cows’ milk protein allergy.

Of the 7,000 researchers and medical professionals in attendance, Viktorija was one of the few undergraduate students presenting, making her achievement even more impressive.

Viktorija said: “Presenting at the conference was an amazing experience. When speaking to others at the conference, they were very surprised and excited to find out that I am a medical student – a third year at an international congress! And I realised that I also had not met any other medical students there. This made the presentation quite daunting, but incredibly rewarding!”

Separate to her studies, Viktorija works with Dr Sian Ludman, from the Royal Devon and Exeter (RD&E) NHS Foundation Trust, conducting further research into probiotic supplementation. She is passionate about pursuing an academic career, and works on weekends in the RD&E.

The annual EAACI Congress invites academics, researchers and medical professionals to learn about the latest discoveries in the field of Clinical Immunology. The Congress features talks and presentations from leaders in the field, with opportunities for networking.

Date: 10 June 2019