The Massachusetts Allergy & Asthma Society grew out of a need for practicing allergists to have a forum for discussion of issues specific to office practice. Bernie Berman (Brookline), Al Sheffer (Weston), Jack Farnham (Chelmsford), Paul Hannaway (Salem) and Irv Biaillit (Needham) were active in the Sneeze Wheeze and Itch Society (a monthly journal club fror practicing allergists in Massachusetts), and were some of the founding members of the Massachusetts Allergy Society (MAS). MAS updated its name to Massachusetts Allergy and Asthma society in the 1980s coinciding with national organizations updating their names to include Asthma as well. Monthly meetings of MAAS started as informal discussions and grew to include speakers on topics such as risk management, managed care, and the insurance industry. While MAAS no longer meets monthly, it has continued to be a place for local allergists to share knowledge and advocate for the practice of allergy in Massachusetts.