Children with atopic (allergic) diseases often worsen at night and suffer from sleep disturbances. The extent to which children with allergies have problems sleeping is not well known. Our research team is uncovering the reason eczema worsens at night. Ultimately we plan to develop new approaches in treating allergic disease, while focusing on outcomes important to our patients and their families. We welcome collaborators and families who are interested in participating in our research studies.

I am a pediatric physician scientist passionate about circadian immunology and its role in atopic inflammation. In my clinical practice, I saw a large need to improve the treatment of children who suffer from sleep disturbance related to atopic dermatitis (AD or eczema). In fact, we defined a new term to describe the phenomenon of nighttime atopic dermatitis exacerbation, nocturnal eczema. Given the importance of this topic clinically and mechanistically, my research focuses on 1) determining the circadian rhythms of inflammation and skin barrier in nocturnal eczema, 2) targeting the underlying mechanisms driving nocturnal disease flare in atopic dermatitis and 3) improving the assessment and treatment of sleep disturbance in atopic dermatitis. We have created an expert team in sleep, circadian rhythms, dermatology, and allergy & immunology at Northwestern University, including community members and national partners. Working with this team has been invigorating, and it is clear that we are uniquely capable of developing circadian-based therapeutics to personalize treatment for children with nocturnal eczema.

atopic dermatitis, sleep disturbance in atopy, hereditary angioedema, urticaria, food allergy, allergic rhinitis, asthma