I became interested in the field of allergy/immunology (A/I) as a medical student at Northwestern. After residency, I decided to pursue a career in A/I. During my training, I worked with leaders in food allergy and childhood asthma so I was attracted to these exciting areas in which mechanistic discoveries and advances in clinical therapeutics were being made. I have had a fulfilling career as a faculty member at NUFSM and attending physician at Lurie Children's for my entire career and as Division Head of A/I since 2004.

Food Allergy: My interests include pathogenesis of allergen sensitization and food allergy, as well as conducting clinical trials of immunomodulatory interventions for food allergy. Asthma: My interests lie in understanding the factors which contribute to health disparities, particularly in inner-city children with asthma and its greater morbidity/mortality as compared to non-inner city populations. I am especially interested in the relationships between allergen sensitization, exposure and morbidity for cockroach, rodents and fungi. I have also been engaged in clinical trials to improve therapy and address gaps in childhood asthma.

Food allergy, especially IgE-mediated food allergy including food-induced anaphylaxis. Childhood asthma, especially severe persistent asthma and labile asthma with frequent exacerbations