Allergy and Immunology
The Division of Allergy and Immunology is actively engaged in patient care, research, education and advocacy. The division has a strong focus on research and scholarly activity with a diverse portfolio of interests and collaborations. Faculty are active in various professional societies, having participated or presented at national meetings of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Meeting, American Thoracic Society, Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies and National Eczema Association. The fellowship training program offers a pediatric-intensive track with cross training in adult allergy and immunology. The division has a robust advocacy program that provides education and support to patients, families and the community.
Our vision is to provide exceptional care to children with allergic and immunologic diseases by being a leader in the development and implementation of new diagnostic and management approaches through research and education."
— Rajesh Kumar, MD
Interim Division Chief, Allergy and Immunology
What We Do
Patient Care
The Division of Allergy and Immunology strives to provide outstanding family-centered care through a team approach that includes physicians, pediatric nurse practitioners, pediatric nurses and a dietician. Areas of specialty include food allergy, asthma, atopic dermatitis, eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases and primary immune deficiency. The division collaborates in multidisciplinary clinics for eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases, stem cell transplantation for primary immune deficiency and DiGeorge Syndrome. The division is an inaugural member of the Food Allergy Research and Education Clinical Network.
Research
The division is a nationally recognized center for clinical, epidemiologic, genetic and translational research for asthma, food allergy, atopic dermatitis and primary immunodeficiency with the goals to better understand their pathogenesis, the contributory factors that lead to health disparities and the identification and evaluation of novel treatments for these disorders. View our publications feed.
Education
The division offers a two-to-three-year pediatric track fellowship in Allergy & Immunology accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. In addition to inpatient and outpatient rotations at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, fellows rotate to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for four months of consultative inpatient and ambulatory cross-training focused on adult patients. We accept one new fellow annually to the pediatric track of the fellowship program.
Advocacy
Community outreach and advocacy activities are important division activities. The Food Allergy Support and Education (FASE) Program is a physician-led program created to help patients and families gain a more complete knowledge and understanding of food allergy. FASE focuses on patients and families affected by IgE-mediated food allergy, food protein induced enterocolitis syndrome and eosinophilic esophagitis. FASE also provides community outreach and education to raise awareness about the seriousness of food allergy.
