Meet the Team

Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH, is a professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Gupta is an attending clinician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and is the founding director of the Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research.

Ruchi has 19 years of experience as a board-certified pediatrician and health researcher. She completed her undergraduate and medical education at the University of Louisville and her medical residency at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, University of Washington in Seattle. She completed her pediatric health services research fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School and received her Master of Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Ruchi is world-renowned for her groundbreaking research in food allergy and asthma epidemiology, most notably for her research on the prevalence of pediatric and adult food allergy in the United States. She has contributed to impactful academic research in food allergy prevention, socioeconomic disparities in care and the daily management of these conditions. To reduce the burden of these conditions and improve health equity, she and her team develop, evaluate and disseminate interventions for families and work to inform local, national and international health policy.

Ruchi is the author of "The Food Allergy Experience" and "Food Without Fear," has written and co-authored over 180 peer-reviewed research manuscripts and has had her work featured on television and print media. She shares her research with a global audience of experts and families. And as a physician, food allergy researcher and food allergy mom, her driving passion is to improve the lives of children and their families through discovery, clinical care, outreach and education.

Fun Fact: Ruchi coaches basketball in her free time.

Hometown: Louisville, KY

Madeleine helps oversee CFAAR’s portfolio of more than 20 epidemiological, clinical and community-engaged research studies. Her particular expertise on the team includes research project management, grant administration, food allergen labeling policy, school-based asthma and food allergy interventions and educational programming. 

Madeleine completed her Master’s in Public Health at Northwestern University with a concentration in community health research. She is passionate about creating accessible resources and informing equitable policies to improve the health and well-being of individuals with atopic conditions through every stage of their lives.  

Fun Fact: She loves to dance in her free time.

Hometown: Glenview, IL

David has worked in the non-profit world for more than 20 years. He started at the Make-A-Wish Foundation and has spent much of his career working for HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ organizations. David was introduced to the world of research while working at the Howard Brown Health Center and has since worked as the finance operations manager for the Smith Child Health Outcomes, Research and Evaluation Center (SCHORE) at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. 

Fun Fact: A few years ago, David went back to school at DePaul University to focus on non-profit management and art therapy. His goal is to someday open up his own non-profit that houses art therapy programs for children with autism and their families.

Lucy has successfully coordinated a number of CFAAR's research projects as co-investigator, including:

• The Medicaid project
• The Peanut Allergy Guidelines Assessment Clinician, Pediatrician, and Parent Surveys project
• Understanding Preferred Precautionary Allergen Labeling Language Among Food Allergy Stakeholders project

Fun Fact: Lucy's home away from home is Croatia.

Hometown: Wauwatosa, WI

Kristin is a primary care pediatrician and health services and health policy researcher. She completed her pediatric residency at Seattle Children's Hospital and University of Washington and the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Fellowship at University of Michigan. As a physician-investigator at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern University, Kristin aims to inform the design of health policies and programs that optimize health care access and quality of care for children with chronic diseases, in particular asthma. Her current research is on the population health management of pediatric asthma by leveraging digital technology in outpatient care.

Sai is a board certified allergist with nearly 30 years of clinical experience. For the past twenty years, he has been a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Sai practices allergy and immunology with Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and serves as a member of the executive committee of the Illinois Society for Allergy, Asthma and Immunology as well as a committee member in the section on food allergy for the American Academy and American College of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology. During his career, he has seen over 15,000 food allergy patients and has designed and implemented several food allergy studies.

Jessica, a native Michigander, studied music performance and biology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI during her undergraduate education, attended Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine for medical school, and completed her pediatric residency at Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit. She then continued her training at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX where she completed her allergy and immunology fellowship. Jessica joined the faculty at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine as an assistant professor and is an academic pediatric allergist and immunologist at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Her primary clinical and research interests are in food allergy prevention and treatment and decreasing pediatric health disparities.

Fun Fact: Jessica studied oboe performance in undergrad and performed in orchestras throughout medical school and residency. She plans to continue her oboe playing in Chicago. 

Hometown: West Bloomfield, MI

Waheeda is a faculty researcher at CFAAR. She completed her pediatric residency and hospital medicine fellowship at University of California San Diego before joining Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in 2013. As a junior faculty member at Feinberg, she completed a master's in clinical investigation and began work in the areas of inpatient asthma and infant anaphylaxis. Waheeda has published on the low-severity of infant anaphylaxis, early peanut feeding introduction guidelines and the importance of early diagnosis of eczema in relation to food allergy prevention. She hopes to study these further with support from an NIH Career Development Award. At CFAAR, she is involved in evaluating food allergy prevention approaches, the prevalence of eczema and other associations in children with food allergy and developing supportive tools to help families and medical providers prevent and manage food allergies.

Fun Fact: During medical school, Waheeda learned American Sign Language and participated as a summer student at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC.

Hometown: San Diego, CA

Chris has worked with CFAAR for over 10 years, filling a variety of roles on the team including research project coordinator, biostatistician, consultant and music video producer. He is an Assistant Professor of Preventive Medicine and serves as CFAAR’s Director of Population Health Research. His research focuses on better understanding and ameliorating the public health burden of food allergy and other atopic diseases, both in the U.S. and abroad.

Fun Fact: Chris worked for two years at a non-profit school for Mayan youth in the Western Highlands of Guatemala (El Colegio Miguel Angel Asturias).

Hometown: Belvidere, IL

Hope joined the CFAAR team as a program assistant in November 2022. Prior to joining CFAAR, she worked in development roles mainly within the nonprofit sector and has experience as a project coordinator for large-scale fundraising initiatives. In addition to development work, she also has experience providing administrative and executive support and assisting with database management. Hope attended Northern Illinois University with a major in nonprofit and NGO studies, where she studied a diverse range of topics encompassing philanthropy, nonprofit management and community engagement.

Fun Fact: Hope solo traveled through Europe and parts of the Middle East for three months. She also has a pet rabbit named Gizmo, named after Gizmo from the movie "Gremlins."

Hometown: Oak Lawn, IL

Joanna works on the iREACH project study, looking to improve physician adherence to the Pediatric Pharmacy Association guidelines regarding the early introduction of peanuts to infants. Previously, Joanna was a rental and office manager and worked in finance and administration. She loves to travel as much as time will allow, and lived in the U.K. before moving to the U.S. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, watching movies and spending time with her family.  

Fun Fact: Joanna enjoyed dancing in a folk group when she was a teenager.

Hometown: Roselle, IL

Hannah received a BS in animal science with a minor in environmental studies from Iowa State University and has since been an administrative professional in fields such as investment banking and veterinary health. Hannah has also served in AmeriCorps. She is excited to assist the team and learn more about food allergy and asthma research.

Fun Fact: In her free time, Hannah enjoys yoga, running, making ice cream, and spending time with her beloved cocker spaniel.

Hometown: Lake Zurich, IL

Samantha graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a BS in psychology, community health and a Master of Public Health. She was drawn to CFAAR due to her own life-threatening food allergy and her passion for food allergy education, advocacy, and research. Samantha's other public health interests involve food insecurity, mental health, children’s health and environmental health.

Fun Fact: Samantha loves gymnastics and used to be a competitive gymnast, her favorite movie is "The Wizard of Oz" and she loves doing puzzles.

Hometown: Deerfield, IL

Carly graduated from Hope College with a BA in Communication and English with a Creative Writing Emphasis. She assists with daily office administration and communications at CFAAR. 

Fun Fact: Carly loves reading, doing crossword puzzles and spending time along Chicago's lakeshore.

Hometown: Geneva, IL

Annie previously led operations and marketing efforts for a non-profit and helped organize their annual conference. She holds a BS in integrated marketing communications from the University of Mississippi. Annie lives in Chicago and enjoys running on the lakefront, reading, and spending time with her friends and family.

Fun Fact: Annie loves to dance and takes ballet and bachata classes.

Sharon focuses on the work of the communications team to bridge the gap between research and decision makers, patients, the community and food allergy and asthma advocates. She is the founder of nutfreewok.com, the author of Chinese Instant Pot Cookbook and is an active food allergy and asthma advocate, which includes impacting policy, legislation and the food industry. She is passionate about advocacy, food allergy research and cooking. Sharon earned her BA in molecular biology at UC Berkeley and her Master of Education and teaching credential at UCLA.

Fun Fact: Sharon’s first TV interview was about "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."

Hometown: San Francisco, CA

Jia is the research project manager for the iREACH study. She also supports the FORWARD study, FACE India studies, the Food Allergy Prevalence study, and more. Her research interests include early food allergy prevention, the role of microbiome in food allergy development, and food allergy in a global context. Jia received a BA in sociology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she also underwent the pre-medicine track and minored in Spanish.

Fun Fact: Jia can speak 5 languages.

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Pamela recruits patients for research studies at CFAAR. Her role as the primary recruiter for The Natural History of Food Allergy study was the springboard to her role as the project manager for the multi-site FORWARD Study. She also recruited and educated patients for the iTRACC Study. Additionally, she coordinates CFAAR's food allergy conference, Food Allergy Conference for Education and Science and the Conference for Asthma Research and Education. Pamela received a BA in communications from University of Wisconsin. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, reading, watching movies and spending time with her family.

Fun Fact: Pamela was once featured on "The Today Show".

Hometown: Nashville, TN

Emily is a certified registered nurse and clinical nurse leader. Her journey with CFAAR began in June 2020 as a Community Advisory Board member. Emily graduated from Michigan State University with a BS in sports science and received her master’s degree in nursing at Rush University in Chicago. She hopes to disseminate CFAAR's research into communities and provide equitable and empathetic care to their patients and caregivers. 

Fun Fact: Emily loves dogs and has a yellow lab named Susie.

Hometown: Sacramento, CA

Paulina attained her bachelor's degree in integrative biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, followed by the completion of her master's degree in biomedical sciences at Saint Xavier University. She has a background in clinical research stem cell projects and a keen interest in managing teams. Motivated by a commitment to improve the healthcare of underserved and underrepresented communities, Paulina is enthusiastic about contributing her expertise to CFAAR.

Fun Fact: Outside of her professional pursuits, Paulina indulges her passion for dance during her leisure time. Notably, she has showcased her talents in competitions in Puerto Rico and Florida, as well as having performed at esteemed venues including Disneyworld and Universal Studios.

Shruti focuses on the FAREDATA study with the long-term goal of building a comprehensive food allergy data commons. She is also assisting the team with writing research publications. Previously, Shruti worked at the Central Research Institute as a senior research fellow for the Ministry of Ayush’s Homoeopathy for Healthy Child program. She also worked toward early diagnosis and management of common diseases of children and adolescents. As a business project manager for a chain of clinics, she executed clinical training workshops on a complementary system of medicine, with a focus on chronic diseases and lifestyle disorders for improving patient outcomes. Shruti completed her education in homoeopathic medicine from the University of Delhi, India. With an analytical mind and passion to add value to the healthcare delivery system through technology, she graduated from the University of Chicago with a Master of Science in biomedical informatics. She strives to apply informatics principles to healthcare research for promoting patient-centered care.

Fun Fact: Shruti is a Kathak dance scholarship holder and has performed at numerous stage presentations and classical dance festivals in solo capacity.

Hometown: Delhi, India

Neeha brings over 10 years of project management and institutional review board support experience to her role. Prior to joining CFAAR, she managed research projects that focused on health literacy, health communication and medication safety at the Center for Communications and Health at Northwestern. Neeha graduated from Knox College with a BA in environmental studies and received her MPH degree from DePaul University.  

Fun Fact: Neeha attended an international boarding school in India for high school where she made friends from all over the world.

Hometown: Kathmandu, Nepal

Perry is CFAAR's inaugural dissertation fellow for the 2023-2024 year and supports the FORWARD study. Perry began working with the FORWARD team in 2017 as a clinical research coordinator at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. He is now in his fifth year of the Clinical Psychology PhD program at Marquette University. Perry researches the psychosocial aspects of managing pediatric chronic illness and identifying factors that influence shared decision-making processes and outcomes. Perry previously collaborated with the FORWARD team to explore how caregiver attitudes affect health management behaviors and outcomes. For his dissertation, he will further characterize the shared decision-making process for caregivers of children and adolescents with food allergy.

Fun Fact: If he were a fruit, Perry would be a mango.

Hometown: Toledo, OH

Melissa is a Psychology Postdoctoral Fellow with a concentration in Allergy and Asthma in the Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. She earned her PhD and MA in Clinical Psychology from Emory University, as well as an MA in Developmental Psychology from the University of Minnesota, and completed her predoctoral psychology internship at Texas Children’s Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine. Clinically, Melissa works with a variety of pediatric populations, with a focus on children and adolescents with chronic medical conditions. Her research at CFAAR focuses on identifying and addressing the unique psychosocial challenges faced by youth with food allergies. Melissa has published in several academic journals and enjoys presenting her work at both allergy and psychology conferences. In her spare time, she serves as FARE’s Lead Programming Developer of Teen Outreach. In this role, she developed and leads monthly Teen Talks and Child Chats, virtual peer support programs for youth with food allergies, and leads teen programming at the annual FARE Summit.

Fun Fact: Melissa loves health and fitness and is great at discovering the best conference hotel gyms. She is obsessed with Peloton, enjoys playing tennis, and is a certified yoga teacher.

Hometown: Buffalo Grove, IL

John has a PhD in environmental health from Indiana University-Bloomington, focusing on investigative toxicology. His interest in food allergy started during his undergraduate studies, working as a research assistant in an immunology laboratory studying food allergy sensitization. John went on to obtain an MS in nutrition science before pursuing his doctorate. John is excited to evaluate the impact of environmental contaminants on food allergy, asthma and other atopic diseases.

Fun Fact: John spends much of his free time coaching his sons’ soccer and basketball teams. 

Hometown: Cary, IL

Jiafeng (Jay) Zhu is currently a 3rd-year PhD student in Biostatistics at Northwestern University. He worked as a full-time Research Associate at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health for more than three years. His research interests include longitudinal data analysis, survival data analysis, machine learning, food allergy, aging, and heart disease. Jay looks forward to working with his colleagues on the CFAAR team!

Fun Fact: Jay has a Corgi called Buding!

Hometown: Zhejiang, China

Khalid holds a master's degree in epidemiology from Michigan State University, where he spent the past ten years supporting in-field and remote research on bacteremic infections in Nigeria and cerebral malaria in Malawi. His graduate fieldwork explored how physicians diagnose Autism Spectrum Disorder in Karachi, Pakistan, which became the first published study on this topic in Pakistan in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. While his work centers on quantitative analysis, in 2018, he helped launch a project that utilized photography and audio interviews to better understand issues regarding home healthcare aids in Michigan; this project is now part of the Library of Congress. 

Fun Fact: Khalid loves bicycling, and in the winter, you might see him in a head-to-toe waterproof outfit biking around Chicago.

Hometown: Rochester Hills, MI, and Islamabad, Pakistan 

Emily joined the CFAAR team as a Research Data Analyst Associate in May 2024. She graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. Previously, she has contributed to the field of Alzheimer’s research and breast cancer research. Emily is interested in furthering her knowledge of data science and analysis, in order to better contribute to the world of research. Outside of work, you can often find Emily baking desserts, going for walks along the lake shore, and exploring all that Chicago has to offer.

Fun Fact: Emily recreated the Flappy Bird game on PC as her first game project. She is currently working on a card game app with her childhood friend.

Hometown: Melbourne, FL

Caglar received a bachelor's degree in economics from Istanbul University and earned a master's degree in economics from the University of Missouri. Currently, Caglar is finishing up his PhD in economics at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. His research is on developing and applying econometric and statistical methods to study the causal relationships between public policies and labor market outcomes.

Fun Fact: In his free time, Caglar enjoys making watercolor paintings

Hometown: Istanbul, Turkey

Valerie holds a BS in psychology from Bradley University and a certificate in UX/UI design from Northwestern University. Valerie is passionate about creating functional designs that put people first. She loves traveling, art and music festivals, but she especially loves French Bulldogs. 

Fun Fact: Valerie rescued a French Bulldog from Puerto Rico in August 2022. She is now a proud dog mom of two adorable French Bulldogs named Mason and Mailo. Valerie and her fiancé recently moved from the city to a new home in the Northwest suburbs and are enjoying having a yard for their dogs.

Hometown: Chicago, IL and Cidra, Puerto Rico

Mark's background is in computer programming and software engineering. He received his bachelor's degree from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, and a master's degree in software engineering from Depaul University in 2018. Previously, Mark worked in the financial industry in database management and in interpreting information flow for high-frequency trading. He is eager to take those skills and translate them into working with electronic health records and patient data. Mark started with Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in 2020 working primarily on the Food Allergy Data Commons project and is working to design the Data Commons Database as well as working to translate the Food Allergy Data Dictionary into the OMOP Common Data Model. In addition, he is also helping design a database for the FORWARD study. 

Fun Fact: Mark is an avid practitioner of Historical European Martial Arts and a member of the Chicago Swordplay Guild.

Hometown: Chicago, IL 

Alondra graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign where she studied psychology with a concentration in cognitive neuroscience and molecular cellular biology. Her interest in allergy research stemmed from her own experiences with allergies and learning about the underlying biological process during an allergic reaction. Alondra's research and experience volunteering in hospitals fostered an interest in learning about health disparities that impact the quality of healthcare. She plans to pursue a career in healthcare as a nurse practitioner and hopes to have a positive impact by providing culturally-competent care for her future patients.

Fun Fact: Alondra has two turtles named Michelangelo and Donatello.

Jessika graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a BS in biology, where she helped initiate a Planned Parenthood organization on campus. She derived a passion for health sciences after her own experience in a long-term hospital stay. During that time, she grew to appreciate the many components required to aid someone back to health. Jessika has spent time interning at Claude Mendel Medical Center learning the basic components of research studies, with a focus on gastroenterology. She is excited to join this team where she will continue to learn about research and healthcare pertaining to asthma and food allergy.

Fun Fact: Jessika loves the card game UNO. She has collected 12 variations of the game and counting. 

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Bonita is a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) who is passionate about working with children and families to help them obtain optimal nutrition in an environment that supports nurturing relationships. The importance of healthy nutrition is something that she learned firsthand growing up on a farm where whole foods were readily available and family meals were part of the daily routine. This foundation led her to work with children and families, helping children experience whole foods in creative ways, incorporating the importance of a nurturing environment. Bonita received her BS in home economics education and worked for the Vermont Cooperative Extension Service before receiving her master's in adult and occupational education and obtaining her certification as an RDN. She has worked in pediatric nutrition through programs such as early intervention, preschool special education and Head Start, as well as working with children and families in private practice. Recently, she earned a certificate in pediatric food allergy nutrition sponsored by Food Allergy Research and Education.  

Fun Fact: Bonita enjoys going on pilgrimages. So far, these have been in the U.S., with future plans of overseas trips. 

Hometown:Little Falls, MN; lived in New England for several years; currently resides in Ithaca, NY

Ariane is a registered & licensed dietitian, nutrition coach, editor and online course creator with the following credentials:

• MS with a concentration in clinical nutrition from New York University
• BS in nutrition science from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City
• Certificate in weight management from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
• Diploma in sports nutrition

Fun Fact: Ariane recently discovered her love for gardening. She now has tomatoes, several herbs, guava, lemon and coconuts growing very happily in her backyard.

Gail spent several years as a field interviewer on federal research studies that measured the impact of social service programs. She has traveled to communities across the country observing and collecting data in schools and private homes, engaging with people who are seeking solutions to their challenges. In her free time, she enjoys frisbee and cycling.

Fun Fact: Gail loves baking and is learning to decorate cookies. 

Hometown: Streamwood, IL

Kimberly graduated from Texas Tech University with a B.S. in Microbiology. During her undergraduate studies, she worked with plant-parasitic nematodes, focusing on the role of nematode-associated microbes in pest management. After graduation, Kimberly continued her research with nematodes at the Arey Lab, examining the behavioral and molecular effects of PFAS on cognitive aging. In 2022, Kimberly traded her cowboy boots for snow boots and moved to the Windy City, where she worked in the Transplant Lab at Northwestern, processing clinical samples. With a passion for research and public health, Kimberly is excited to join CFAAR.

Fun Fact: Kimberly was part of the bowling team in high school and college. 

Hometown: Houston, TX

Ayla joined the CFAAR team as a Study Coach in August 2024. Prior to joining CFAAR, Ayla worked with the CARDIA study and Maternal Fetal Medicine research at Northwestern. Living with food allergies has deepened her passion for patient education and early food allergy prevention. Ayla studied Biology and Liberal Arts at Saint Xavier University. Her research interests include decreasing health disparities and improving healthcare access in underserved communities. She is excited to make meaningful contributions to food allergy research by joining the CFAAR team. 

Fun Fact: Ayla once climbed a waterfall, and her most thrilling adventure was at Pai Canyon in Thailand!

Kassidy attended the University of Kentucky and graduated with a BA in health, society and populations. Due to her own environmental and severe food allergies, she has always had an interest in food allergy safety and early allergy prevention.

Fun Fact: Kassidy used to play the flute and the French horn.

Hometown: Tinley Park, IL

Corwin supports Waheeda Samady, MD, in her research and the iREACH study. Corwin graduated from Northern Illinois University, majoring in rehabilitation and disability services. Since graduating, he has worked in applied behavioral analysis therapy, working with young children who were diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In the last year, he worked as a training specialist, teaching new employees how to implement behavioral corrective strategies. He is looking forward to learning more about food allergy, and asthma and healthcare in general. 

Fun Fact: Corwin spends much of his time outside with his son and his dog Romo. 

Shiva attained his bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University, where he majored in Molecular and Cellular Biology and minored in Psychology. His passion for research began during his undergraduate work on projects focusing on improving the efficiency of radiation therapy in lung cancer cells. He has since cultivated a genuine commitment to patient-centered care, addressing healthcare disparities and serving vulnerable populations through volunteering at a free health clinic in Pennsylvania and working with patients with dementia. Coupled with his living experience dealing with tree nut allergies and asthma since childhood, Shiva is thrilled to be a part of the CFAAR team where he can contribute to advancements in food allergy research and further learn about preventive medicine.

Fun Fact: Shiva has been singing since the age of 5 and has sung at events ranging from community festivals, to competitions as a member of an a cappella team! 

Hometown: Harrisburg, PA

Fritzie joined CFAAR as an adviser to the Community Advisory Board and currently serves as CFAAR's Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) liaison. Prior to joining CFAAR, Fritzie was an active duty Air Force spouse for over 20 years, which allowed her to gain community building experiences and unique perspectives of the strategic vision that ensures unit and family readiness, resiliency and cohesion. Inspired by her children with multiple food allergies, she has worked in bringing food allergy awareness in the military community and building a network of support for families in various volunteer capacities. Fritzie is a doctor of pharmacy with a background in analytical chemistry. She completed her undergraduate education at Concordia University Irvine with a degree in biological sciences and a minor in chemistry. She also completed a master’s degree in chemistry at Johns Hopkins University, a graduate certificate in biohazardous threat agents and emerging infectious diseases at Georgetown University and later proceeded in professional and graduate studies in pharmacy at Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University.

Fun Fact: Fritzie used to sing as a cantor for church. While she continues to share her island culture through hula, the passion for music is rekindled by her children who love to sing and play ukulele and piano.

Hometown: Mangila, Guam

Sarah currently serves as the program coordinator of early childhood food allergy education initiatives, creating videos, tip sheets and online trainings. She is passionate about developmentally-appropriate practice in early childhood. Valaika has over 25 years of experience working with young children, their families and providers in early childhood programming, as well as teaching in higher education and professional development settings. Sarah earned a MS in child development from the Erikson Institute in Chicago and has over 15 years of daily experience preventing and managing life threatening food allergies for one of her four children.   

I learn. I do. I teach. I care.  

Fun Fact: Sarah co-founded the annual “Try it Our Way Triathlon," which involves sprint triathlon distances, no time recordings, coffee and scones, and ends with a pedicure!  

Michael studied Molecular Biology at Tulane University and recently graduated with an MSc in Nutrition and Food Science from the University of Reading as a US-UK Fulbright Scholar. Passionate about the intersection of food and medicine, Michael is the founder of the Culinary Medicine Initiative, a cooking and STEM education program for New Orleans youth, and he recently received certification as a Registered Associate Nutritionist by the Association for Nutrition. A past CFAAR Summer Scholar, Michael is excited to return to CFAAR before attending medical school this Fall.

Fun Fact: Michael lived in England for the past 15 months! He also loves cooking and basketball and competed on Reading's varsity basketball team.

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Natalie studied biology at James Madison University and earned her master’s in nursing from DePaul University. Natalie worked in the NICU at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago for six years before joining Sai Nimmagadda, MD, in the allergy world in 2020. Natalie also works part-time for Bumblebaby, a company that supports new parents through feeding, sleeping, safety and mental health consulting. She lives in Libertyville with her husband and three boys. They love to travel and spend as much time outdoors as possible. 

Hometown: Greenville, DE 

Alexa attended the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, where she successfully obtained her BS in nursing. Currently, she is actively pursuing her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, with aspirations of becoming a skilled family nurse practitioner. Professionally, Alexa has cared for pediatric patients across a wide range of specialized units. She presently serves as a registered nurse within the Resource Team at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, where she cares for inpatient pediatric patients. Alexa frequently witnesses the profound effects that food allergies and asthma exert on pediatric patients and their families. This experience drives her commitment to reducing health disparities and enhancing health literacy, particularly in the context of conditions related to allergies and asthma.

Fun Fact: Alexa enjoys going to concerts in her free time and recently saw Taylor Swift.

Hometown: Long Grove, IL

Angela is a certified physician assistant with 10 years of clinical practice experience in allergy, immunology and family medicine. As a provider, she is passionate about patient education, especially as it pertains to successfully managing food allergy and asthma. Prior to becoming a physician assistant, Angela obtained her Master of Public Health and was involved in food allergy and asthma research at the former Children's Memorial Hospital and University of Iowa.

Fun Fact: SCUBA diving is an old hobby that Angela hopes to resume with future travel.

Hometown: Odebolt, IA

Maggie is a Registered Nurse who graduated from the University of Iowa with her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Physiology. She went on to receive her masters in nursing from DePaul University and has been working in pediatrics ever since. Outside of professional life, Maggie lives in the Western Suburbs with her husband and two young girls, one of which drives her passion for allergy and immunology because of their own  asthma diagnosis. She enjoys exploring all that Chicago has to offer with her family.

Fun Fact: Maggie is an internationally board-certified lactation consultant and loves helping families achieve their feeding goals. 

Hometown: Cedar Rapids, IA

Eileen is a registered dietitian who has been involved in nutrition research for over two decades. She launched her career in research by working as a NASA research assistant in Clear Lake, TX, while also completing her joint dietetic internship and master’s degree in clinical nutrition at Texas Women’s University in Houston. At Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Eileen has served as a research interventionist, coordinating randomized clinical trials spanning from early life through older adulthood. She is passionate about early intervention approaches to reducing pediatric obesity, food allergy and other common nutrition issues influencing children in the U.S. Eileen recently earned a certificate in pediatric food allergy nutrition sponsored by Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE).

Fun Fact: Eileen is an avid road cyclist who has had the pleasure of pedaling through 20 states in the U.S. including her favorites: Colorado, Wyoming, Wisconsin, New York and New Hampshire.

Hometown: LaGrange, IL

Riya joined the CFAAR team after taking part in the 2024 Summer Scholars Program and is excited to be working on the FORWARD study. Riya graduated from Washington University, majoring in biology and minoring in anthropology global health. As an undergraduate, she volunteered with patients and families at the St. Louis Children's Hospital and helped rebuild WashU's Food Recovery Network, which recovers safe and nutritious food items from campus dining halls and delivers to St. Louis community organizations. Riya has grown passionate about addressing inequities in health to improve outcomes for patients and hopes to attend medical school in the future.

Fun Fact: Riya has a pet turtle!

Hometown: Burr Ridge, IL

Madeleine is a first-generation college graduate from the University of Cincinnati, where she earned her degree in Medical Sciences with a minor in Public Health. As an undergraduate, Madeleine contributed to breast cancer and pancreatic cancer research. She volunteered in multiple capacities at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and interned at an OBGYN center, working to improve nutritional education for patients. Her interest in food allergies developed when several of her close family members were diagnosed with life-threatening food allergies. Madeleine is passionate about improving healthcare access and quality, reducing health disparities, and hopes to attend medical school in the future..

Fun Fact: Madeleine has a beautiful Samoyed named Ollie! 

Hometown: Naperville, IL

Claire is a 2021 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Science-Computing. For the past three years, Claire has worked as a Sustainability Strategist at Accenture, where she has honed her skills in strategic thinking and environmental stewardship. Currently, Claire is making a career shift into medicine, pursuing a post-baccalaureate pre-medicine program at Northwestern University. She is passionate about pediatrics and is eager to explore pediatric allergy research.

Fun Fact: Claire plays bass guitar in her free time and has performed with multiple bands in Chicago.

Hometown: Pennington, NJ

Maya recently graduated from Syracuse University where she was a premed student majoring in psychology with a minor in human development and family science. She was diagnosed with multiple life-threatening food allergies as a baby and has been a strong advocate for the food allergy community for her entire life. She has been involved in legislation, community education, and peer mentorship programs. Having been a patient in multiple clinical trials, Maya is very excited to contribute to advancements in the field as a member of the CFAAR team.

Fun Fact: Maya was a competitive gymnast and has competed at the local, state, and national level. 

Hometown: Port Washington, NY

Diana graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago where she studied Psychology with a minor in Biology and Spanish. Her passion for medicine began early, as she often translated for her parents during their doctor's appointments. While pursuing her undergraduate studies, she discovered a deep interest in research while working as a research office aide in the Infectious Disease department at UIC. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, walking, and spending time with her cat.

Fun Fact: Diana has a twin brother.

Hometown: Aurora, IL

Britney graduated from Northwestern University, where she majored in Cognitive Science and Global Health Studies and minored in Sociological Studies. Since the beginning of 2023, she has been volunteering at the Chicago Women's Health Center, which catalyzed her passion for health equity and promotion and motivated her to work on these health initiatives post-graduation. Through her previous research experiences, Britney developed a love for research and believed in the power of research to advance health outcomes and uplift the voices of underrepresented communities. She is excited about joining CFAAR and continuing to foster her curiosity to learn more about allergy prevention and its role in promoting healthy childhood development.

Fun Fact: Britney loves to bake and experiment with different recipes! So far, her favorite thing to make is a blueberry lemon cake with lemon curd buttercream.

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Shaan was first inspired to pursue a career in medicine from having a younger brother with peanut and tree allergies. As a Northwestern undergraduate student, he spent a summer working as a research intern in Dr. Gupta’s lab studying food allergy epidemiology. Shaan joined CFAAR in 2022 and assists with various advocacy and research projects related to food allergy labeling. His current research is on the incorporation of reference doses into precautionary allergen labels. Shaan is currently completing his Internal Medicine residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin and intends to pursue a career in allergy & immunology. 

Fun Fact: Shaan is an Eagle Scout. He has camped over 150 nights in his lifetime and has gone on several week-long backpacking trips."

Hometown: San Ramon, CA