Discover Brigham: Session Spotlight Series

Discover Brigham: Session Spotlight Series

Getting Ahead: Advances in Food and Drug Allergy

November 12, 2:25 – 2:55pm

Each year, more than 50 million Americans experience various types of allergies to plants, animals, food, or drugs (CDC, Gateway to Health Communication and Social Marketing Practice. Allergies.). The Brigham and Women’s Hospital Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology is a national leader in food and drug allergy. We will review details of two new dedicated allergy clinics for evaluation of patients with food allergy and drug hypersensitivity. These specialized clinics not only work with patients and other health care providers, but also provide an opportunity for allergy related research. Two ongoing related research projects will be highlighted: 1) the Peanut Desensitization Clinic for young children [BH1] with peanut allergy which also explores the role of “baby” pre-mast cells and their contribution to food allergies and 2) the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) Challenge Clinic where we evaluate patients with a suspected ibuprofen, naproxen, or aspirin allergy in order to provide them with appropriate pain medications and avoid unnecessary overuse of opioids. Data gathered from patients in the NSAID Challenge Clinic show that ~80% of them no longer have an NSAID allergy and our research suggests risk factors for continued NSAID allergy.

Session Speakers:

Joyce Hsu, MD, Tanya Laidlaw, MD, Lily Li, MD, and Hannah Martin, MD

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Learn more about the other sessions and the rest of day on our website here!

Discover Brigham is an annual event that provides the community with a firsthand look at the incredible action going on behind-the-scenes at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. This unique event showcases current projects and accomplishments of investigators who are paving the way for further discovery and innovation. This year, we are reimagining Discover Brigham in light of COVID-19 and will be hosting it virtually. We are truly excited for this extraordinary opportunity to reach an even broader population of global citizens, clinicians, budding scientists and family members.

Tune in for six must-see sessions presented by Brigham researchers with topics ranging from artificial intelligence at the bedside and the COVID-19 research being conducted in our hospital to a competition among postdocs who will be pitching their research to the public in hopes of winning the $1,000 prize. The conference will also feature virtually interactive demos and an extensive poster session with over 100 posters.