Speakers
2024 Summit Speakers
FAACT Leadership Team Speakers
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Eleanor Garrow-Holding
FAACT President & Chief Executive Officer
West Chester, OH
Social:
Instagram: @EleanorGarrow
BlueSky: @EleanorGarrow
TikTok: @EleanorGarrow
LinkedIn: @EleanorGarrowHolding
Bio:
Eleanor has worked, educated, and advocated in the food allergy community since 2004. She was inspired to start this work after her son, Thomas, was diagnosed with life-threatening food allergies to tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and sesame; eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) triggered by milk and wheat; asthma; and environmental allergies.
Eleanor provides leadership, development, and implementation for all of FAACT’s initiatives and programs. Eleanor has a Bachelor of Healthcare Administration degree from Lewis University in Romeoville, IL, and worked in hospital management for years in Chicago and the Chicagoland area prior to working in the nonprofit sector.
Emery Brown, MA, Ed.S., NCSP
FAACT Director, Behavioral Health
Bio:
Emery Brown is a practicing School Psychologist and School Based Registered Play Therapist. As FAACT's Director of Behavioral Health Emery can not only speak to the psychosocial factors that impact those that live with food allergies, but also, she can speak to the real-life experiences of a person living with food allergies as she has lived with food allergies the entirety of her life. Emery is passionate about helping others manage food allergy related anxiety and encouraging others that a thriving life is possible.
Mia Silverman
FAACT Social Media Project Manager
Allergies with Mia
Social:
Bio:
FAACT Medical Advisory Board Speakers
S. Shahzad Mustafa, MD
FAACT Medical Advisory Board Chair
Board-certified Allergist, Division of Allergy & Immunology
Rochester Regional Health System
Rochester, NY
Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine and
Clerkship Director, Allergy & Clinical Immunology
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Rochester, NY
Bio:
Dr. Shahzad Mustafa serves as FAACT’s Medical Advisory Board Chair. He sees patients out of the Rochester Regional Health System and is heavily involved with the allergy/immunology training program at the University of Rochester, where he is Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine. He is also the clerkship director for the allergy/clinical immunology elective at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Outside of work, Dr. Mustafa is married and has three children, including one child with allergies to peanuts and tree nuts.
Justin Greiwe, MD
FAACT Medical Advisor
Social:
Bio:
Dr. Justin Greiwe received his medical degree from the University of Toledo College of Medicine followed by pediatric residency at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital in Cleveland and Allergy & Immunology fellowship at Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Greiwe is currently partner at Bernstein Allergy Group, serves as a principal investigator at Bernstein Clinical Research Center, and is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Cincinnati. In addition to his clinical and teaching responsibilities, Dr. Greiwe is the past president of the Cincinnati Allergy & Asthma Society, is on the board of directors for the Ohio Allergy & Immunology Society, and is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Food Allergy. Dr. Greiwe serves on several committees including previous chair of the AAAAI Sports, Exercise & Fitness Committee, acting Secretary of the Asthma Diagnosis and Treatment (ADT) Interest Section, and Vice Chair for Special Events on the AAAAI Foundation Council.
Alison Cassin, MS, RD, LD
FAACT Medical Advisor
Pediatric Registered Dietitian
Cincinnati Center for Eosinophilic Disorders (CCED)
Division of Allergy & Immunology
Cincinnati Children's Hospital
Cincinnati, OH
Social:
X: @AllergyRD
Bio:
Alison Cassin is a Registered Dietitian and Board Certified Specialist in Pediatric Nutrition at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Medical Center. She consults for the Cincinnati Center for Eosinophilic Disorders and Food Allergy outpatient clinics. Previously a bench chemist in research and the food industry, she left the laboratory to pursue a Master’s degree in Nutrition at the University of Cincinnati. Alison’s current career in clinical nutrition combines her technical background with her love of cooking and desire to interact with patients.
Speakers
Salvatore Alesci, MD, PhD
Invea Therapeutics, Inc.
Bio:
Dr. Salvatore (“Salvo”) Alesci is the Chief Scientific Officer of Invea Therapeutics, Inc. Dr. Alesci is a physician-scientist and healthcare executive with over two decades of working experience spanning science, medicine, policy and advocacy through multiple leadership roles in the government, biopharmaceutical, and non-profit sectors. Dr. Alesci served as Chief Scientist and Strategy Officer and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Council at Beyond Celiac, the leading research-driven patient advocacy organization focused on accelerating discovery and development of treatments for Celiac disease, a disease that among others affects his daughter and son. As the lead scientist for the organization, Dr. Alesci established a comprehensive scientific strategy and plan, expanding the portfolio of scientific programs and partnership with pharma companies, building and mentoring the science team, and acting as spoke-person and champion for the scientific work of Beyond Celiac.
Allie Bahn
Miss Allergic Reactor
Social:
Bio:
Scott Commins, MD
Section Chief for Allergy & Immunology
Bio:
Scott Commins is the Dr. William J. Yount Distinguished Professor at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he is currently Section Chief for Allergy and Immunology in the Department of Medicine. Dr. Commins maintains an active clinical practice and research program with a focus on adult food allergy, including the alpha-gal allergy and eosinophilic esophagitis.
Sarah Danna
Allergy Content Creator
Los Angeles, CA
Social:
Instagram: @SarahAndSpices
TikTok: @SarahAndSpices
Bio:
Sarah Danna is an allergy content creator dedicated to empowering individuals with food allergies to live vibrant, fulfilling lives. As someone with multiple food allergies, she understands the challenges that come with navigating this unique journey. Through her creative recipes, tips, and personal stories, she strives to inspire and support others in making delicious, fun, and safe choices. Baking is Sarah’s passion, and she loves experimenting with allergen-free ingredients to create treats everyone can enjoy. She also loves traveling and dining out, always looking for new allergy-safe spots and experiences. Sarah explores the world of allergy-friendly living—because a full life with allergies is not only possible, it’s delicious!
Erica Dermer
Celiac & The Beast
Gluten-Free Girl in a World Full of Wheat
Patient Advocate
Phoenix, AZ
Social:
Instagram: @CeliacAndTheBeast
X: @CeliacBeast
Bio:
Erica is a professional patient advocate for celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and other chronic medical conditions, as well as a specialist in gluten-free packaged foods. Erica is a content creator, blogging on a well-known website, and co-hosting a specialty diet-focused podcast. She’s best known for her work covering the CPG trade show floors searching for the best new gluten-free products at national trade shows like Natural Products Expo. She's been featured on national televised morning shows, USA Today, American College of Gastroenterology magazine and other national publications.
Steven Gendel, PhD
Gendel Food Safety, LLC
Bio:
Steven Gendel is an internationally recognized expert on food allergen control, allergen labeling, food safety, and regulatory science. He spent over two decades advancing science and policy in the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, where he was the first FDA Food Allergen Coordinator. In that role, he contributed to agency policies, guidance documents, GRAS notice evaluations, and regulations.
Dr. Gendel is currently an independent consultant working to protect consumers by improving allergen control systems in food manufacturing, identifying emerging issues, such as those associated with new food categories (including cannabis edibles), and leveraging data to promote transparency.
Dr. Gendel holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Cell Biology. He has advanced training in risk assessment, food law, HACCP, and Preventive Controls.
He works from the Washington DC area.
Kelly Good, BSN, RN
Genentech, Inc.
Clinical Education Manager
Bio:
Kelly Good, BSN, RN, is a registered nurse and a Clinical Education Manager at Genentech. She has conducted Pharmaceutical patient education for over 20 years. Kelly’s role at Genentech entails working directly with patients and caregivers discussing Food Allergy and Xolair. The educational focus as a Clinical Education Manager is detailing efficacy, clinical trial data, side effects, and community resource information.
Linda Jones Herbert, PhD
Director, Psychology Research & Clinical Services
Washington, DC
Social:
Bio:
Linda Jones Herbert, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Psychology & Behavioral Health at Children's National and Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at George Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Herbert is the Director of Psychology Research and Clinical Services for the Division of Allergy and Immunology at Children's National. Dr. Herbert is an NIH-funded clinical researcher whose research interests include pediatric allergic diseases. Dr. Herbert is the Principal Investigator for an NIAID-funded R01 to conduct a clinical trial of a behavioral intervention for early adolescents with food allergy and a Co-Investigator on a multi-site prospective longitudinal cohort to systematically investigate disparities among Black, Hispanic, and White children in food allergy clinical and psychosocial outcomes, food allergy phenotypes and endotypes, and food allergy management practices. She is a Co-Investigator on the Global Access to Psychological Services for Food Allergy (GAPS) Study, a global study of psychological distress related to food allergy, the aim of which is to develop an accessible online behavioral interventions for families around the world affected by food allergy. Dr. Herbert presents her research at pediatric psychology and allergy and immunology conferences and regularly engages in advocacy work with national food allergy organizations.
Jen Jobrack, M.A.
Principal
Food Allergy Pros, LLC
Chicago, IL
Social:
X: @FoodAllergyPro
LinkedIn: @JenniferJobrack
Bio:
Jen Jobrack is a nationally recognized food allergy expert. Her areas of focus are public policy, regulation, and legislation; consumer behavior; education and training, food labeling and food safety; raising public awareness; strategies and best practices to improve the health, safety and inclusion of people with life-threatening food allergies.
Sherry Korczynski, MBA
Aquestive
Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing
Bio:
Sherry Korczynski is the Sr. Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Aquestive Therapeutics. Prior to joining Aquestive, Ms. Korczynski served in multiple sales and marketing leadership roles at ANI Pharmaceuticals, Eagle Pharmaceuticals, Mylan Pharmaceuticals (now Viatris), and Eli Lilly and Company. She has significant experience in the allergy therapeutic area, leading marketing, public relations, and advocacy. Ms. Korczynski received her B.S. in Marketing from The Pennsylvania State University and an M.B.A. from West Virginia University.
Carl Kraus, MD, FACP
Aquestive
Chief Medical Officer
Bio:
Dr. Carl Kraus is the Chief Medical Officer at Aquestive, a company developing a sublingual film delivering epinephrine. Previously he served as Chief Medical Officer at Aceragen from October 2021 to April 2023. Prior to that, Dr. Kraus founded and served as the Chief Executive Officer of Arrevus from January 2017 until the sale to Aceragen in October 2021. He previously served as Chief Medical Officer of Ology Bioservices (formerly Nanotherapeutics), which was acquired by National Resilience.
Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Kraus was a Medical Officer for the Center of Drug Evaluation and Research (“CDER”). Earlier in his career, he held inpatient and outpatient clinical appointments. Dr. Kraus earned his medical doctor degree from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO, with post-graduate training in Internal Medicine (University of Chicago) and Infectious Diseases (National Institutes of Health).
Megan Lavin
Awesome Allergy Recipes by Meg
Social:
Instagram: @Allergy_Awesomeness
Facebook: @AllergyAwesomeness
Pinterest: @AllergyAwesome
X: @Allergy_Awesome
Bio:
Megan Lavin is the owner of the recipe website for food allergies and restricted diets: AllergyAwesomeness.com. She is a published cookbook author of The Allergy Mom's Lifesaving Instant Pot Cookbook. Two of her four kids have multiple food allergies and asthma, and her oldest has a rare allergic condition: eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). You can find her and her hundreds of allergy-friendly recipes and tips on day-to-day living with food allergies on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Lauren Less
CEO, Less with Laur
Chicago, IL
Social:
Instagram: @LessWithLaur
TikTok: @LessWithLaur
Blog: LessWithLaur.com
Bio:
Lauren Less combined her passions for food and helping others and created LessWithLaur, a space people can visit for allergy-friendly recipes and to feel less alone. Lauren was diagnosed with several food allergies and chronic illnesses in her mid to late 20s and strives to inspire and support others who are on similar journeys. Lauren believes that everyone should be able to enjoy food, and she loves to get creative in the kitchen. She has built a community of 200k+ across all platforms and is excited to share her social media tips and tricks!
Lianne Mandelbaum, MS, PT
President, No Nut Traveler, Inc.
Livingston, NJ
Social:
Bio:
Lianne Mandelbaum MS, PT, is a leading advocate for airline safety measures to protect food-allergic passengers. She is the president of the non-profit No Nut Traveler, the airline correspondent for Allergic Living, and has written for Huffington Post, The Mighty, & KevinMD. She is also a noted public speaker and frequent media source on a myriad of food allergy related issues. She collects testimonials from food-allergic families regarding their flying experiences and shares these with lawmakers, media, and food allergy advocacy groups.
Lianne was part of a team that collaborated on the right to pre-board U.S. airlines as food allergy passengers under the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA). This effort yielded a successful Department of Transportation (DOT) ruling and importantly the recognition that food allergy is considered a disability under the ACAA.
Lianne recently partnered with researchers and physicians to design and launch a global air travel with food allergy survey with Northwestern University’s Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research. The data was presented at the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) and will be published in full in JACI: In Practice.
Sameer Mathur, MD, PhD
Madison, WI
Bio:
Pharis Mohideen, MD, MS
DBV Technologies
Chief Medical Officer
Bio:
Dr. Pharis Mohideen serves as Chief Medical Officer and is a member of DBV’s Executive Committee, responsible for continuing development efforts of the Company’s pipeline and bringing potentially innovative new treatments to patients, if approved. Dr. Mohideen brings nearly two decades of industry experience and a track record of multiple drug product approvals. Prior to joining DBV in July 2019, Dr. Mohideen served as Chief Medical Officer for Millendo Therapeutics, Inc., Vice President of Clinical Development at Shionogi Inc., and other clinical and medical leadership roles with Novartis International AG and Bristol Myers-Squibb. Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Mohideen was an attending physician and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Hawaii, department of internal medicine and served as an investigator on multiple pharmaceutical-sponsored clinical trials.
Dr. Mohideen received his M.D., M.S. in human physiology and B.A. in biology from the University of Hawaii, as well as his M.S. in clinical investigation from Vanderbilt University.
Michael Pistiner, MD, MSc
Board-certified Allergist, Division of Allergy
Mass General for Children
Food Allergy Center
Co-creator, AllergyHome.org
Boston, MA
Bio:
Michael Pistiner, MD, MMSc is Director of Food Allergy Advocacy, Education and Prevention for the MassGeneral Hospital for Children, Food Allergy Center. He has special interests in food allergy and anaphylaxis education and advocacy, infant food allergy management, healthcare provider education, facilitating collaborations between the medical home and school health, and maintaining quality of life in children (and their families) with food allergies.
Dr. Pistiner is a fellow in the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), where he is a member of the Section on Allergy and Immunology Executive Committee, Council on School Health and the Massachusetts Chapter of the AAP. He is also a member of the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology and the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
He is author of "Everyday Cool With Food Allergies", co-author of the "Living Confidently With Food Allergy" handbook, and co-founder and content creator of AllergyHome.org.
Gary Riddle, MPA
Kaleo
Government and Community Relations
Richmond, VA
Bio:
Gary Riddle, MPA presently serves as the Sr. Director, Global Corporate Affairs for kaléo (a biopharmaceutical based in Richmond, Virginia). In this position, he oversees the government affairs operations for kaléo through engagement with policymakers and pertinent stakeholders throughout the U.S. (state and federal) and abroad with the aim to further awareness regarding anaphylaxis, patient access, and the company’s portfolio.
Coming into this position, Gary brings over 12 years of government affairs experience within the health care sector which includes an emphasis on building relationships among key affiliates and policymakers at multiple levels of government (local, state, federal, and international). His educational background includes a Bachelor's of Science in Health Policy from James Madison University followed by a Master's in Public Administration from The George Washington University.
Gary personally understands the food allergy dynamic from the patient’s perspective after developing an allergy to “whey” (the protein in cow’s milk) as a young adult. He resides in Richmond, VA.
Gwen Smith
AllergicLiving.com
Social:
Sarina Tanimoto, MD, MBA
ARS Pharmaceuticals
Chief Medical Officer & Co-Founder
San Diego, CA
Bio:
Dr. Tanimoto is Chief Medical Officer and co-founder at ARS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Dr. Tanimoto previously served as Chief Medical Officer of Pacific-Link Regulatory Consulting and Research, Inc., a medicinal product development consultancy, where she supported multiple programs from Phase 1 to Phase 3 clinical trials in various therapeutic areas, including several intranasal products. Prior to Pacific-Link Regulatory Consulting and Research, Inc., Dr. Tanimoto held roles in clinical and business development during her tenure at AnGes Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, and also served as a clinical scientist at Roche, a research healthcare company, where she was involved in global clinical development. Dr. Tanimoto earned a M.D. from University of Toyama, followed by internal medicine training at the National Center for Global Health and Medicine in Tokyo. She holds a M.B.A. from McGill University.
Carina Venter, PhD, RD
Professor and Allergy Specialist
Pediatric Registered Dietician
Section of Allergy & Immunology
Children's Hospital Colorado
University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine
Denver, CO
Social:
Bio:
Carina Venter is a Professor of Pediatrics, Section of Allergy/Immunology at the Children's Hospital Colorado and the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, where she is conducting research in allergy prevention and working with children with food allergies. Dr. Venter is currently the chair of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) work group on Immunomodulation and nutrition.
Brian Vickery, MD
Board-certified Allergist
Division Chief of Allergy & Immunology
Department of Pediatrics
Founding Director, Food Allergy Center
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
Social:
X: @ATLergist
Bio:
Dr. Brian Vickery is the Division Chief of Allergy/Immunology and the founding Director of the Food Allergy Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Over the last 11 years he has led productive and consistently funded patient-oriented research teams focused on translational therapeutic development for IgE-mediated food allergies, work spanning preclinical murine models to Phase 3 trials. With the first new therapies poised for FDA approval and translation into clinical care, he is now particularly interested in the intersection of translational and outcomes research in generating rational, evidence-driven treatment strategies that maximize benefit/risk and improve patient-centered outcomes.
Missy Voronyak
Voronyak Consulting
Healthcare Influencer Strategist
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
Social:
Instagram: @MVinMN
LinkedIn: @MissyVoronyak
Bio:
Missy Voronyak is a healthcare influencer strategist with extensive experience working with pharmaceutical, medical device, hospitals, and mental health organizations. Many in the food allergy community will recognize Missy by her former blog name "Marketing Mama." Her past experiences as an influencer gave her a unique perspective to help counsel her clients on how to collaborate effectively with patient and physician influencers. Missy launched her own firm, Voronyak Consulting, in January of 2024, where she provides healthcare influencer marketing and social media services to companies and agencies.
Jonathan Wojtkowiak, PhD
Blueprint Medicines
Associate Director
Senior Medical Science Liaison (MSL)
Jonathan Wojtkowiak is a Medical Science Liaison (MSL) at Blueprint Medicines, where he plays a pivotal role in bridging the gap between cutting-edge scientific research and clinical practice.
Ray Wolf, BSPh, PharmD
Stallergenes Greer
Senior Medical Science Liaison
Ray Wolf is a pharmacist who received a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (BSPh) degree from Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH and a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) from the University of Kentucky (Lexington, KY) with a specialty in Pediatrics. In addition, he completed an ASHP-accredited residency from the Albert B. Chandler Medical Center at the University of Kentucky. Ray completed a postdoctoral research and teaching fellowship in clinical pharmacokinetics at the University of Aston, Birmingham, England. Ray has over 25+ years of experience in the research-intensive biopharmaceutical industry in various positions of increased responsibility. In addition to a variety of published articles in the peer reviewed literature, Ray is a tri-author of a textbook entitled, Seizure Disorder in Children, published by JB Lippincott. With his husband Brian, Ray lives in Fort Lauderdale, FL along with their two labrador retrievers, Zeke and Seth and cat, Gunner.
