Speakers
FAACT Leadership Team Speakers
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Eleanor Garrow-Holding
FAACT President & Chief Executive Officer
West Chester, OH
Social:
Instagram: @EleanorGarrow
X: @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.
Amelia Smith, JD
FAACT General Counsel
Social:
Bio:
After her son, Robert, was diagnosed with food allergies, Amelia founded Food Allergic Children’s Education in Tupelo (“FACE IT”), the only support and education organization for families with food allergies in Mississippi at the time. Once she learned about the challenges students and families with food allergies face in childcare centers and schools, Amelia developed an interest in special education law. She is a 2012 graduate of William & Mary School of Law’s Institute of Special Education Advocacy. Amelia is admitted to the Bars of the State of Mississippi, the United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She is a member of the Mississippi Bar Association.
Lisa Horne
FAACT Director, Marketing
Phoenix, AZ
Social:
Instagram:
@FAACTLisaHorne
@FoodAllergyPI
X:
@FAACTLisaHorne
@FoodAllergyPI
Bio:
Lisa manages FAACT’s marketing and outreach initiatives. She is also the mom behind the blog, “Food Allergy P.I.” She also hosts the “Food Allergy Talk” podcast and is the author of The Everything® Nut Allergy Cookbook. She lives in rural southeastern Arizona with her husband and five children, all of whom she homeschools through junior high. Her oldest child is allergic to peanuts and shellfish and has asthma.
Emery Brown, Ed.S., NCSP
FAACT Director, Behavioral Health
Bio:
Emery Brown, a native of New Jersey, has been heavily involved in the food allergy community for years. Emery began her collaboration with FAACT as a volunteer teen counselor for FAACT’s Camp TAG when it launched in 2010 and was a counselor every summer in our New Jersey location through 2018.
Emery holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health with a concentration in Health Communication from the The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) and a Master’s of Arts in School Psychology from Rowan University. Since graduation Emery has worked to develop health programs in inner city schools, as well as held several small groups on mental health management. Emery is currently pursuing her Education Specialist degree (Ed.S.) to become a certified School Psychologist.
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.
David M. Fleischer, MD
FAACT Medical Advisor
Board-certified Allergist
Section Chief of Allergy & Immunology
Director, Food Challenge Unit, Division of Allergy
Professor of Pediatrics
Children's Hospital Colorado
University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine
Denver, CO
Social:
Bio:
Dr. David Fleischer completed his undergraduate training at the University of Pennsylvania, medical degree training at Emory University School of Medicine, and both Pediatric Residency and Pediatric Allergy/Immunology Fellowship training at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Fleischer is currently the Section Head of Allergy & Immunology at Children’s Hospital Colorado (CHCO) and a Professor of Pediatrics at CHCO and the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine. He is the Director of the Allergy and Immunology Center at CHCO.
Dr. Fleischer is a nationally and internationally renowned food allergy expert, specializing in the diagnosis, management, and prevention of food allergy. His clinical research has focused on the natural history and novel treatments of food allergy, including oral, sublingual, and epicutaneous immunotherapies. He is the Global PI for several Phase III peanut epicutaneous immunotherapy trials that are being conducted at more than 30 sites across the world. He has authored many original, peer-reviewed articles, review articles, and book chapters on food allergy and food allergy treatment.
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
Allie Bahn
Miss Allergic Reactor
Social:
Brief Bio:
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.
Linda Jones Herbert, PhD
Director, Psychology Research & Clinical Services
Washington, DC
Social:
Bio:
Linda Jones Herbert, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Psychology & Behavioral Health at Children's National and an 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.
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 & 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
President, No Nut Traveler, Inc.
Livingston, NJ
Social:
Sameer Mathur, MD, PhD
Madison, WI
Bio:
Michael Pistiner, MD, MSc
Board-certified Allergist, Division of Allergy
Mass General for Children
Food Allergy Center
Co-creator, AllergyHome.org
Boston, MA
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 Bachelors of Science in Health Policy from James Madison University followed by a Masters 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:
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
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.
