FAACT's Allergy Summit Speakers
FAACT Leadership Team Speakers
Eleanor Garrow-Holding
FAACT President & Chief Executive Officer
West Chester, OH
Social:
Instagram: @EleanorGarrow
LinkedIn: @EleanorGarrowHolding
Threads: @EleanorGarrow
BlueSky: @EleanorGarrow
TikTok: @EleanorGarrow
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
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. After growing up in the Rochester, New York area, Dr. Mustafa pursued his undergraduate studies at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and attended medical school at SUNY Buffalo. He then completed his internal medicine training at the University of Colorado and stayed in Denver to complete his fellowship training in allergy and clinical immunology at the University of Colorado, National Jewish Health, and Children’s Hospital of Denver.
While in Denver, Dr. Mustafa was involved in research on peanut allergy and new therapies for asthma. Dr. Mustafa is a member of the AAAAI adverse reactions to foods committee as well as the AAAAI mast cell disorders committee. He was also a co-chair on the AAAAI sub-committee on influenza vaccination in egg-allergic individuals.
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. In addition to spending time with his family, his interests include traveling, photography, and playing squash.
David M. Fleischer, MD
FAACT Medical Advisor
Director, Food Challenge Unit, Division of Allergy
Section Head, Allergy & Immunology
Board-certified Allergist
Children's Hospital Colorado
Professor of Pediatrics
Children's Hospital Colorado & University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine
Denver, CO
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 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.
Kristin Sokol, MD, MS, MPH
FAACT Medical Advisor
Social:
Bio:
Kristin Sokol, M.D., MS, MPH, FAAAAI is a board-certified allergist, immunologist, and pediatrician specializing in the care of both adult and pediatric patients with a variety of allergic and immunologic disorders. She joined the practice of Schreiber Allergy in 2019. Prior to this, she was an assistant professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX and at Beth Israel Medical Center in Boston, MA. She then joined the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD, where she treated patients and performed research in the field of food allergy and the genetics of allergic disease.
Dr. Sokol serves as a Co-Chair of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Clinical Science and Practice Workgroup and the Chair of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Annual Meeting Planning Committee, as well as a member of FAACT's Medical Advisory Board.
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:
Instagram: @ALnourished
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 (CCED) 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.
Raquel Durbin, MS, RD, LDN
FAACT Medical Advisor
Pediatric Registered Dietitian
Carolina Asthma and Allergy Center
Charlotte, NC
Social:
Instagram: @rdyourrd
Bio:
Raquel Durban is a registered dietitian specializing in the dietary management of families with food allergies. Through our comprehensive dietitian services, she helps patients navigate complex dietary restrictions while maintaining proper nutrition. She received her MS degree in nutrition from the University of Maryland and completed a nutrition internship at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Raquel is a steering committee member of the International Network of Dietitians and Nutritionists in Allergy and serves on the numerous medical advisory boards of non-profit allergy focused organizations. She also values her role in academia by contributing to continuing medical education programs and peer reviewed publications. Raquel also participates in the American College and American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI and AAAAI) where she serves on the organizations’ numerous committees, collaborating with other health care professionals and patient advocacy groups to improve the quality of life and advance understanding for families living with food allergies.
Every opportunity to counsel and educate is viewed with honor and empathy. Raquel will develop practical plans and education to meet the patients and clinicals where they are in their journey. There is there is not a one size fits all answer for success and success is not linear! She will work to find the best balance of meeting nutritional needs with lifestyle demands and ensure collaboration with other members of the care team.
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.
Georgina Cornago
Love for Giovanni Foundation
Founder, Advocate, Change-Maker
Lynbrook, NY
Social:
Instagram: @LoveForGiovanniFoundation
Bio:
Georgina Cornago is a nationally recognized food allergy advocate and the founder of the Love for Giovanni Foundation, established in loving memory of her son, Giovanni. After losing Giovanni to a fatal anaphylactic reaction, Georgina transformed her grief into purpose—dedicating her life to saving others through education, legislative change, and grassroots community support. She is the driving force behind Gio’s Law, groundbreaking legislation first passed in New York State that authorizes and encourages first responders to carry and administer life-saving epinephrine. Her relentless advocacy helped bring the state law to life in 2019—and in June 2025, Gio’s Law was officially introduced in Congress as the first-ever federal grant program under the U.S. Department of Justice, aimed at: Equipping law enforcement officers across the country with epinephrine auto-injectors; providing standardized training to recognize and treat anaphylaxis; launching a national awareness campaign on the signs of life-threatening allergic reactions. This national version of Gio’s Law represents a historic step forward in ensuring first responders everywhere are trained and ready to save lives when every second counts.
In addition to her legislative work, Georgina has led food allergy and anaphylaxis preparedness trainings in schools, police departments, childcare settings, and community centers across the country. Her mission is grounded in a clear message: Epi First. Epi Fast. Better safe than sorry. She is also a passionate advocate for food labeling reform, demanding clarity, accuracy, and transparency. “Reading a label should be as simple as the ingredient is either present or it isn’t,” she says—families should never have to decode vague or misleading labels.
Georgina is a proud member of the MenuTrinfo Allergy Advisor Council, where she contributes her lived experience to help guide national food safety standards.Her advocacy and Giovanni’s story have been featured on CBS, ABC, FOX, Good Morning America, News12, and other major outlets—bringing national visibility to the urgent need for food allergy reform, emergency preparedness, and education. She also serves as administrator of two online support communities: The Love for Giovanni Support Group and Friends Helping Friends Food Allergy Support Group, supported by FAACT (Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team). These groups provide both online and in-person support through educational sessions, adult and teen meet-ups, and inclusive, food-free events. A highlight of the year is the Love for Giovanni Halloween Trunk or Treat, a joyful and safe celebration for food allergy families. Though her advocacy was born from unimaginable loss, Georgina leads with fierce compassion, unwavering purpose, and unstoppable love. Every step she takes leaves a footprint in Giovanni’s honor—and every life saved is part of his legacy.
Erica Dermer
Celiac & The Beast
Gluten-Free Girl in a World Full of Wheat
Patient Advocate
Phoenix, AZ
Social:
Instagram: @CeliacAndTheBeast
TikTok: @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.
Jenna Gestetner
xHealth Studio, Founder
Health Content Creator
Los Angeles, CA
Social:
Instagram: @JennaXHealth
TikTok: @JennaXHealth
YouTube: @JennaXHealth
LinkedIn: @JennaGestetner
Bio:
Jenna Gestetner is an entrepreneur and content creator passionate about reimagining health care experiences and building community. Jenna shares her life with chronic conditions about living with dietary restrictions, navigating health challenges, and making people feel seen in the often-unseen experiences. She has a collective following of over 130K and has been featured in major news publications such as the Daily Mail and Newsweek. As the Founder of xHealth Studio, a creative agency, Jenna helps health care companies deliver forward-thinking digital marketing and engagement solutions that transform how they connect with consumers, patients, and providers to increase trust, community, and loyalty.
Gabby Hemond
Content Creator & Celiac Advocate
Grand Rapids, MI
Social:
Instagram: @NoGlutenGabby
TikTok: @NoGlutenGabby
Bio:
Gabby Hemond, also known as @NoGlutenGabby, is a content creator and celiac advocate who began her platform in 2021, a year after being diagnosed with Celiac disease. What started as a personal journey to connect with others and document life post-diagnosis, has grown to be a part of the vast online community with people who have celiac disease and other food allergies. With a passion for marketing and storytelling, she shares gluten-free travel tips, lifestyle content, and advocacy for those navigating celiac disease. Her work empowers others to find their voice and confidently live gluten-free.
Farah Khan, MD
Double Board-certified Allergist/Immunologist and Pediatrician
Social:
Bio:
Dr. Farah Khan was born and raised in Washington DC and has a background in print journalism with a master’s degree from Medill at Northwestern University. The 2008 recession brought her to the first fork in her career, and she pivoted to medical school. Dr. Khan went on to pediatric residency at Inova Children's Hospital, allergy & immunology fellowship training at Virginia Commonwealth University, and had a Zoom graduation during the pandemic.
Immunology. She worked in private practice prior to joining academia and currently practices in the Allergy & Immunology Division at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
Kayla King
Content Creator & Social Media Strategist
Social:
Bio:
Kayla King has been a content creator and social media strategist for 5+ years with over 92,000 followers across platforms. Kayla has built a loyal community through her platform @celiacwithkayla by sharing real, relatable content about living with Celiac disease. She's worked with dozens of brands in the food space—both behind the scenes and in front of the camera.
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!
Sameer Mathur, MD, PhD
Madison, WI
Bio:
Michael Pistiner, MD, MMSc
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.
Manisha Relan, MD, FAAP, FAAAAI, FACAAI
Board-certified Allergist & Clinical Immunologist
Social:
Bio:
Nancy Rotter, PhD
Director of Psychological Services, Food Allergy Center
Director of Psychology, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Ambulatory Care Division
Co-director, Pediatric Behavioral Medicine and Integrated Primary Care
Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA
Bio:
Nancy Rotter, PhD, is a pediatric psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. She is the director of Psychological Services in the Food Allergy Center (FAC) at MGH. Dr. Rotter is part of the FAC multidisciplinary team, where she provides consultation, evaluation, and psychotherapy to children with IgE-mediated food allergies, FPIES and Eosinophilic conditions and to their families. She conducts psychological intervention with children who have food allergies and are experiencing anxiety related to their allergies including medical procedures, eating, and allergic reactions. Dr. Rotter conducts Quality Improvement initiatives and collaborates on research projects focused on improving identification and intervention for food allergy-related anxiety in children and their caregivers. She also collaborates with psychologists and allergists on a national level on the development of educational materials for families and trainings for allergy professionals.
Zachary Rubin, MD
Double Board-certified Pediatrician & Allergist
Oak Brook Allergists
Oak Brook, IL
Social:
Instagram: @Rubin_Allergy
TikTok: @Rubin_Allergy
YouTube: @Rubin_Allergy
LinkedIn: @Zachary_Rubin
Bio:
Dr. Zachary Rubin is a double board-certified physician in pediatrics and allergy/immunology who is passionate about helping individuals of all ages breathe easier, live symptom-free, and take control of their allergic conditions. He currently practices at Oak Brook Allergists in the western suburbs of Chicago.
Nationally recognized for his approachable style and clear explanations, Dr. Rubin is also a prominent medical educator and public health advocate with over 3 million followers across social media. Through his platforms under the handle @rubin_allergy, he translates complex science into understandable and actionable advice, tackling everything from food allergies to the latest vaccine news — often with a dash of humor while wearing a bow tie.
Dr. Rubin went to medical school at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and completed his pediatrics residency at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago and allergy/immunology fellowship at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He is an outspoken advocate for evidence-based medicine, accessible treatment, and combating health misinformation.
When he’s not seeing patients or creating educational content, Dr. Rubin enjoys spending time with his wife Melanie and their daughter, Juliana, and going on adventures with their three beloved German Shepherds — Leia, Sadie, and Tucker.
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:
Instagram: @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
Voronyx
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, Voronyx, in January of 2024, where she provides healthcare influencer marketing and social media services to companies and agencies.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD
Licensed Psychologist
Don't Feed the Fear Podcast
Social:
Bio:
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD, is a Licensed Psychologist who works with children, adults, and families managing anxiety and trauma related to severe food allergies. She has been practicing psychology since 2008, and her food allergy education started when her own son was diagnosed in 2012. Amanda applied her mental health knowledge and resources to get herself and her own family through the worst and shifted her practice to focus on supporting families through the same challenges. This combination of personal experiences and professional knowledge has led to her unique approach to addressing food allergy anxiety therapeutically.
