Allergy and Immunology

Curriculum

In the allergy clinics, the fellows evaluate ample numbers of patients of all ages and who have a spectrum of allergic disorders including mild to severe asthma, allergic rhinitis, occupational asthma, urticaria, drug and venom hypersensitivity, food allergy, eczema and eosinophilic disorders. The allergy medical history and clinical exam are recorded on standardized forms that capture all familial and environmental predisposing factors.

Allergy Clinic

Eosinophilia Clinic

Food Allergy Program (Peanut OIT Standardization Clinic)

Drug Allergy Program

Penicillin Allergy Testing Services

Adult Immune Deficiency Program and Clinic

Eczema Clinic in collaboration with the Eczema Center

Over the last decade, an unprecedented number of allergic patients have presented to Cincinnati Children’s with recurrent gastrointestinal complaints and are eventually diagnosed with an eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorder (EGID). This coincides with a flurry of articles published on these diseases. Accordingly, a multi-disciplinary team of health care providers (including allergists, gastroenterologists, pathologists, research scientists, biostatisticians, epidemiologists and nutritionists) collaborated to found the Cincinnati Center for Eosinophilic Disorders (CCED). By working together in synergy, this team aims to understand the pathogenesis and best treatment strategy for EGID.

The CCED currently sees three to five new patients per week and has become an international leader in caring for these patients and researching these diseases. The CCED receives a growing number of domestic and international patients. In fact, the CCED has not only become a regional referral center, but also a center where patients are being referred to from all over the world. The CCED has seen patients from Canada, Australia, Europe, Israel and China, among other countries. Accordingly, the CCED receives daily inquiries from patients that are interested in coming to Cincinnati Children's for evaluation and treatment of their chronic medical problems. Several families have even moved to the region because of the quality care that the CCED provides.

All Allergy / Immunology fellows on the clinical service rotate in a diagnostic immunology laboratory located at either Cincinnati Children's or UC Medical Center, where they receive instruction on methods and interpretation of cellular proliferation, flow cytometry and multiplex assays of cultures.

The Allergy / Immunology fellows acquire unique exposure to IgE- and non-IgE-mediated adverse reactions to foods. Patients are referred to the Food Allergy Program from the regions surrounding the hospital and from around the country. The multidisciplinary team includes allergy / immunology, nutrition, nursing and education. Patients are accurately phenotyped using a standardized medical history and physical examination form. The clinic conducts a large number of oral food challenges, averaging two-three per week and thereby providing a unique experience for the fellows.

The Primary Immunodeficiency and Histiocytosis Program receives a large variety of national and international referrals to the clinics enhance the clinical experience of the trainees. In addition, the rarity and complexity of these disorders have led to novel research projects conducted by fellows. The diagnoses evaluated and followed by the fellows in the outpatient immunodeficiency clinics at Cincinnati Children's cover the entire spectrum of rare congenital immunodeficiencies, including several in which our center has developed unique expertise (e.g. hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and X-linked Lymphoproliferative (XLP) disorders).