Our Impact
Under the direction of Drew Bird, M.D., the Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology in the Department of Internal Medicine and the Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology in the Department of Pediatrics work as one team. While administratively separate, the two allergy and immunology divisions function as one, blending teaching, clinical care, and research.
Examples of our recent impact include:
- Food allergy therapeutics: We participated in national and international clinical trials that directly contributed to the FDA approval of two therapies for food allergy and the first therapy for eosinophilic esophagitis.
- Collaborative research: We are leaders in multicenter initiatives such as the Food Allergy Collaborative of Texas and Arkansas and the Southwest FPIES Consortium, now the largest FPIES registry worldwide.
- Integration of diagnostics and genetics: Our partnership with Jeffrey SoRelle, M.D., brings state-of-the-art molecular diagnostics, genetics, and biomarker discovery into routine research and clinical care.
- Drug allergy expansion: We evaluated more than 295 patients and performed 222 drug challenges in the past year, increasing access to safe and accurate diagnosis.
- Immunology research and care: We have ongoing studies in primary immunodeficiency, including work on 22q11.2 deletion, IFN-γ signaling defects, and genetic diagnosis, supported by the Jeffrey Modell Foundation.
- Access to care: We’re launching a dedicated immunology clinic in Plano in 2025 to meet growing patient demand.
2024 Impact
- By the Numbers
By the Numbers
Faculty
- 16 faculty
Clinical
- 5 clinical sites
- 10 physicians, 3 APPs
- 7,195 outpatient encounters
- 100 inpatient encounters
Education
- 5 fellows; rotating residents and students
Research
- 1 active award
- $404,162 total funding from grants (FY25)
- 7 active clinical trials
- $599,331 revenue from clinical trials (FY25)
- 30 publications
- 918 citations
- Honors and Awards
Honors and Awards
D Magazine Best Doctors
Texas Super Doctors
Texas Super Doctors Rising Stars
- Other Honors
Other Honors
- FARE Clinical Network Discovery Center of Distinction (2020-2025)
- AAP Section on Allergy and Immunology, Chair – Andrew Bird (2023-2027)
- Texas Stock Epinephrine Advisory Committee Chair – Andrew Bird (2020-2024)
- 2024 Top 20% of reviewers for JACI: In Practice for 2024 – Christopher Parrish
- 2024 Outstanding Reviewer Award JACI: In Practice – Timothy Chow
- Top Conference Presentation Locations
Top Conference Presentation Locations
- AAAAI Annual Meeting
- ACAAI Annual Scientific Meeting
- AAP National Conference and Exhibition
- Top Peer-Reviewed Publications and Book Chapters
Top Peer-Reviewed Publications and Book Chapters
Wood RA, Togias A, Sicherer SH, Shreffler WG, Kim EH, Jones SM, Leung DYM, Vickery BP, Bird JA, Spergel JM, Iqbal A, Olsson J, Ligueros-Saylan M, Uddin A, Calatroni A, Huckabee CM, Rogers NH, Yovetich N, Dantzer J, Mudd K, Wang J, Groetch M, Pyle D, Keet CA, Kulis M, Sindher SB, Long A, Scurlock AM, Lanser BJ, Lee T, Parrish C, Brown-Whitehorn T, Spergel AKR, Veri M, Hamrah SD, Brittain E, Poyser J, Wheatley LM, Chinthrajah RS. Omalizumab for the Treatment of Multiple Food Allergies. N Engl J Med. 2024 Mar 7;390(10):889-899. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2312382. Epub 2024 Feb 25. PMID: 38407394; PMCID: PMC11193494.
Kim EH, Bird JA, Keet CA, Virkud YV, Herlihy L, Ye P, Smeekens JM, Guo R, Yue X, Penumarti A, Qaqish B, Li Q, Kulis MD, Burks AW. Desensitization and remission after peanut sublingual immunotherapy in 1- to 4-year-old peanut-allergic children: A randomized, placebo-controlled trial. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2024 Jan;153(1):173-181.e10. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2023.08.032. Epub 2023 Oct 10. PMID: 37815782; PMCID: PMC10872748.
Accarino JJO, Chow TG, Ramsey A, Rukasin CRF, Gonzalez-Estrada A, Liu AY, Khan DA, Blumenthal KG; US Drug Allergy Registry Study Team. A Guide to Pediatric Antibiotic Allergy Testing: A Report From the US Drug Allergy Registry. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2025 May;13(5):1018-1026.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2024.12.036. Epub 2025 Jan 2. PMID: 39755272.
Jackson DJ, Bacharier LB, Gergen PJ, Gagalis L, Calatroni A, Wellford S, Gill MA, Stokes J, Liu AH, Gruchalla RS, Cohen RT, Makhija M, Khurana Hershey GK, O'Connor GT, Pongracic JA, Sherenian MG, Rivera-Spoljaric K, Zoratti EM, Teach SJ, Kattan M, Dutmer CM, Kim H, Lamm C, Sheehan WJ, Segnitz RM, Dill-McFarland KA, Visness CM, Becker PM, Gern JE, Sorkness CA, Busse WW, Altman MC; US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease's Inner City Asthma Consortium. Mepolizumab for urban children with exacerbation-prone eosinophilic asthma in the USA (MUPPITS-2): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial. Lancet. 2022 Aug 13;400(10351):502-511. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)01198-9. PMID: 35964610; PMCID: PMC9623810.
Khan DA, Banerji A, Blumenthal KG, et al. Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters Reviewers. Drug allergy: A 2022 practice parameter update. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2022 Dec;150(6):1333-1393. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2022.08.028. Epub 2022 Sep 17. PMID: 36122788.