Food Allergy Support & Education (FASE) Program
Food Allergy Support and Education (FASE) Program educates and supports our patients and families affected by food protein-induced immune disorders. We focus in particular on patients and families affected by IgE-mediated food allergy, but also food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) and eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE).
We aim to help patients and their families gain a more complete understanding of food allergy, and how they can live successfully despite it.
FASE also has a large community outreach component, educating teachers and staff, daycare providers, camp counselors, and students about the seriousness of food allergy.
Services for Patients & Families
Lurie Children's FASE Events
Kids’ Food Allergy Hangouts
We host Kids’ Food Allergy Hangouts that give children with food allergy opportunities to be with other children who share their experiences.
Join FASE for our upcoming virtual event: Kids’ Food Allergy Hangouts. This event will take place on Monday, July 11, 2022 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This event's target audience is children ages 6-12.
Managing Food Allergy-Related Anxiety
We offer an event for patients and friends of Lurie Children's about managing food allergy-related anxiety.
The meetings are held virtually. Upcoming dates TBA.
Virtual Informational Meetings
FASE offers topic-based workshops on issues such as back to school, traveling, parental anxiety, holiday preparation, current food allergy research and more. FASE also offers guest speakers and joint events with other food allergy support services.
Upcoming dates TBA.
Essentials of Food Allergy Workshops for Caregivers
Our Essentials of Food Allergy Workshops are available to all Lurie Children’s Allergy and Immunology patients and friends of Lurie Children’s.
The meetings are held virtually. Upcoming dates TBA.
During the meetings we review:
- The basic science of an allergic reaction
- Food allergy avoidance
- Emergency health care plans
- When and how to use injectable epinephrine
- Common emotions and social challenges that a family may encounter
Support Between Appointments
We also provide over-the-phone support for patients and families who would like to touch base with us between their yearly appointments.
Program Leadership
The FASE Program is led by Sarah Boudreau-Romano, MD. Dr. Boudreau-Romano is an attending in the Division of Allergy and Immunology and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She has four children, three of whom have food protein induced immune disorders. This background has provided her with both professional knowledge and personal experience to share with patients and their families. In 2012, she started the blog The Allergist Mom to support and educate families of children with food allergies.