Pediatric Allergy & Immunology

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The Division of Allergy and Immunology at Lurie Children’s treats more children for allergies and asthma than any other hospital in Illinois. Our allergists and immunologists are leaders in their field, having worked with national organizations to improve the understanding and care of food allergies, pediatric asthma, and immune deficiencies.

Our food allergy team performs cutting-edge food allergy diagnoses and treatment. The state-of-the-art Oral Food Challenge (OFC) / Oral Immunotherapy (OIT) Unit at Lurie Children’s Hospital opened in January 2021. This unit is used for patients being seen for oral food challenges or oral immunotherapy visits only, allowing the physicians, advanced nurse practitioners and nurses to dedicate their full attention to the patients. Our specialists perform 350 or more oral food challenges each year, far more than most other pediatric hospitals. 

We also have a program where we treat food allergies in infants, as well as promote early introduction of peanut in children at risk to prevent the development of peanut allergy. This includes both clinical visits as well as the opportunities to participate in research.

Our doctors also work with gastroenterologists to provide multidisciplinary care for eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases.

Our division has been involved in NIH-funded research in urban populations, and research in severe asthma for more than 30 years. We currently have studies looking at novel treatments for severe asthma, treating asthma in urban children with recurrent asthma flares, understanding the different types of asthma, and studies looking at the prevention of asthma in at-risk children. We have an active clinical program providing guidelines-based care, as well with state-of-the-art treatment, and use of novel biologic therapies for controlling asthma in our patients. Our division also partners in the high risk asthma clinic for patients along with pulmonary medicine.

Lurie Children’s has the most comprehensive program in the Chicago area to evaluate primary immune deficiencies. Our program is one of 125 globally recognized Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic Centers for Primary Immune Deficiencies, that is dedicated to improving the awareness, early detection and treatment of these serious conditions.

Lurie Children’s also provides comprehensive treatment to patients with immune deficiencies with outpatient treatments in the Ambulatory Infusion Center or definitive therapy via stem cell transplantation. Lurie Children’s has a Severe Immunodeficiency Stem Cell Transplant Program made up of physicians and nurse practitioners from the stem cell transplantation and allergy and immunology specialties. This program is part of the Primary Immune Deficiency Transplant Consortium, a research consortium that evaluates the most effective methods to treat primary immunodeficiency diseases through transplantation, gene therapy or enzyme replacement.

Although most of these diseases are rare, our primary immune deficiencies team cares for 340 patients annually. Because these conditions are often inherited, our team provides genetic screening of patients’ close family members and works with genetics experts at Lurie Children’s to provide genetic counseling.


Our Programs

In addition to caring for children with general allergies, we offer these specialized programs: 

Conditions We Treat

Our pediatric specialists provide thorough evaluation and comprehensive treatment for various allergies and immunology-related conditions.  

We have created specialized programs to care for:

View a list of conditions

Make an Appointment

We offer easy online scheduling for your child's allergy and immunology needs. 

Telemedicine Appointments

To help adapt to the changing needs of our community, the Division of Allergy & Immunology now offers Telemedicine visits. You can see our knowledgeable providers from the comfort of your home. We are able to evaluate your child for most concerns, including asthma/breathing issues, environmental allergies, food allergies, medication reactions, and skin problems such as eczema or hives. The advice you receive can help improve your child's symptoms and health immediately. Call 312.227.6010 with questions or to schedule your Telemedicine video visit.

Resources

Our team offers a variety of helpful and physician-recommended resources about allergies and immunology.

Research

Physicians and scientists in our division conduct many research studies in patients that evaluate the effectiveness of new treatments. These clinical trials give your child the chance to take part in groundbreaking research that is improving the treatment of asthma, food allergies and primary immunodeficiencies. 

Our researchers also conduct translational, or “bench to bedside,” research. For example, Lurie Children’s Food Allergy Program is performing laboratory studies exploring how food allergies develop and how a person can develop a tolerance to food allergies. Our investigators also collaborate with food allergy researchers at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Through research and education, the Food Allergy Program seeks to improve the lives of children and families affected by food allergy.

Fellowships

Keeping with our belief that quality education is inseparable from our quality patient care, we partner with Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine to train tomorrow’s leading pediatric physicians. As the pediatric teaching hospital for the Feinberg School, we offer several opportunities for residents to further their education in a pediatric specialty. Review the Feinberg School’s information to learn how to apply for a fellowship with the Division of Allergy and Immunology.

Philanthropy

Your support is vital in helping us continue to make a difference in the lives of patients and families. Lurie Children's relies on philanthropic funding to enhance its programs, services and research for children. To learn more, please e-mail the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago Foundation at foundation@luriechildrens.org or call 312.227.7500