An Inside Look at FARE’s Pediatric Food Allergy Course: Interviews with Four Recent Graduates

Please share about your experience in the course.

The course structure was very accessible, with both morning and afternoon sessions. At the time, I was growing my practice and also working in K-12 school food service, where food allergy management was a central responsibility.

Many participants also worked in K-12 settings, which led to interesting conversations centered on safety and parental anxiety. With fewer private practice dietitians in my cohort, I was able to compare institutional approaches with more individualized models of food allergy care.

The instructors, Carina and Marion, delivered engaging, well-organized modules using a mix of live lectures, recorded content, research articles, and downloadable presentations. The material was highly applicable and immediately transferable to both my K-12 work and my private practice.

Have you implemented any changes in your practice since completing the course?

Since completing the course, I have implemented more structured, evidence-based interventions for a wider range of allergic conditions, particularly non-IgE-mediated food allergies. The course strengthened my counseling approach by helping me better differentiate diagnosis-driven nutrition strategies and apply them confidently in practice.

As my private practice has expanded, I now use this framework to guide clinical decision-making across my team and to mentor dietetic interns seeking specialized food allergy experience. Overall, the course enhanced my ability to deliver consistent, high-quality care across both IgE- and non-IgE-mediated allergic conditions.

Are there any FARE resources you find particularly valuable in your practice? 

I regularly use several FARE resources in my practice. Health Professional’s Guide to Nutrition Management of Food Allergies, authored by Carina Venter, PhD, RD, Marion Groetch, MS, RDN, Dr. James, and Dr. Sicherer, has been an invaluable reference in my private practice and is one I return to often for evidence-based guidance.

I also frequently work with clients who are preparing for college, and FARE’s College Search Tool and College Search FAQs are resources I routinely share to help families navigate food allergy accommodations in higher education.

Additionally, I refer clients to FARE’s website for practical tools such as downloadable chef cards in multiple languages, which are especially helpful when traveling, as well as information on 504 plans and emergency action plans. The Spanish resources on FARE’s site have also been particularly valuable when supporting families who work with Spanish-speaking childcare providers.

Is there anything else you would like to share regarding your experience or insights?

This course deepened my clinical confidence and reinforced the importance of accessible, evidence-based food allergy education across care settings. I am grateful for the opportunity to apply what I learned directly in my work with children, adults, and families.

Could you describe your personal connection to food allergies?

I developed several allergies in childhood, including reactions to bees, fish, and multiple antibiotics. My child also experienced several non-IgE-mediated food allergies, which were later outgrown. While working in a mother and child hospital, I witnessed many babies and children struggling with food allergies. These personal and professional experiences have given me deep empathy for individuals and families living with allergies and have strongly shaped my passion for allergy care.

Please share about your experience in the course.

The course was empowering and confidence-building. Learning from professors Carina Venter, PhD, RD, and Marion Groetch, MS, RDN, was truly inspiring. Their expertise, accessibility, and mentorship made a lasting impression. The course deepened my understanding of allergy prevention and management and motivated me to further support under-resourced patients. This passion led me to coordinate a successful fundraiser for the allergy clinic. 

Are there any FARE resources you find particularly valuable in your practice?

As I transition into private practice, the practical and reliable resources available on the FARE website will allow me to provide consistent, accessible education to individuals, families, and caregivers. 

Is there anything else you would like to share?

Although I left the public service in 2025, my passion for allergy care and for supporting underprivileged communities continues to guide my work. I continue to apply the valuable knowledge gained from this course, prioritising evidence-based education for both patients and healthcare professionals. I also hope to pursue future fundraising initiatives to support underprivileged patients and improve access to quality allergy care.

Could you describe your personal connection to food allergies?

As a child, and even now as an adult, I struggled with environmental allergies and had experienced anaphylaxis. As someone who loves food and works within food, nutrition, and feeding, early on in my career I had deep empathy for those who had to live with a similar fear of anaphylaxis when it came to every meal that they eat. Considering how nutritionally relevant food allergies are and how much they impact the quality of life of the children and families we serve, I felt naturally drawn to the food allergy community. I felt like it was an area that I could make big impact in and advocate for helping children and families with food allergies live their fullest lives. 

What motivated you to enroll in the Pediatric Food Allergy Course?

I had the pleasure of being one of the first few cohorts enrolled in the pediatric food allergy course and ever since then I jokingly say I’ve been one of its biggest cheerleaders and advocates. Having worked primarily in a specialty of pediatric gastroenterology, I would see a lot of patients and families who would have concerns regarding food allergies versus food intolerances, and what this course gave me was a stronger understanding of the differences between the two, the different variations that we can see in practice, and more confidence to provide tailored and evidence-based counseling to these families. This course was exactly what I needed to feel more confident navigating these various clinical scenarios.

Have you implemented any changes in your practice since completing the course?

Completing this course really gave me a lot more confidence in supporting patients with food allergies and food intolerances and knowing when it’s time to refer out for further help. A common scenario that many pediatric dietitians face is when families may come in with a list of forbidden foods that is 3 feet long and knowing how to walk through that list and take an allergy-focused nutritional intake to discern what is and isn’t likely a food allergy or intolerance is an enormous huge skill set. I’ve also found myself trying to educate other colleagues, even outside of the food allergy setting, to embrace elements of the allergy-focused nutritional intake, because even if you don’t work specifically in the specialty of food allergy, any patient can be a food allergy patient. As nutrition and feeding experts, it’s our jobs to advocate for the best care that we can provide for patients of various medical backgrounds and needs.

Could you describe your personal connection to food allergies?

To be honest, there is no one in my family who suffers from food allergies. My youngest son has asthma. But I constantly knew and felt what life is like with restrictions, avoidance, when everyone around can eat or do something and you can't. Therefore, after hearing about "milk ladder» for the first time at the EAACI congress, I understood that this is the only way out for such children and their parents to be "like everyone else". Eat like everyone else, play like everyone else and have no restrictions. Therefore, it became my main love and goal - to enable children with food allergies to have a full life. I feel the happiest when my patients send me photos of children who were allergic to milk eating ice cream or cake.

Please share about your experience in the course.

Studying at FARE was incredible! Everything is very well thought out and convenient so that learning is easy and the information provided is as complete as possible. Thanks to Carina Venter, PhD, RD, and Marion Groetch, MS, RDN, Dr. Maureen Bauer, Dr. Dave Stukus, Dr. Antonella Cianferoni, and Dr. Anna Nowak-Wegrzyn. 

The information was presented as clearly as possible, there were many explanations and very interesting clinical cases, with the help of which the understanding of the material was better and more accessible. Also, the information was comprehensive after the possibility of additional reading of articles on the topic.

Are there any FARE resources you find particularly valuable in your practice? 

Yes, I am happy to watch the lectures from the training course as well as all available training videos on the platform. 

Is there anything else you would like to share regarding your experience or insights?

So far, I do not have much experience in OFC and OIT, but I really want to point out that the life of children with food allergies is very difficult. This is a constant limitation, this is avoidance and fears, these are warning labels that mislead very often, these are eating disorders of course. And by receiving the knowledge of such leading experts who are in FARE, doctors have the opportunity to learn and make the lives of children and adults better and happier. 

I would also like to point out that immunonutrition is the part of allergology and food allergy that is intensively developing, but I am confident that it is our future.  I am confident that only by making our diet anti-inflammatory can we achieve the same success as using anti-inflammatory drugs and prevent the development of atopy. I am sure that we are what we eat!