Children affected by allergies and complex immunologic disorders benefit from our specialists’ expertise because our doctors treat children and only children with these conditions.
At Children’s National, children affected by allergies and complex immunologic disorders benefit from our specialists’ expertise, because our doctors treat children and only children with these conditions.
Children’s National is unique in offering this focused specialization, a specialty not always available in other pediatric medical centers. The team ensures greater access for children and teens to pediatric experts in asthma and allergies, as well as primary (inherited) and secondary (acquired) immune system disorders.
Our allergy and immunology teams work together because the ways in which these conditions impact the body’s systems are similar. Our immunology team is a national leader in treating and managing primary immunodeficiencies in infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.
The team sees more than 1,500 children and teens annually with allergic disorders, including asthma, agammaglobulinemia, eczema atopic dermatitis, and hives. The team has expertise in food allergies, including IgE-mediated food allergy, gastrointestinal food allergy, and eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders.
Food allergies are a growing public health problem and affect up to 8 percent of U.S. children, says Linda Herbert, Ph.D., director of the Psychosocial Clinical Program at Children's National. Children can be allergic to a wide range of foods and exposure to just a small amount of a food allergen can be life-threatening. Click through our quick quiz to learn strategies parents can use to help tamp down their teen’s anxieties about food.
For children with severe immunodeficiencies requiring hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, Children's National immunologists are also members of the Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation who will direct care through both divisions.
If your child is an existing patient, you can schedule their appointments online through the MyChildrensNational patient portal. Learn more information about the patient portal and how to sign up.
Our team is standing by to schedule your child’s in-person appointment or procedure.
Call 1-888-884-BEAR (2327) to schedule.
Nina, an 18-year-old high school senior and competitive swimmer, is among a growing group of adolescents with a food allergy.
Hemant Sharma Division Chief, Allergy and ImmunologyDirector, Food Allergy Program
Ammara Ahmed Allergist, Immunologist
Joel Brooks Allergist Immunologist
Amaziah Coleman Allergist
Suzanne Kochis AllergistImmunologist
Adora Lin Allergist
William Sheehan Allergist
Vanessa Bundy Immunologist
Michael Keller Co-Director, Translational Research LaboratoryDirector, Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic and Research Center for Primary Immunodeficiency DisordersImmunologist
Naynesh Kamani Pediatric Hematologist Immunologist
Anna Sprunger Physician Assistant
Linda Herbert Director, Psychosocial Clinical Program, Allergy and ImmunologyPsychologist
Ashley Ramos Psychologist
Olivia Ackerman Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Lisa Hiers Family Nurse Practitioner