"The emergence of biologics has really significantly transformed the management of these patients for me." — Dr. Yvonne Chan When it comes to nasal polyps, the landscape is shifting fast. On this episode of The Allergist, Dr. Mariam Hanna is joined by otolaryngologist Dr. Yvonne Chan to talk about how biologics, surgery, and multidisciplinary care …

"We are all learning and we are all teaching." – Dr. Lori Connors What makes a great medical educator—and how do you actually become one? On this episode, Dr. Mariam Hanna is joined by Dr. Lori Connors, an allergist, seasoned teacher, and newly appointed Associate Dean of Continuing Professional Development and Medical Education at Dalhousie Univer…

“We need time to fix our time problem. And we can get stuck in this loop where we’re like, ‘I have no time to find time to make time to fix time.’” – Dr. Scott Cameron Is your schedule running you—or are you running your schedule? On this episode of The Allergist, Dr. Mariam Hanna is joined by pediatric allergist and clinical immunologist Dr. Scott…

"The key to the diagnosis of these disorders is the suspicion of these disorders." — Dr. Luis Murguia Favela Immune dysregulation isn’t just about infections—autoimmunity, inflammation, and even malignancy can be clues that something deeper is at play. With over 500 known inborn errors of immunity, allergists are increasingly on the front lines of …

“Most penicillin allergy labels are not indicative of any meaningful penicillin allergic reaction, and the vast majority can be de-labelled with direct oral challenges of amoxicillin." — Dr. Kimberly Blumenthal Penicillin allergy is one of the most commonly reported drug allergies—but here’s the twist: most people who carry this label aren’t actual…

"We use thresholds every day without even thinking about it. When we do a food challenge in our office, whether we know it or not, we're relying on the fact that there is a threshold for every patient. Some are going to be on the first dose, some are going to be at the last. And that's just part of what a threshold is." – Dr. Doug Mack Food allergi…

"Although omalizumab is not a cure, it's a major step forward for patients as the first monoclonal antibody or biologic therapy to become FDA-approved to treat food allergy." — Dr. Brian Vickery Is omalizumab set to change the food allergy landscape? And how should clinicians use it in practice? On this episode of The Allergist, Dr. Mariam Hanna si…

"I think that asthma’s at a great time right now for some really cool interventions moving ahead that can maybe make big differences in our patients’ lives." —Dr. William Anderson On this episode of The Allergist, Dr. Mariam Hanna is joined by Dr. William Anderson to explore one of the most pressing and evolving questions in asthma care: remission.…

“I do think it's important that we understand that not all the foods are the same, and I think anyone who's seen patients in clinics understands this.” – Dr. Edwin Kim Could sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) be the peanut allergy solution allergists have been waiting for? In this episode, Dr. Mariam Hanna welcomes Dr. Edwin Kim, Division Chief of Ped…

This is an encore presentation of our most downloaded episode of 2024. “Early introduction is the time-proven and research-proven prevention target for every child and every food.” -- Prof. Jonathan Hourihane Venture into the evolving landscape of food allergy management as Dr. Mariam Hanna welcomes Professor Jonathan Hourihane, a leading figure in…

“If that medicine is associated with fear of an injection, then we are giving the impression that a diagnosis of food allergy is worse than a life sentence.” — Dr. Paul Turner When it comes to managing anaphylaxis, epinephrine is the gold standard. But even with its life-saving potential, misconceptions abound, and newer delivery methods like nasal…

"Plastic has been found everywhere—lungs, breast milk, liver, spleen, placenta, even blood." – Dr. Magdalena Zemelka-Wiecek Every week, we’re ingesting the equivalent of a credit card’s worth of plastic—through food, water, and even the air we breathe. In this episode, Dr. Mariam Hanna speaks with Dr. Magdalena Zemelka-Wiecek, associate professor o…

“I do not think families typically should be getting rid of pets if they're having symptoms. There are very, very well tolerated medications that we can use. We can use desensitization therapy with immunotherapy, and I think that's the discussion that should revolve around how to manage these.” — Dr. Shahzad Mustafa For many, pets are like family, …

“A lot of people are either being diagnosed or self-diagnosing (with MCAS), I would say somewhat inappropriately, without any actual evidence of mast cell activation. We're seeing it more and more commonly.” -- Dr. Tim Olynych On this episode of The Allergist, Dr. Mariam Hanna teams up with Dr. Timothy Olynych, a clinical immunologist and allergist…

“Introduce those allergens early, diversify that microbiome, and don't let fear rule you.” -- Dr. Priya Bansal On this episode of The Allergist, Dr. Mariam Hanna teams up with Dr. Priya Bansal, a triple board-certified allergist, to tackle the challenges of managing food allergies and the anxiety that often comes with them. Together, they walk thro…

“A desensitization is really the assumption that they're allergic. It's not a test, it's not a test dose, it's not a graded challenge. A desensitization is the assumption or the confirmation that they are truly allergic to this drug.” -- Dr. Christine Song Managing drug allergies can be a delicate balancing act, especially when life-saving medicati…

“Don't give a bad antihistamine masking as a sedative. If a person truly needs help with their sleep, then give them a proper sedative.” -- Dr. Marcus Maurer As allergy seasons ebb and flow, there’s one drug that maintains its place in household medicine cabinets: Benadryl. On this episode, Dr. Mariam Hanna sits down with Dr. Stuart Carr, Chief Med…

"History, history, skin test or serum IgE, and then consider doing the other test just to round out your testing until you're sure you've detected everything you need to detect.” -- Dr. David Golden As the leaves begin to fall, and the wasps begin to invade every patio lunch, Dr. Mariam Hanna sits down with Dr. David Golden, a leading expert on ven…

“FPIES is real, both acute and chronic FPIES. It's not a myth, and it can be an allergic emergency.” -- Dr. Nowak-Wegrzyn Join Dr. Mariam Hanna for a comprehensive discussion on Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES) with Dr. Anna Nowak-Wegrzyn, a leading expert in pediatric allergy and immunology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Dr…

“I feel like the term "immunity debt" has become fashionable but has lost all its meaning for me." -- Dr. Samira Jeimy Join Dr. Mariam Hanna for a deep dive into secondary immunodeficiencies with Dr. Samira Jeimy, an assistant professor in the Division of Clinical Immunology and Allergy at Western University. Dr. Jeimy shares her extensive knowledg…

“HAE is a different disease than it was because of the advancement of treatments…make sure that you're offering the best form of therapy available to patients and their families.” -- Dr. Stephen Betschel Join Dr. Mariam Hanna in an enlightening conversation with Dr. Stephen Betschel, an associate professor in the Department of Medicine and Clinical…

“It's important to recognize that fresh fruits and vegetables can cause local reactions in the mouth and gut. But if they're not causing symptoms of a more severe allergic reaction, don't panic. Chances are good that this is not something that's going to lead to more worrisome features.” -- Dr. Anne Ellis Dr. Mariam Hanna sits down with Dr. Anne El…

“I'm still getting told from families and other physicians that you can't make a diagnosis of asthma until they're six. Why? Why is this still happening? We can diagnose preschoolers with asthma.” -- Dr. Tiffany Wong Join Dr. Mariam Hanna as she sits down with Dr. Tiffany Wong who pushes back on the persistent and unfounded skepticism about whether…

“When you fly, the flight attendant is always telling you, put on your oxygen mask first before you help somebody else. And it's so true. We’re way more efficient in a clinic setting when we have taken care of ourselves.” -- Dr. Maureen Petersen Dr. Mariam Hanna sits down with Dr. Maureen Petersen, a pediatric allergist and immunologist from North …

“I felt I was actually controlling my condition. It wasn't controlling me.” -- Patient of Dr. Philippe Begin Join Dr. Mariam Hanna as she sits down with Dr. Philippe Begin, a renowned expert in allergy and immunology from the University of Montreal. They dive into the complexities of adult food allergies, distinguishing them from childhood allergie…

"Usually when patients have really strong feelings, what they're really trying to tell you is what their priorities are and what they are most afraid of" -- Dr. Michael Cyr Join Dr. Mariam Hanna as she welcomes Dr. Michael Cyr, a leader in allergy and clinical immunology, to explore the vital role of shared decision-making in the modern practice. O…

“Early introduction is the time-proven and research-proven prevention target for every child and every food.” -- Prof. Jonathan Hourihane Venture into the evolving landscape of food allergy management as Dr. Mariam Hanna welcomes Professor Jonathan Hourihane, a leading figure in pediatric allergy and immunotherapy from the Royal College of Surgeons…

“I guarantee you, within the next five years or within my lifetime, there may be a permanent solution to a lot of medical conditions including (asthma)." -- Dr. Jason Lee Asthma remains a formidable foe, particularly when it escalates to its severe form. This episode of "The Allergist," Dr. Mariam Hanna, explores the complexities of severe asthma a…

“(Urticaria) is not an allergic condition, it's an autoimmune condition, one. Two, it's not dangerous, but it can last long. Three, we have very good strategies to control it.” - Dr. Moshe Ben-shoshan Hives are probably one of the most misunderstood rashes by the general public. Hives are not life-threatening, but they're debilitating. They're not …

“Worst allergy season ever? Might not be an exaggeration for that patient.” -- Dr. Adam Byrne On this episode, Dr. Mariam Hanna is joined by Dr. Adam Byrne, an expert allergist and clinical immunologist, to unravel the complex relationship between climate change and allergic diseases. Dr. Byrne sheds light on how rising global temperatures, increas…

“Food allergy tests are not screening tests…I will pause for dramatic effect…Food allergy tests are not screening tests.” Dr. David Stukus Dr. Mariam Hanna is joined by Dr. David Stukus, a leading pediatric allergist and clinical immunologist from Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Together, they dive into the critical issues surroun…

“People think leadership has to be a loud person standing in front of everybody, declaring themselves the leader. Leadership isn't a dictatorship. Leadership is not always that loud person.” -- Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman On this episode of "The Allergist," we explore what leadership in medicine actually means with Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman, an accomplishe…

“We don't do any fresh food skin testing because they have not been validated. And we know, if we put food on skin, we may well get a positive test, but we have no idea how to interpret that. And I think that's really important.” -- Dr. Douglas Mack On this episode of "The Allergist," we're climbing the food ladder with Dr. Douglas Mack, a pediatri…

"Collaboration and communication is how we make change." - Dr. Victoria Cook Join Dr. Mariam Hanna in a fast paced conversation with Dr. Victoria Cook, a trailblazer in Quality Improvement, as they discuss how QI is not just reshaping patient care but also revitalizing the healthcare workforce by mitigating burnout. On this episode: • Unveiling the…

“We cannot be dogmatic about what we say about epinephrine…we need as a field to stop being so dogmatic and do more studies to understand." -- Dr. Matthew Greenhawt Join us on this eye-opening episode, where we explore the latest breakthroughs in allergy and immunology with Dr. Matthew Greenhawt as he walks us through the pivotal articles of 2023 t…

Happy New Year! We're taking a brief pause and will return with our next regularly scheduled podcast next week. We have some very exciting episodes lined up to kick off the new year. Our next full episode will be on January 9th, focusing on the top articles from 2023 that will change your practice. Following that, we'll explore the world of quality…

“Don't be afraid of using these disease modifying therapies. They're safe, they're effective, they will actually let you get away with using less medication.” -- Dr. Anne Ellis Venture into the realm of allergic rhinitis as Dr. Mariam Hanna welcomes Dr. Anne Ellis, co-author of the latest Canadian guidelines for this common condition. Together, the…

“The allergist has many important roles in the management of EoE patients in the multidisciplinary EoE team.” - Dr. Edmond Chan Join Dr. Mariam Hanna in an enlightening conversation with Dr. Edmond Chan, a leading voice in eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). Dive into the ever-evolving landscape of this intriguing condition and explore the latest in me…

“A patient does not need to avoid penicillin if a family member is allergic to penicillin.” Dr. Ana-Maria Copaescu Join Dr. Mariam Hanna along with expert allergy and immunology specialist Dr. Ana-Maria Copaescu on this episode of The Allergist, as they unravel the intricacies of penicillin allergy, a commonly misunderstood health concern. On this …

"I just would like to take this moment to be a bit smug about how the immune system is really the issue in many, many disorders, although it is not acknowledged as such. It's really all about the immune system." - Dr. Rae Brager Join Dr. Mariam Hanna as she delves into the intricate world of immunodeficiency with pediatric immunologist and allergis…

“Food allergies do not necessarily cause atopic dermatitis. but a compromised barrier function in the skin can lead to food allergies later on in life.” Dr. Vipul Jain Dive deep into the realm of skin health as Dr. Mariam Hanna sits down with Dr. Vipul Jain to untangle the intricacies of atopic dermatitis, commonly known as eczema, on this installm…

"If you're ever thinking, should I use epinephrine or should I not? The answer is always yes, you should use it. It's always safe and it may be life saving.” - Dr. Elissa Abrams Venture into the heart of anaphylaxis matters as Dr. Mariam Hanna welcomes Dr. Elissa Abrams, a recognized expert on severe allergic reactions. They dispel doubts, dismantl…

"If you're reaching for your blue inhaler twice a day, something's off." - Dr. Andrew O'Keefe As we navigate through peak asthma week, Dr. Mariam Hanna sits down with Dr. Andrew O'Keefe, a renowned allergist and clinical immunologist from St. John's, Newfoundland. Together, they dive deep into the myths and misunderstandings surrounding asthma and …

Ever feel like the world of allergy and immunology is changing just a bit too quickly? Welcome to your allergy lifeline..."The Allergist" podcast. A show that separates myth from medicine. Deciphering allergies and understanding the immune system. Hosted by Dr. Mariam Hanna, a pediatric allergist and the Pediatrics Section Advisor for the Canadian …