Speaker Spotlight

Dr. Akin is a clinical professor of Medicine at the Division of Allergy and Immunology at University of Michigan. He completed his Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Louisville, and Allergy and Immunology Fellowship at the NIAID, NIH, where he remained as a Staff Clinician doing translational research on mast cell disorders and anaphylaxis. He was then an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan, and an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, before moving back to the University of Michigan. He served on the AAAAI Board of Directors between 2022-2026. He has more than 200 publications, including original research papers, review articles and book chapters. 

Dr. Bacharier is the Janie Robinson and John Moore Lee Chair in Pediatrics, Professor in Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Section Chief of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, Scientific Director of the Center for Clinical and Translational Research and Director of the Center for Pediatric Asthma Research. Dr. Bacharier is a pediatric allergist/immunologist with extensive experience in pediatric asthma research, particularly clinical trials. He has led and participated in multiple federally-funded multicenter clinical trials in childhood asthma. He has over 350 peer-reviewed manuscripts derived from these projects. He is the sole American pediatrician on the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) Science Committee, President-Elect of the AAAAI, an Associate Editor for The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology as well as Editor of the 2 leading textbooks in the field of Allergy and Immunology.

Dr. Banerji is a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Director of Leadership and Mentorship in the Center for Academic Development and Enrichment at MGB and Co-Director of the MGB ELEVATE Leadership program. She was previously the Clinical Director of the MGH Allergy and Immunology Unit and Fellowship Program Director at MGH. Dr. Banerji established the Drug Allergy and Desensitization Program at MGH and is co-author of the Drug Allergy Practice Parameters. Dr. Banerji has also participated as an investigator on 20+ clinical trials in HAE and helped create guidelines to improve the management of patients with HAE.  

Alan Baptist is a Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and is the Division Head of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at Henry Ford Health. Dr Baptist obtained his medical degree from Loyola University of Chicago and a Master of Public Health degree from Wayne State University. He completed his internship, residency, and fellowship at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He was a member of the NIH 2020 Asthma Guidelines Update Committee. He is the founder and director of the Henry Ford Health Comprehensive Asthma Program. He has published over 100 articles, primarily dealing with asthma. 

Dr. Jonathan A. Bernstein is a Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and a nationally recognized leader in allergy and immunology. He serves as Director of Clinical Research in the Division of Immunology and leads multiple Centers of Excellence focused on urticaria, angioedema, mast cell disorders, anaphylaxis, and atopic dermatitis. A past President of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, he has authored more than 560 peer-reviewed publications (h-index 75) and served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Asthma. His research spans asthma, chronic urticaria, hereditary angioedema, environmental exposures, and mast cell diseases. 

Michael S. Blaiss, MD, is a clinical professor in the division of allergy-immunology, at Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia, and allergist at Good Samaritan Health Center of Gwinnett in Norcross, Georgia. He received his medical degree from the University of Tennessee Center for Health Sciences and did pediatrics at University of Tennessee/Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center in Memphis and completed a fellowship in allergy/immunology at Ochsner Medical Foundation in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was a Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine and was training director for the Pediatric Allergy/Immunology program at Tennessee.

He is past president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. He served as Executive Medical Director of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, and Treasurer of the American Board of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Also, he is a past member of the Board of Directors of the World Allergy Organization and past president of both the Tennessee and Louisiana Societies of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles and spoke at over 500 national and international medical meeting on allergy related topics.

Kimberly Blumenthal, MD, MSc is an allergist/immunologist and Clinician Investigator at the Mayo Clinic and Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. Dr. Blumenthal performs clinical and population drug and vaccine allergy research. She is internationally recognized for identifying the morbidity and mortality associated with unverified penicillin allergies and creating innovative approaches to the evaluation of penicillin and cephalosporin antibiotic allergies across different patient settings. Dr. Blumenthal has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications including high-impact manuscripts in journals such as NEJM, Lancet, JAMA, and the BMJ. 

John V. Bosso, MD, allergist/immunologist and clinical professor, serves as medical director of the Aspirin Exacerbated Respiratory Disease (AERD or Samter’s triad) Center and director of the OTO-Allergy Clinic at Penn Medicine. He is one of the country’s most experienced AERD super-specialists with over 30 years of expertise in managing this challenging condition. He was one of the first Allergy/Immunology fellows to learn the techniques of aspirin desensitization and has subsequently successfully desensitized over 1,000 AERD patients in his career. 

In addition to his practice, he has published extensively on the topic. His current research focuses on potential causes, molecular mechanisms and treatments of AERD. He has spoken at national otorhinolaryngology and allergy/immunology meetings and served on AERD expert panels. In addition, he is a proud supporter of the Samter’s Society, a support group for AERD sufferers. Dr. Bosso is a fellow of the American Academy of Allergy (FAAAAI), Asthma and Immunology, American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (FACAAI) and College of Physicians of Philadelphia (FCPP).

Dr. Bukstein is a board-certified allergist/ immunologist and pediatric pulmonologist. He holds hospital staff appointments at St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center, in Madison and Waukesha Memorial Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He worked as a pediatric intensive care physician for 17 years at St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center. He has been active in resident education and was an Assistant professor of Family Practice and pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin for over 30 years. He serves as a fellow of the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology; the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology; and the American Thoracic Society. Dr. Bukstein is considered a national expert in using clinical outcomes for managed care. He has had numerous articles published in peer-reviewed journals, including The American Journal of Managed Care, Allergy, Pediatrics, and Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management. He also gives approximately 50 presentations annually at national and international meetings. These presentations have focused on allergic disease, asthma, quality of life, health outcomes and telemedicine.  

Juan Carlos Cardet, MD, MPH received his BS degree from Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2004; medical degree from the University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2008; and master’s in public health degree from Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts in 2017. He completed his internal medicine training at the University of Connecticut in 2011, where he was given the Maxwell O. Phelps, M.D. award for scholarship, and the Hartford Hospital Outpatient Clinic Resident of the Year Award. He completed his Allergy and Immunology training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard University in 2014. He served as an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School, and as the assistant director of the Asthma Research Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital from 7/2014—6/2017.

Dr. Cardet is an Associate Professor in the USF Department of Internal Medicine, Associate Director of the Clinical Research Unit and Director of Post-Graduate Education for the Division of Allergy and Immunology. He specializes in the treatment of patients with asthma and other allergic and immunologic diseases. He is board certified in Allergy and Immunology, and he is a fellow of the American Academy and College of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI and ACAAI). He is the secretary of the Asthma Diagnosis and Treatment interest section of the AAAAI.

His work focuses on mechanisms-based therapeutics for allergic and immunologic diseases and interventions that can maximize health equity. He conducts clinical and translational research and has been awarded NIH K23, R21 and U awards as well as several industry-sponsored and foundation grants for his projects.

Emeritus Fellow of both the AAAAI and ACAAI. Pediatric residency at Washington University, St. Louis. Fellowship in Allergy & Immunology at the National Jewish Hospital and Research Center, Denver, Colorado. Former Senior partner, Allergy Consultants, P.C. 40 years in private practice in St. Louis, Missouri. Current President, THE PBL Institute, LLC. He has facilitated hundreds of educational conferences in the A./I. field nationally, involving interactive case discussions known as “problem-based learning” or PBL. He has initiated PBL workshops into both the AAAAI and ACAAI annual meetings, the Eastern Allergy Conferences yearly for the last 21 years. 

Dr. Payel Gupta is a triple board-certified allergist-immunologist and Assistant Clinical Professor at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and Mt. Sinai Medical Center. She treats both adult and pediatric patients across Brooklyn and 25+ states. Dr. Gupta is a National Spokesperson for the American Lung Association, a member of the Medical Advisory Council for the Allergy and Asthma Network, past President of the New York Allergy & Asthma Society, and co-host of The Itch Podcast, dedicated to helping patients, caregivers, and clinicians better understand allergic conditions. She has special interests in telemedicine, digital medical education, and underserved communities. 

Joseph Han, MD is a Professor in the Department of OtoHNS at EVMS. He is the Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs. He was the Chief for the Division of Rhinology and is the Chief for the Division of Allergy. Dr. Han was the President for ARS and Chair for the RROAC for AAAAI. Dr. Han has over 185 scientific publications, over 307 national-international scientific presentations, and over 214 guest lectureships. Dr. Han has been awarded over seventy funded clinical studies and research grants, including NIH funding. He has been spearheading the use of biologic for the treatment of CRSwNP. 

Dr. Hawkins is an Assistant Professor of Dermatology at the University of South Florida. She joined the faculty in 2025 and focuses primarily on Complex Medical Dermatology, leading specialty clinics in Atopic Dermatitis, Bullous Skin Diseases and Oncodermatology. Dr. Hawkins is an Investigator in the Clinical Trials Unit at USF.

Dr. Hawkins earned her MD at Queen’s School of Medicine. She completed her Dermatology residency at the University of Toronto. Prior to her relocation to Tampa, Dr. Hawkins served on the Canadian Network of Skin Disease Trials (C-NeST) Management Committee and the Medical Advisory Board of the Canadian Skin Patient Alliance. 

Brian E. Lacy, Ph.D., M.D., FACG is currently Professor of Medicine and Consultant at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville. He is the Program Director of the GI Fellowship, and is Associate Program Director for Scholarly Activities for the Medical Residency Program. He is the author of over 260 peer-reviewed articles on gastrointestinal motility disorders and functional bowel disorders, in addition to multiple textbook chapters. He is the former Editor in Chief of the American Journal of Gastroenterology and former Editor of Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology. Dr. Lacy was the co-Chairman for the Rome IV Committee on Functional Bowel Disorders. He is on the Board of Trustees for the Rome Committee.  

Dennis K. Ledford, MD, FAAAAI, FACAAI is currently the Ellsworth and Mabel Simmons Professor of Allergy and Immunology, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida and Section Chief, Allergy/Immunology James A. Haley VA Hospital, Tampa, Florida. He has served the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) in the capacity of committee chair, Governor of the Southeast Region of the RSLAAIS Assembly, Board of Director member, Past-President, editorial board member of JACI and JACI In Practice, associate editor of JACI, and Chair of the AAAAI Foundation (previously ARTrust). He is the past program director of the Morsani College of Medicine fellowship in Clinical and Laboratory Immunology.

He is currently the co-chair of the AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters and an editorial board member of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.

Dr. Ledford has received the John H. McGovern Award from the American College of Allergy Asthma and Immunology and the Hal Davidson Award and Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southeastern Allergy Asthma and Immunology Society. The Florida Allergy Asthma and Immunology Society awarded him the Medical Resident Education Award in 2021, the Division of Allergy/Immunology USF Morsani COM. In 2026 he received the AAAAI Special Recognition Award for his leadership in initiating the Foundation Fellowship Lectures, the AAAAI Leadership Institute, and the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.

He served on the American Board of Allergy and Immunology from 1999-2004 and the ACGME Residency Review Committee for Allergy/Immunology from 2006-2012.

He received the outstanding teaching faculty from the internal medical house-staff of the Morsani COM in 1985, the Hillsborough County Medical Volunteer of the Year 2001, the Distinguished Clinician Award of the AAAAI in 2014 and of the World Allergy Organization in 2015; the American College of Chest Physicians National Community Service Award in 2000; the Seoul National University Hospital Achievement Award 1995; the outstanding medical student clinical teacher in February 2024; Department of Veterans Affairs Certificate of Appreciation in 2020; the outstanding peer reviewer award of JACI In Practice in 2024 and JACI Global in 2025; and the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award by the graduating medical school class in 2015. Dr. Ledford was chair of the Professionalism in Medical School Initiative Task Force for USF Morsani College of Medicine in 2014-2015 and chair of the Medical School Acceptance Committee 2003-2006 and 2008-2010. He was elected to the Barness/Behnke Chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society in 2015. Dr. Ledford was President of USF MCOM Medical Faculty 2012-2013. The University of South Florida honored him in 2018 with the Distinguished Service Award, and the Division of Allergy/Immunology USF COM presented him with the Outstanding Educator Award in 2026.

He continues to contribute to the medical literature and is an active journal reviewer for four allergy/immunology journals.

His family includes his wife Jennifer Shelton Ledford, his 3 sons Keith, Michael and Robert, and the blessing of his 10 grandchildren.

J. Allen Meadows, MD, practiced allergy for 32 years in Montgomery, Alabama. He is currently Executive Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs for the American College of Allergy Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI). He is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Allergy and Immunology, at the University of Alabama, Birmingham.

He serves as chairman of AfPA’s Respiratory Therapy Access Working Group. He is a Past President of the Joint Council of Allergy Asthma and Immunology and previously served as Chairman of the Advocacy Council of the ACAAI. He is a Past President of the ACAAI.

Aarti Pandya is an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Missouri Kansas City and Children’s Mercy Kansas City. She completed her medical school training at UMKC. She completed her residency training in Internal Medicine at Loyola University Medical Center and fellowship training at the University of Kansas Medical Center. She is the Medical Director of the Food Allergy Center. In February of 2025 she received the early career Clinical Achievement Award by her institution. She serves as the AAAAI RSL Governor of Region 5, Vice Chair of the EDST Committee of ACAAI. She is currently a co-author of the AAAAI AIT practice parameter revisions. 

Anju Peters is a Professor of Medicine and the Associate Chief of Clinical Research and Practice Innovation in the Division of Allergy and Immunology at Northwestern University. Anju is the Director of Center for Clinical Research at the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (a member of the NIH CTSA Program). Anju has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and is a world leader in chronic rhinosinusitis and comorbid conditions.

Anju has led the AAAAI/ACAAI Practice Parameters for Rhinosinusitis and is part of many CRS guidelines. Anju serves on the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Board. She serves as a CRS Global Panel Expert and is on the board of the European Forum for Research and Education in Allergy and Airway Diseases (EUFOREA).

Russell Settipane, MD, co-director of the Allergy and Asthma Centers in East Providence, Rhode Island, is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. His allergy and immunology fellowship was completed at Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation in La Jolla, CA. He has participated in over 100 clinical trials and has authored more than 150 scientific articles, reviews, and book chapters in the field of allergy & immunology. Currently, he serves as President of the Rhode Island Society of Allergy, the American Association of Certified Allergists, and the Eastern Allergy Conference. 

Dr. Shaker is a Professor of Pediatrics and of Medicine at the Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine, and a member of the AAAAI Board of Directors and AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters. Dr. Shaker is also an Associate Editor of Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology and an Editorial Board member of The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology In Practice and the Journal of Food Allergy. Dr. Shaker’s research interests center around optimizing value-based care in Allergy and Clinical Immunology. He has published over 250 articles and guidelines. 

Dr. Jolan Walter is the Robert A. Good Endowed Chair and Division Chief of Pediatric Allergy/Immunology as well as Associate Professor, of Pediatrics, Medicine & Molecular Biology at the University of South Florida. She is also the Division Chief of Pediatric Allergy/Immunology and Director of the Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic & Research Center at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, FL, and is one of the three site-PIs for the Newborn Screening program for SCID in Florida. She holds leadership roles at AAAAI and NICER.

Her research focus is understanding disease mechanisms of monogenic combined immunodeficiencies, including partial recombination activating gene defects, and breach in tolerance in immune dysregulation disorders and cytokines, which leads to autoimmune complications and inflammation as well as improving the precision of diagnosis, disease monitoring and treatment of these disorders. Dr. Walter has been leading education on genetics in IEI for monogenic CID and serves on several variant curation expert panels nationally. She has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed articles, and her research is supported by federal and foundation grants