On June 5th, Inly School hosted the 4th Annual Food For Thought Event: A Conversation with Food Allergy Experts, Parents, and Caregivers, featuring physicians from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Food Allergy Center and Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) Food Allergy Center.
Speakers, all leading experts in the field, provided parents and caregivers with the latest in pediatric food allergy research. The evening was organized around three Q&A panels: Wayne Shreffler, MD, PhD of the MGH Food Allergy Center, Lynda Schneider, MD, and Rima Rachid, MD of the BCH Food Allergy Center were part of the Research Panel; Michael Pistiner MD, MMsc and Nancy Rotter, PhD from the MGH Food Allergy Center, and Lynda Mitchell, COO with AAFA, the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America were part of the Quality of Life Panel, and three local teens shared their stories about how to successfully travel the world, move away to college, begin dating, and navigate the cosmetic aisle on the Teen Advisory Panel.
With food allergies now affecting up to 15 million people in the United States, including 1 in 13 children, education is the key to staying safe and living well. Inly has long been a nut-free school with a comprehensive food allergy policy, and was awarded the Mariel C. Furlong Award for Making a Difference in 2012 from the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) in honor of its commitment to safety and for promoting allergy awareness throughout the school community.