Speakers
Bios
Justine Asante, MS, LMFT
Justine Asante is the Senior Director of Navigation and Partnerships for South Ward Promise Neighborhood in Newark, NJ. In this role, she manages the organization's Promise Navigation program, which supports families by removing barriers to sustainability, including education success, asset building, economic liberation, and meeting life’s key milestones. Justine also manages the organization’s 30+ partners and facilitates cross-sector collaboration among them to achieve population systems level change and results.
Justine is also a licensed marriage and family therapist with over 12 years of experience. She earned degrees from The College of New Jersey and Seton Hall University.
Aisha Brownlee Williams, MSN, APRN-ANP, AOCNP
Aisha Brownlee Williams is the Founder of "Don’t Feed My Kido," a social media platform dedicated to raising awareness and educating the public about food allergies. As a mother of two young daughters with multiple food allergies, Aisha's personal experience fuels her mission. With seven years of hands-on experience managing food allergies and over fifteen years of diverse healthcare experience as a nurse practitioner, she is deeply committed to promoting safety and inclusivity for those affected. She understands the importance of research and clinical trial development and was recently featured on a CBS news segment highlighting peanut allergies and research being done at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. Aisha has collaborated with organizations like FARE and Mobile Care Chicago to enhance food allergy education in local schools and surrounding communities. Her dedication lies in fostering inclusion, increasing awareness, and reshaping perceptions and practices related to food allergies and allergic reactions.
Amaziah Coleman, MD, MBA
Dr. Amaziah Coleman has served as a medical officer/physician in the Allergy, Asthma and Airway Biology Branch (AAABB) within the Division of Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation (DAIT) at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 2021. She received her medical degree from the University of Mississippi Medical Center and completed her pediatric residency at the University of Arkansas/Arkansas Children’s Hospital, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in allergy and immunology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. In 2016, she was appointed assistant professor of pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and attending physician at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC. Dr. Coleman has conducted original research in pediatric asthma and food allergy with many of her publications and presentations focused on diversity research related to these conditions. Dr. Coleman is currently leading studies in the Childhood Asthma in Urban Settings (CAUSE) consortium, the Atopic Dermatitis Research Network (ADRN), and the Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers (CEGIR). She additionally leads a small business clinical trial focused on innovative treatments for food allergies. Dr. Coleman has expertise in health equity leadership and improving representation in clinical research studies.
Jan de la Concepción
Jan de la Concepción began her journey fighting for food justice eight years ago when she volunteered at the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Within five months, she had tallied more than 200 hours of service. Jan quickly discovered her passion for preventing food insecurity and a purpose in supporting her community, first as a group leader, and then operations supervisor at the food bank’s Hunger Action Center, where she worked with volunteers to sort thousands of pounds of donated products each week. Jan also spent two years at the food bank’s first Community Food Center, distributing more than three million pounds of food to over 3,500 households. As a senior project specialist, Jan uses Lean Six Sigma Black Belt techniques to create operational efficiencies and remove barriers in food distribution, identifying culturally relevant foods, and supporting neighbors with special or restricted diets.
Lisvette M. García Acosta, MSM
Lisvette M. García Acosta is a policy analyst within the Health and Wellness Division at the Washington, DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE). Previously, she oversaw OSSE’s “Epinephrine in Schools” program, ensuring access to emergency epinephrine to nearly 100,000 students and empowering school staff with the skills and knowledge to prevent, identify, and treat allergic reactions.
Lisvette is deeply committed to fostering inclusive and supportive learning environments that empower students to thrive. She instituted the first Food Allergy Awareness Week at OSSE in 2023, using her strategic communication background and bilingual skills in Spanish to increase food allergy awareness. In 2019, she was awarded the Team Innovation Award from the Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. Her involvement with the FARE Community Access Advisory Council for Washington, DC reflects her commitment to drive meaningful outcomes in diverse communities. Lisvette earned degrees from the University of Puerto Rico - Río Piedras Campus and the University of Maryland Global Campus.
Ashley Goins, LMSW
Ashley Goins earned her graduate degree in social work from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and currently serves as a transition counselor for the Little Rock School District. In this role, she uses her expertise to address the psychological, social, and emotional needs of students. Concurrently, as a part-time community health worker with FARE, Ashley not only educates her community but also provides a compassionate ear for individuals affected by food allergies. Beyond these roles, Ashley actively advocates for the rights of others and imparts strategies for using resources effectively for growth through her personal endeavor with Mindset Financial. With over seven years of experience working with children and families, Ashley is deeply committed to promoting the well-being of individuals and empowering them to achieve personal growth.
Brian Gove
As FARE’s Director of Brand Marketing, Brian is responsible for assisting in the creation and development of the organization's overall marketing strategy. Brian is a creative marketing professional who specializes in brand storytelling, client relations, and digital engagement across all platforms. He is also an accomplished photojournalist whose work has been featured in publications around the world. Prior to joining FARE, Brian worked as a creative director, producer, and social media strategist, combining his understanding of brand culture and acquisition strategy to develop and execute strategic creative programs from end to end. A graduate of Loyola Marymount University with a degree in marketing and communications, Brian lives in California where he continues to pursue his passions of photography and professional modeling.
Linda Jones Herbert, PhD
Dr. Linda Herbert is an associate professor of psychology and behavioral health at Children’s National Hospital and an associate professor of pediatrics at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She is also the director of Psychology Research and Clinical Services for the Division of Allergy and Immunology at Children’s National, a program she started in 2013 that was one of the first such programs in the U.S.
Dr. Herbert is an NIH-funded clinical researcher whose research interests include pediatric allergic diseases and acute and long COVID-19. She is the principal investigator for an NIAID-funded clinical trial of a behavioral intervention for early adolescents with food allergy, and a co-investigator on a multi-site prospective longitudinal cohort to systematically investigate disparities among Black, Hispanic and White children in food allergy clinical and psychosocial outcomes, food allergy phenotypes and endotypes, and food allergy management practices.
She is a co-investigator on the Global Access to Psychological Services for Food Allergy (GAPS) Study, a global study of psychological distress related to food allergy, the aim of which is to develop an accessible online behavioral interventions for families around the world affected by food allergy. Dr. Herbert has authored over 60 publications and is a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Pediatric Psychology. Dr. Herbert was awarded the Heritage Lectureship by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in 2018. She earned her doctorate in human services psychology from the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Vivian Hernandez-Trujillo, MD
Vivian Hernandez-Trujillo, MD, is the director of the Division of Allergy and Immunology at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and a clinical professor of pediatrics at Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. She is also the founder of the Allergy and Immunology Care Center of South Florida. She received her medical degree from Albany Medical College and completed her residency at Miami Children’s Hospital. She completed fellowships in allergy and immunology at the University of Tennessee, Memphis, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center.
Dr. Hernandez-Trujillo is interested in pediatric allergic disease, namely food allergy, anaphylaxis, and primary immunodeficiency disorders. She lectures nationally and internationally on these topics. Dr Hernandez-Trujillo has served on numerous committees for national organizations including executive committee member of the AAP Section of Allergy and Immunology, allergy/immunology representative to the Council of Pediatric Subspecialties for the ACAAI and board member of the Immune Deficiency Foundation Medical Advisory Board.
She served as principal or co-principal investigator on several clinical studies and has presented abstracts, posters, and lectures at meetings and conferences worldwide. Her most recent research has focused on healthcare disparities in Hispanic/Latinx patients. She has collaborated with FARE and the Allergy & Asthma Network on a Webinar series for Hispanic/Latinx patients and food allergy.
Jeanne Hisle, BS
Jeanne Hisle is the senior grant manager at FARE. Before joining FARE, Jeanne worked for the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, providing grant support to artists and arts organizations throughout t Washington, DC. Jeanne has been an arts educator for over 20 years, teaching music and movement, musical theatre, improv, and audition technique to all ages. Jeanne has performing credits in concerts, church music and recitals, musical theatre, opera, voiceovers, film, and even a few National Anthem appearances for the Washington Capitals and Wizards. She attended LaSalle University and Catholic University School of Music.
Dwyane Lawson-Brown
Dwayne Lawson-Brown, Community Engagement Specialist for the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. A recipient of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Emerging Leader Award and the Mary Bowman Award for Advocacy through the Arts, Dwayne shares from 20 years of community outreach experience, specializing in using art to connect with hard-to-reach audiences.
Nandi Mjenga
Nandi Mjendfa is a parent and context specialist for DC Primary Care Association. Her journey into community advocacy has been fueled by her own experiences with homelessness, racial bias, food allergy, and domestic violence. Despite the challenges she has faced, Nandi has dedicated herself to enacting change in Washington, DC, by driving policy reforms, reshaping organizations, and establishing programs focused on prenatal and postnatal care and family development.
Nandi collaborates with organizations like DCNEXT!, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC’s Children and Family Services Agency, and FARE to address the challenges faced by district residents. She believes in the importance of amplifying all voices, especially those directly affected. Currently, she is working on establishing her own nonprofit aimed at facilitating the healing and growth of community members by addressing their underlying traumas. Her vision is to empower individuals to flourish from the seeds of resilience that already exist within them.
Pharis Mohideen, MD, MS
Dr. Mohideen serves as chief medical officer and is a member of DBV’s executive committee, responsible for continuing development efforts of the company’s pipeline and bringing potentially innovative new treatments to patients, if approved. Dr. Mohideen brings nearly two decades of industry experience and a track record of multiple drug product approvals. Prior to joining DBV, Dr. Mohideen served as chief medical officer for Millendo Therapeutics, Inc., vice president of clinical development at Shionogi Inc., and other clinical and medical leadership roles with Novartis International AG and Bristol Myers-Squibb. Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Mohideen was an attending physician and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Hawaii, Department of Internal Medicine, and served as an investigator on multiple pharmaceutical-sponsored clinical trials. Dr. Mohideen received his medical degree from the University of Hawaii and a graduate degree in clinical investigation from Vanderbilt University.
Karen Palmer, ACC, CPC, ELI-MP
Karen Palmer is a certified professional coach who helps leaders accelerate their personal growth and build thriving workplace cultures. She supports clients in a wide range of fields including business, media, nonprofit, education, and the arts. Karen worked for over 20 years as an assignment editor, producer, and senior producer at CBS News, CNN, and MSNBC. Later, she used that experience to collaborate with organizations including the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Human Rights Watch, the New York Women’s Foundation, and the World Science Festival as a coach, media trainer, public speaking consultant, and event producer.
Karen’s unique background in corporate, nonprofit, and community-based work led to her recruitment as the founding director of operations for a public charter elementary school in New York City. Her tenure there inspired her to start a consultancy to coach and train school leaders and teams across the city and throughout New York State and help them develop effective systems to promote excellence in staff performance. Karen became a food allergy advocate after her daughter, now 21, was diagnosed with multiple food allergies as an infant. She has advised school administrators, staff, and parents in early childhood and K-8 settings on best practices and policies for supporting students with food allergies at school.
Andrea A. Pappalardo, MD
Andrea Pappalardo, MD, serves as the FARE Health Equity Advisory Council Co-Chair. She is an associate professor of medicine and pediatrics at the University of Illinois Chicago. She is board certified in internal medicine, pediatrics, and allergy/immunology, and serves as the allergy service director. She recently served as the medical director for the Mobile Care Chicago asthma van, where she provided school-based asthma and allergy subspecialty care throughout Chicago.
Dr. Pappalardo’s research focuses on school and community-engaged implementation science-driven interventions to reduce health disparities in asthma and food allergy. She believes strongly in increasing sub-specialty access in historically marginalized populations in allergic diseases and in promoting health equity throughout the United States. Her work in stock inhaler legislation and programming is appreciated throughout Chicago, across Illinois, and nationally.
Luis Peralta Del Valle
Award-winning artist Luis Peralta Del Valle was born in Nicaragua and migrated to the U.S. in 1986. At the age of 13, he started painting graffiti murals in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia and later attended the Corcoran College of Art and Design.
Luis received his first commission at age 16 from the fitness franchise Body by Jake. Since then, he has been commissioned by businesses, foundations, public institutions, museums, and private collectors to create murals, portraits, sculptures, and paintings. Luis has exhibited his works at museums and institutions including: NCIS headquarters, Vatican City, the Embassy of Italy, the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, the Historical Society of Washington, DC, the Vatican Embassy in Washington, DC, and the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park Museum in Baltimore, MD.
In 2013, Luis was selected as the winner of the East of the River Distinguished Artist Award. That year he was also a finalist for the District of Columbia 28th Annual Mayor’s Arts Awards. These accomplishments preceded the presentation of the National Museum of Catholic Art and Library National Artist Award by Prince Lorenzo Maria De Medici in 2014, and his selection as the artist commissioned for the 2015 Beijing/District of Columbia Sister Cities Project. The latter project resulted in a panda statue painted by Luis and given to the mayor of Beijing from Mayor Muriel Bowser. Luis is also the recipient of the 2015 National Museum of Catholic Art and Library Portrait Award. In 2017, Luis was honored with the NCIS Director’s Coin by NCIS director Andrew L. Traver. In 2019, Luis was awarded second place in the Chroma International Juried Art Exhibition by Art Impact International, Inc.
Luis believes that artistic development is a critical element in community development: the arts facilitate improvement in quality of life by providing tools to modify behaviors through the channeling of self-expression into productive work.
Edith A. Perez, MD
Dr. Edith Perez serves as the FARE Health Equity Advisory Council Co-Chair. She is an internationally recognized translational researcher and cancer specialist, and Professor Emeritus at Mayo Clinic. She served as chief medical officer at Bolt Biotherapeutics from 2020-2024, where she oversaw regulatory affairs, pharmacovigilance, biostatistics, and medical affairs for the company’s diverse clinical development and early-stage immuno-oncology pipeline. Previously, Dr. Perez was vice president and head of the BioOncology Medical Unit at Genentech, Inc., overseeing all U.S. hematology and oncology medical affairs. With her team, she was involved in leading numerous trials and launching six drugs, including GAZYVA®, PERJETA®, ALECENSA®, and TECENTRIQ®. Dr. Perez spent the first 20 years of her career at the Mayo Clinic where she was active in teaching, research, and patient care, with a focus on breast cancer and translational biomarkers. As she advanced in her academic pursuits, she held many roles, including deputy director at large for the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, and vice-chair for the Alliance of Clinical Trials in Oncology. She has authored over 700 peer reviewed manuscripts and abstracts.
Dr. Perez is a member of the Puerto Rico Science, Technology & Research Trust. She has been involved in diversity leadership and philanthropic initiatives with the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Association for Cancer Research, Stand Up to Cancer, and The DONNA Foundation. She has served on the editorial boards of multiple academic journals and as a member of the board of directors and the Clinical Advisory Board for Artiva Biotherapeutics.
Dr. Perez earned her medical degree from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine and completed her residency in internal medicine at the Loma Linda University Medical Center in California. She served as a general internist in the Division of National Health Services Corps in Los Angeles and completed her hematology/oncology fellowship at the UC Davis School of Medicine. Dr. Perez also has pursued leadership, management, and executive development at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Kennedy School in Boston. Dr. Perez is board-certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hematology.
Sung Poblete, PhD, RN
Sung Poblete, PhD, RN, has served as FARE’s chief executive officer since May 2022. Prior to joining FARE, she was the CEO of Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) for over a decade.
Poblete has an extensive and varied background, earning Bachelor and Master of Science degrees, as well as a PhD in nursing, from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Poblete began her career teaching at Rutgers more than 25 years ago and continues to serve as a visiting associate professor at their School of Nursing. In 2016, Sung was inducted into Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni, joining a select group of more than two hundred honorees across Rutgers’ 256-year history who have devoted time and energy to the greater good of society.
Early in her career, Poblete held executive positions with a focus on patient outcomes and disease management. Notably, as vice president of clinical operations for a subsidiary of Fresenius Medical Care North America, she developed and implemented a national chronic kidney disease management program. As executive director of the Oxford Health Plans Foundation, Poblete facilitated grants that furthered research and programs aimed at improving health care delivery.
The recipient of numerous high-level research funding grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation, and private foundations, Poblete also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Apricity Health, and UbiVac.
Anita Roach, MS
As Vice President of Health Equity and Community Engagement, Anita supports FARE’s efforts to enable community-powered food allergy education, awareness and support and to create pathways for improved representation in research and care. Anita also served as FARE’s principal investigator on a Eugene Washington Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Initiative Award project addressing barriers to treatment and prevention strategies for people with food allergies from Black and underresourced communities in Washington, DC.
Anita has over 12 years of experience leading the strategic development and implementation of patient-centered initiatives. Before joining FARE, she led a team in the consensus development and dissemination of public health guidance on sleep behaviors at the National Sleep Foundation. At Lupus Foundation of America, Anita managed a 30-member Medical Scientific Advisory Council and led the expansion of the research program by 83 percent. Additionally, Anita oversaw a $500,000 CDC Cooperative Agreement for a national awareness campaign for the Interstitial Cystitis Association.
Anita is skilled at communicating complex and technical information to patient and professional communities and has several publications in the Journal of Clinical Immunology: In Practice, Journal of Arthritis & Rheumatology, and Sleep Health. She also served as a health equity Instructor for the 2023 Annual Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology Meeting. Anita graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University.
Amy Scurlock, MD, FAAP, FAAAAI, FACAAI
Dr. Amy Scurlock is a professor of pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Arkansas Children's Hospital and Research Institute. She is the primary investigator of the FARE Clinical Network Discovery Center of Distinction at Arkansas Children’s, the associate director of the Arkansas Children's Food Allergy Program and director of faculty development for the UAMS Department of Pediatrics. She has collaborated with the team at FARE to bring the FARE Neighborhoods Initiative to Arkansas, where initial work has focused on epinephrine access, school nurse education, and addressing food insecurity. Dr. Scurlock has 20+ years of experience as an investigator in both federally funded and industry-sponsored food allergy clinical trials; in addition, she is part of the core faculty for the UAMS Culinary Medicine Program and has an interest in “Food Is Medicine” approaches. She is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) and the American Board of Allergy and Immunology (ABAI) and provides comprehensive allergy/immunology care to patients in Arkansas and the surrounding regions.
Matt Siemer, MA
Matt Siemer is the executive director of Mobile Care Chicago (MCC), a nonprofit using mobile clinics to provide free medical and dental care to people in Illinois’ Cook and Lake Counties with a focus on children with food allergies and asthma. Over Matt’s 12 years at MCC, the organization has been nationally recognized for care quality and innovation, most recently for launching mobile units called “Flex Vans.” which are adaptable mobile clinics that allow partner community-based organizations to test out new models of care. MCC has helped over a dozen organizations across the U.S. launch mobile clinics, and in January MCC will launch a Community Health Incubator to amplify the resources and supports available to small, community-based non-profits and mutual aid groups. Matt serves as the president of the board of directors of the Chicago Asthma Consortium. He earned degrees from Truman State University and Duke University.
Amari Sims
Amari Sims is a food allergy advocate who manages multiple food allergies. Earlier this spring, Amari joined FARE’s Courage at Congress, where he advocated for a bill to limit the price of epinephrine. At home in California, he is actively working on a state bill to do the same and has met with his senator and assembly members.
Amari is a member of FARE’s Teen Advisory Group (TAG). At the 2023 FARE Food Allergy Summit TAG Poster Session, he showcased his research project “Towards 100% EpiPen Carry Rate.” Amari’s research aimed to increase accessibility by offering cost-saving tips for buying epinephrine. He currently leads a TAG project researching food allergy-related laws in all 50 states, with the goal of identifying bills that teens can advocate for. Amari is also in charge of a project creating resources to educate people about how to administer epinephrine. Amari serves as a TAG Teen Corner editor and writer, Teen Talk Committee Member, and Voice of TAG Committee Member.
Diallo Sims
Diallo Sims is the parent of a child with food allergy and an advocate. Earlier this year, he took part in FARE’s Courage at Congress with his son Amari. He is a science teacher at a Title I school in California and supports his students with food allergies by offering a nut-free space for students to enjoy their lunch. Diallo is a volunteer with The Links, Incorporated’s Saturday STEM Program and the Greene Scholars Program. He received the Educator of the Year Award from the National Alliance of Black School Educators and was a finalist for the 49ers Foundation and the Micron Foundation’s Dr. Harry Edwards “Follow Your Bliss” Award. Diallo is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.
Maranda C. Ward, MPH, EdD
Dr. Maranda Ward is an assistant professor and director of equity in the Department of Clinical Research and Leadership in the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. In this role, she designs, evaluates, and teaches health equity curriculum for students and faculty. Her research focuses on diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and antiracism educational interventions, as well as community-focused studies on HIV, Black women's health, and youth identity.
As an affiliate faculty member for the George Washington Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service, she translated her participatory action research on youth identity into a youth-led canvas-based mural on preserving Washington, DC’s legacy. Dr. Ward's is the co-founder and executive director of Promising Futures, a youth development pipeline for ages 11-24 that uses edu-tainment to invite youth to explore their civic and social identities, social inequities, and health seeking behaviors.
Dr. Ward is on the board of trustees for the Washington School for Girls and an advisory board member on the mayor's Commission on Health Equity. She has been consulted by Ebony.com, Rolling Out Magazine, DCist, and the Washington Post for her research on HIV disparities, and has been featured on Good Morning Washington, NPR’s Morning Edition and the KevinMD podcast. She earned degrees from George Washington University, Tulane University, and Spelman College.
Christopher Warren, PhD
Christoper Warren, PhD, is an epidemiologist and behavioral interventionist who has conducted research into the public health burden of food allergy and other atopic disease since 2011. He received his doctorate from the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine's Department of Population and Public Health Sciences and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research at Stanford University. As assistant professor of Preventive Medicine and founding director of Population Health at Northwestern University's Center for Food Allergy and Asthma Research (CFAAR), the overarching focus of Dr. Warren's research is to characterize and improve the burden of food allergy via rigorous epidemiological studies and behavioral interventions.
Elani Wiest, PhD
Dr. Elani Wiest leads the Food Allergy Families of Northeast Florida support group and co-founded a community outreach program for local childcare facilities that provides free education on how and when to use epinephrine autoinjectors.
Her experience as a mother of two children with allergies and an allergy herself makes her a relatable figure in the community. Her son's struggles—including 25 epinephrine injections and three hospital stays—are a testament to the challenges faced by those with food allergies. Her proudest moment was when her son spoke up for himself in first grade and avoided anaphylaxis because he recognized that a different noodle was being used in a meal. Her dream is of a world where children with food allergies are included, understood, and all have access to the care and treatments they need to live full and healthy lives.