Q&A with FARE CEO Lisa Gable

This week, we asked FARE CEO Lisa Gable a few key questions about how FARE is evolving to meet the changing needs of the food allergy community.

What are the biggest challenges facing the food allergy community today?

While life is much better for families today than it was 15 years ago, the challenges the food allergy community faces today are more complex than when we started. Food allergy is a serious and growing issue. In children alone, the prevalence of food allergy has increased 50% over the past 20 years. A majority of the public still does not understand the severity of food allergy and life-threatening anaphylaxis. We still do not have a cure. Treatments are not yet FDA-approved. And those treatments must be studied for additional allergens.

How is FARE going to tackle these challenges?

Meeting the urgent challenges of the food allergy community today requires a bold vision, and FARE is ready! We are putting together a transformative strategy that will drive new and improved treatments, greater awareness of food allergies, effective policies and legislation, broader reach of our educational initiatives and innovative approaches to managing the disease. Not only will FARE serve as a catalyst for driving more research dollars, but we will focus on partnering with other organizations to help build food allergy awareness and understanding in schools, universities and communities and work to find new therapies and diagnostics to address life-threatening food allergies.

To meet the needs of kids and families today - and beyond – it is critical for FARE to have a focused vision that builds on the work we have done to date and also strategically plans for the future of our mission. This type of evolution and refocusing on the future is part of FARE’s DNA and is a large reason for FARE’s success over the years.

What drives you to make an impact every day?

The millions of Americans who manage life-threatening food allergies everyday are at the core of everything we do, and we want to ensure that the future for kids with food allergies is one without fear. Knowing that we have the resources and capability to educate the public about the severity of food allergies while empowering the food allergy community to be our strongest advocates is the greatest motivator, and I’m excited about increasing our impact in the years to come.

How will these changes maximize the impact FARE has across the U.S.?

FARE’s commitment to help solve the problem either in finding cures or mitigating risk has been recognized by a wide array of professional, independent groups from the medical, scientific and research communities. We will continue to use this momentum and recognition to drive for more research dollars and serve as a catalyst which strategically invests and drives dollars into initiatives that help families manage the disease, build awareness about the disease and find treatments, cures and better diagnostics.