FARE Clinical Network Adds Vanderbilt University Medical Center as New Center of Excellence

Food Allergy Research & Education’s Collaborative to Advance Food Allergy Research Continues to Grow

McLEAN, Va. (August 23, 2018) – Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) is pleased to announce today that Vanderbilt University Medical Center is joining the FARE Clinical Network, a food allergy research collaborative that now comprises 31 leading research and clinical care facilities across the country.

The FARE Clinical Network seeks to accelerate the development of effective approaches to food allergy treatment while improving the quality of patient care for this potentially life-threatening disease that affects 15 million Americans, including 1 in 13 children. The prevalence of food allergy among children has increased by 50 percent between 1997 and 2011, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

Since launching the FARE Clinical Network in 2015, FARE has invested approximately $6.5 million in this alliance of leading research institutions. Under FARE’s leadership and coordination, FARE Clinical Network centers of excellence provide essential infrastructure for advances in research by hosting clinical trials to develop new therapeutics and best practices for the care of patients with food allergies.

“By expanding the FARE Clinical Network, we can increase the access of food allergy patients to cutting-edge research and exceptional care at each stage of their food allergy journey, from diagnosis and management to treatment and prevention,” said Lisa Gable, CEO of FARE. “We are pleased to work with the dedicated team at Vanderbilt to further strengthen our nationwide research efforts.”

The FARE Clinical Network serves as a powerful driver of collaboration to advance our understanding of food allergy, with select member centers contributing to the development of a national food allergy patient registry.

“We are very excited to join the FARE Clinical Network,” said Jonathan A. Hemler, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, who directs the food allergy program within the Department of Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital. “Our multidisciplinary team here at Vanderbilt provides outstanding care to both children and adults with food allergies. Now, thanks to our membership in the Clinical Network, we can provide access to cutting-edge research and clinical trials for our patients in Tennessee and surrounding states.”

The centers of excellence selected as part of the FARE Clinical Network provide high-quality clinical and sub-specialty food allergy expertise and services, and are focused on applying new evidence-based knowledge to this important field.