CHOP Seeks Ethnically Diverse Patients to join Food Allergy Research and Education Patient Registry

Over the past four years, more than 13,000 families across the nation have contributed to the Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) Patient Registry, a tool helping researchers develop a more comprehensive natural history of food allergies and the unique challenges these patients face.

At Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, clinicians and researchers from the Food Allergy Center hope to expand the registry – in both size and scope – to include more individuals from ethnically diverse backgrounds. Diversification is important, researchers say, to optimize scientific study and improve the patient experience.

"There’s very little known about food allergies in the more ethnically diverse population," says Jonathan Spergel, MD, PhD, Co-director of the Food Allergy Center. By expanding research to include these patients, researchers hope to gain a greater understanding about how food allergies affect specific populations and whether environmental factors play a role in developing or growing out of food allergies.

Participating in the registry is virtual and voluntary. To learn more, see CHOP’s Cornerstone Blog: Diversity a Key Component to a Comprehensive Food Allergy Registry.