Food Allergy Program (Pediatric)
Pediatric Food Allergy Treatment
At the National Jewish Health for Kids Pediatric Food Allergy Program in Denver, Colorado, we treat thousands of children with food allergies each year. Patients come from across the U.S. to see our experts. The program offers comprehensive, personalized care for children of all ages.
Our goals are to accurately diagnose food allergies and identify foods that are safe to eat. We will teach you how to manage food allergies at home and school. We want to provide your child with an increased sense of independence, confidence and control over their food allergies.
Kade is our son. He's 15 years old. He's just your typical teenage boy.
Some of my favorite things to do are play guitar, hang out with family, and go to the lake.
We spend our summers in the water. It is very active. But when he was very little, something wasn't right. When we introduced foods, his body rejected everything that we gave him. His skin looked like he had been burned.
It was a constant battle to try to keep him from just tearing his skin to pieces. It broke my heart.
I had taken him to who I thought was the best of the best, and nothing was helping. I remember sitting on the couch and thinking, okay, this is his life.
I personally didn't see any way he was going to be able to go to school.
The chief of medicine at a hospital in Houston was in tears. She said this is the first child that she had not been able to help.
My wife asked her, “What would you do if it was your child?” And she quickly responded, “There is a place in Denver called National Jewish Health.”
We got to National Jewish Health, and it was pretty scary because he was in the worst shape he had ever been.
He was in terrible pain. The misery index was about as high as it could get.
I recall being in the hospital and the nurse saying, “This is the worst case I've ever seen. But we know what to do.”
The basic plan with him was to get him in water right away. Then we used clothing for the wet wrap.
In a few days, he had brand new skin. It looked like a newborn baby. It was so soft and shiny. Dr. Leung was our doctor for the next two weeks, and he was absolutely amazing.
Eczema is a complex genetic disease. When it appears, children get very itchy skin rashes, and they scratch constantly. Food from the outside gets into the body through the skin. Then you develop a systemic allergic reaction, where the entire body reacts to the food, and as a result, they develop food allergies.
The first week at National Jewish Health, they spent healing his skin so they could start testing him for foods. They would take the actual food and give him a tiny piece of it, then build up to a full serving. If he didn't have a reaction, we could start another food. Over the course of the second week, he passed 11 of the 12 foods.
On the first day of kindergarten, I had my phone out the whole day waiting for a call that it didn’t work. But that call never came. He made it through. That day, I thought about National Jewish Health, the hope they gave us, the encouragement, the education. That was an incredible day.
We are now developing techniques to identify atopic dermatitis before it develops in babies. Because atopic dermatitis is the first step of the atopic march, it may also prevent food allergy and asthma.
Kade’s first truck is going to be one that’s been in the family for a long time. It’s old and needs a lot of attention.
Building cars is so complex. There are so many moving parts that have to work in perfect harmony together. I’ve had to put in a lot of work with my allergies, too — always reading the ingredients before I eat something, always double-checking.
He’s been a patient of National Jewish Health for his entire life. They opened up his diet and taught him how to use an EpiPen, how to eat lunch, how to manage his skin himself. As a parent, that gives me confidence.
We’re a family that loves to go to the lake, and we didn’t think Kade was going to get to be a part of that. To see him healed at National Jewish Health with water — the very thing we thought wouldn’t be part of his life — is truly amazing.
This is really exciting. I’d like to thank National Jewish Health for their love and commitment. It has made a huge difference in Kade’s life.
Pediatric Food Allergy Program Highlights
- Unique, multispecialty approach proven to address all aspects of food allergies
- Personalized and comprehensive treatment plan for every patient
- Skin and blood allergy testing
- Oral food challenge testing
- Immunotherapy treatment options including oral immunotherapy (OIT)
- Personalized, hands-on patient education
- Behavioral health services
- Evaluations for other allergic conditions
- Follow-up visits to address the changing needs of the patient
Personalized Medicine and Care
Food allergies affect each child and family differently. Our pediatric food allergy team works with you to develop a comprehensive, personalized plan that addresses your child’s food allergy symptoms. We offer the full range of allergy testing, including oral food challenge, which is the gold standard way to accurately diagnose food allergies.
A Team Focused on You
Our National Jewish Health for Kids team are recognized as top food allergy experts in the U.S. Our team is here to partner with you to manage your child’s food allergies at home, school and everywhere in between. Our multispecialty team implements a treatment plan that is individualized just for your child and family. This plan manages all aspects of your child’s health including other medical conditions or special needs that you may have. Our team also will address medical and lifestyle issues that may impact your child’s quality of life, as well as other family needs.
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Mark Boguniewicz, MD
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Melanie Bongiovanni, CPNP
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Divya Chauhan, MD
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Ronina A. Covar, MD
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Elizabeth Gyorkos, PA-C
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Jessica Hui , MD
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Bruce J. Lanser, MD, MPH
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Donald Y M Leung, MD, PhD
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Michael Nevid, MD
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Nathan Rabinovitch, MD, MPH
Nationally Recognized Expertise
National Jewish Health is recognized nationally for its expertise in food allergy and related conditions.
- We have been pioneers in food allergy diagnosis, treatment and research for more than 50 years.
- Our physicians developed the food challenge test in the 1970s. This test is now the gold standard way to diagnose food allergies.
- We are the only Colorado program recognized as a “FARE Clinical Network Center of Distinction” by the Food Allergy Research and Education organization.
- Our physicians are nationally recognized pioneers in treatment and research of food allergies. They have helped write guidelines that are used by allergists across the nation.
- Articles written by our physician-scientists and researchers are regularly published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, including many of the most influential publications such as The New England Journal of Medicine, The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Allergy, JAMA and Nature.
- Our physicians and scientists are often invited to present at national and international conferences where physicians gather to learn about the latest advancements in medicine.
Benefit from the Latest Research
Our physician-scientists and researchers have long been leaders in food allergy research that improves patient lives. This research includes:
- Developing diagnostic tests
- Identifying new treatments
- Discovering new medicines
- Creating studies to better address the quality of life concerns of patients with food allergies
Clinical Trials & Research Studies
National Jewish Health offers many clinical trials and research studies for pediatric patients with food allergies. Our research coordinators can help determine which studies may be right for you.
Clinical Trials
For more than 100 years, National Jewish Health has been committed to finding new treatments and cures for diseases. Search our clinical trials.
Make an Appointment
You may be referred by your doctor or you can make an appointment without a referral. Pediatric food allergy clinic visits are available on our main campus in Denver and at our Highlands Ranch location. Not all services may be available at all locations. Please confirm when you request an appointment.
Treatment Locations
National Jewish Health Main Campus
1400 Jackson Street Denver, CO 80206
Phone: 1.877.CALL NJH (877.225.5654)
Doctors
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Mark Boguniewicz, MD
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Divya Chauhan, MD
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Jessica Hui , MD
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Bruce J. Lanser, MD, MPH
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Michael Nevid, MD
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Nathan Rabinovitch, MD, MPH
Clinical Trials
For more than 100 years, National Jewish Health has been committed to finding new treatments and cures for diseases. Search our clinical trials.
Reasons to Choose National Jewish Health
- The leading respiratory hospital in the nation and the only one devoted fully to the treatment of respiratory and related illnesses
- Ranked #1 or #2 in Pulmonology by U.S. News & World Report for 26 consecutive years
- Ranked in the top 5% of hospitals in the nation by HCAHPS
- Physicians consistently recognized among the best in the nation by multiple services, including Best Doctors in America and Castle Connolly
- Among the top 6% of organizations funded for research by the NIH, providing patients access to hundreds of active clinical trials
- 124-year history of focus on care, research and education serving patients from around the world with lung, heart, immune and related disorders

Making Waves: How Kade Got His Life Back After Severe Eczema
Making Waves: How Kade Got His Life Back After Severe Eczema
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