Pediatric Research

PERSIAN Cohort

The PERSIAN birth cohort is a project that focuses on understanding how genetics, socioeconomic, environmental, and psychological factors contribute to health and disease in the Iranian population.

In this collaboration, our research has primarily focused on the incidence of food allergy and atopic comorbidities in children from birth to early childhood. We also compare the stool microbiome between children in South Africa and Iran to understand the prevalence of IgE-mediated food allergy better.

SAFFA

This study aims to determine the prevalence of IgE-mediated food allergy in unselected South African children aged 12-36 months in an urban region in the Western Cape and a rural cohort of Xhosa children in the Eastern Cape, and to describe the prevalence of various modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors.

Role of Microbiome in Allergic Diseases

This is a prospective, multi-site study. Currently, there are 1,400+ children enrolled across four partner sites in the United States between the ages of 0 and 12 years who have been diagnosed with food allergies and other atopic diseases such as asthma and eczema.

This research investigates the natural development of food allergies and explores racial and ethnic disparities in allergy onset, progression, and impact on affected individuals and families. This study aims to uncover patterns and contributing factors related to the emergence and experience of food allergies across diverse populations in the United States.