December 2, 2025 • 30 mins
The Food Allergy Nursing Association (FANA) is celebrating one year of transforming the landscape of food allergy care. In this special anniversary episode, I’m joined by FANA’s president Dr. Olga Kagan, and secretary Sarah Pederson to talk about their mission to elevate nursing education, improve patient care, and establish certified allergy nurse educators.
Together, we discuss how FANA is working to integrate food allergy education into nursing training programs and what this could mean for families and patients in the years ahead. This conversation is a heartfelt look at how nurses make a difference every single day and how their compassion and clinical expertise shape the food allergy community.
Join us as we celebrate their one-year anniversary and look toward the future of allergy care. You can also attend FANA’s free online celebration event on December 9. Tickets are available at foodallergynursing.org
https://www.allergicliving.com/2022/04/04/why-we-need-certified-allergy-nurse-educators/
.
Special thanks to Kyle Dine for permission to use his song The Doghouse for the podcast theme!
www.kyledine.com
Find Dr. Whitehouse:
-thefoodallergypsychologist.com
-Instagram: @thefoodallergypsychologist
-Facebook: Dr. Amanda Whitehouse, Food Allergy Anxiety Psychologist
-welcome@dramandawhitehouse.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker (00:00):
Welcome to the Don't Feed the Fear podcast, where we
dive into the complex world offood allergy anxiety.
I'm your host, Dr.
Amanda Whitehouse, food allergyanxiety psychologist and food
allergy mom.
Whether you're dealing withallergies yourself or supporting
someone who is, join us for anempathetic and informative
journey toward food allergy calmand confidence..
(00:22):
Today we're celebrating a groupof people who's very special in
the food allergy world.
It's the one year anniversary ofthe Food Allergy Nursing
Association, also known as FANA.
This group of passionate, highlyskilled and experienced nurses
from across the country cametogether to elevate food allergy
care through advocacy education.
Collaboration.
I've had the pleasure of gettingto know several members of this
(00:44):
team over the past year,including those with me today.
Dr.
Olga Kagan, who is the presidentand one of the founders of the
group, and Sarah Pederson, theFANA secretary, The two of them
are here to share with us whatthey saw as a need in the field
of food allergy and the paththat they're trying to carve out
to make sure that nurseseverywhere have the tools,
training, and confidence tosupport their patients with
(01:05):
compassion and accuracy.
And any of us who live with foodallergies or allergic diseases
know that when it comes to ourcare, nurses are at the heart of
that.
So thank you to all the nurseswho created FANA so that we can
get the best allergy care fromyou.
And thank you to nurseseverywhere.
We will celebrate today whatFANA has accomplished during
their first year and where theysee the future of food allergy
(01:25):
nursing heading.
amanda-whitehouse_1_10-16 (01:27):
today I'm so excited to have here with
me to celebrate the firstanniversary of the Food Allergy
Nursing Association.
The founder, Dr.
Olga Kagan, and the SecretarySarah Pederson.
Thank you both so much for beinghere.
squadcaster-6c9h_1_10-16 (01:40):
Thanks for inviting us.
Sara Pederson, RN (01:43):
Yeah.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (01:44):
Olga, we can start with you.
Would you mind just introducingyourself and how you got
involved in the food allergycommunity in your nursing role?
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (01:52):
All right, so, I actually became a nurse in
another country in, 1996, andthen I moved to the United
States where I pursued mynursing degree, again and got
involved.
And my first job was really in,A cardiac, cardiothoracic, ICUA
recovery step down.
So I had critical carebackground, and then after nine
(02:12):
11, I transitioned to work forthe world Trade Center Program
at Mount Sinai.
We would build the program fromscratch.
In order to see workers andvolunteers that worked at ground
zero.
So that was part ofenvironmental occupational
medicine, ecosystem that Iworked at.
And then since then, I went backto school.
I got my master's in informaticsadministration and then my
(02:34):
doctorate degree.
And slowly, slowly, you know.
Got involved with food allergiesbecause of my personal
connection with my own children.
And also having worked in that,occupational environmental
allergy space.
It kind of all came together.
And, my research is an allergy,also and primarily around
policy.
My dissertation was about,willingness and readiness to act
(02:57):
in a food and logic emergency ineffort to then.
Implement that as a similar towhat we have with, automatic,
external defibrillators or, youknow, with narcans, something
that could be available inpublic spaces in, allergic used,
in allergic emergencies.
Just like those other emergencyavail treatments that we have.
(03:18):
So that's basically where myjourney was.
And, I wasn't the only one.
It was few of us nurses.
In 2019, we kind of got togetherbecause we sold the gaps in food
allergy education and practiceand nursing research around food
allergies.
And we really wanted tounderstand how can we best fill
some of those need, gaps andmeet some of those needs.
(03:38):
And, at a time we were just, youknow, in discussions, publishing
some articles and, In 2022.
So it was Susan Kelly, myself,and, a couple other people who
are with us still, currently.
And that's how it kind ofevolved.
And, and in 22, after wepublished this piece in Allergic
living about that vision forAllergy Nurse educator role,
(04:00):
which I have to give a lot ofcredit to Sue Kelly for that.
And, We did get a, suchwonderful feedback And that sort
of sparked interest in ourgroups.
So many nurses were reaching outand and we knew that we had to
do something and that's how we.
Decided to incorporate andcreate this organization to meet
the needs of those individuals.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (04:22):
That's a fascinating path in your career.
Where you started to how you,landed here.
I wanna ask you so much aboutall that, but I'm gonna pause.
Sarah, would you give us alittle bit of your background
and the same thing, how did youland working with allergy
patients?
Sarah Pederson, RN (04:36):
when I graduated from nursing school, I
kind of fell into this jobworking for an allergist, And, I
have just kind of stuck with itand I've morphed it into Many
different types of clinics, indifferent populations, which has
been really interesting and funand unexpected.
I think that we get very littleeducation in nursing school
about allergies in general,whether it's food or
(04:58):
environmental.
All we hear about is, possibly aamoxicillin, penicillin allergy.
And we don't, we don't reallyhear much about, specifics and,
what our role would be in caringfor that patient.
And that family.
So, so I fell into it and Ijust, I just stayed.
I'm almost.
More than 25 years we'll say.
And I'm unusual because I don'thave any kids that have a food
allergy.
(05:18):
So I, I, that isn't why I gotinto it.
It was more just an interesting,path I've seen a lot of changes
in, in allergy over those yearsand, I think that's what's made
it fun.
But it's also helped reallydrive my passion for wanting to
see something else with allergynursing.
Such as more formal, uh, group.
Of allergy nurses, and alsobetter connecting of allergy
(05:41):
nurses.
And then also how do we, get theword out and how do we make it
better than what it is?
And I think that's somethingthat at this point in my, my
career, it's, fun I really seethe, the value of having, nurses
who are really informed and knowwhat's going on.
It's fun.
I love working with people.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (05:59):
That's so nice to hear you say because
with a lot of people, we talkabout it's stressful and the
risks and the dangers and lifethreatening and so many scary
words.
So to know that you're there in,those settings, working with us
and finding it fun andinteresting and motivating is
reassuring, at least to me as anallergy mom.
Sarah Pederson, RN (06:14):
Yeah.
And the, and the, all thosethings are very true..
But I think once you deal withit all the time, it actually
helps you to be able to then,support and educate and, and
inspire confidence in thepatients and families because
you are doing it all the timeand you see the outcomes and
you, You can be there to say,Hey, you know what, we can
figure this out and problemsolve it.
And I feel like that's also abig benefit.
(06:36):
And again, that's another reasonwhy I love nursing because
there's so many aspects of, ofwhat it, what it is in different
areas.
So, and I think allergy is justgonna continue to grow.
So why shouldn't we pursue aneducator role and all the things
that go along with, reallysupporting nurses to join in and
wanna stay with it.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (06:55):
Yeah.
And it sounds like that wasreally, one of the biggest
instigators of becoming a moreformal organization was this
discussion, and it beinghighlighted in allergic living
the allergy educator role.
Can you explain to those whodon't really know what you mean
when you're talking about that?
Sarah Pederson, RN (07:10):
So the allergy nurse educator role
would basically be, be a, awell-trained, nurse that can
really step in and address all,all aspects.
They're not, they're notdiagnosing, prescribing, they're
simply there to help formulate,education, plan a nursing care
plan basically.
And then work with families andpatients to, to, Utilize it.
(07:31):
Providers don't have time, uh,in today's world to really sit
down and spend all the time thatpatients and families need.
And there's so many questionsand so many nuances with food
allergy that, you really knowone patient is, is exactly
alike.
That I think it's so great to beable to have, an informed nurse
that can really sit down andknow what things should look
(07:52):
like, pediatric nurses,definitely could be really well
informed to support theirproviders as well.
On the.
The things I'm sure they get alot of questions about,
especially as their role, theproviders in pediatrics really
have, a burden, with having totalk about so many things and,
that, three month old's lifeabout what's supposed to be
(08:12):
happening.
So it's nice to know that we cankind of step in and also offer
that.
We also spend a lot of time withpatients and so it makes sense
that having, a more officialrole I think just really makes
it, Complete,
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (08:24):
Now that we have the technology, especially
tele nursing we call it, ortelemedicine, or.
Telehealth, which is this biggerumbrella.
Because we have this technology,we're now able to really utilize
that role of allergen nurseeducator to reach to those
underserved and under,represented communities in rural
areas that where specialty careis scarse.
(08:45):
And I think, you know, that rolecould really be an extension of
the allergists, in order todeliver that.
Quality and timely accessiblecare to patients across
different, geographic regions.
And of course, we've seen thatmodel work with other
specialties in nursing.
Like for instance, we havediabetes nurse educators,
(09:06):
lactation consultants.
We have all these differenttypes of navigators, educators,
et cetera, but not an allergy.
And that's one of the area whichI think could greatly benefit
from that.
And we've heard that fromphysicians from all who are.
Very much in support of thisbecause they know that they're
strapped for time.
Sometimes there's like six tonine months wait list to see
(09:27):
them and they want to be ableto, delegate some of that to
someone who's well-versed inallergies in terms of conti with
education, follow up, referrals,you know, things of that nature
that they can.
Rely on that potentiallyallogeneous educator role to do
while they see more patientsand, reduce those wait times.
(09:47):
And clearly, for them it wouldbe a win-win situation.
So I think this role couldreally change, how we deliver
care in not just.
Rural communities, but also invery busy, urban settings as
well.
And even in hospital settings,you know, we do now every
hospital system has a diabetesnurse educator because they see
so many of those patients.
(10:08):
So who's to say that we can'thave an algae nurse educator for
health system?
And if you ever interface with apatient.
Who has food allergies, whetherthey're there for cardiology or
oncology care, now you stillhave to feed that patient.
And to have that allergy nurseeducator, through your system is
a huge help because then nownurses can rely on that resource
(10:30):
to help you care for thatpatient to the best of their
abilities.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (10:33):
As you're describing it, it's both
making me excited and it's kindof making me sad for myself that
we didn't have someone to dothis.
When I met the two of you, wetalked about how really it's
medical information.
Obviously you're medicalprofessionals and you're the
bridge to that support and allof those things you mentioned
that you can do are the sourceof anxiety for the patients that
(10:54):
I know.
So it's, it's bringing those twoworlds together, which obviously
as a psychologist makes meexcited.
Sarah Pederson, RN (10:59):
Definitely, nurses spend a lot of time with
patients and families, during afood challenge, we, we could be
with a patient for hours and, soit's a great time to just.
Chat connect, and, kind oftroubleshoot through and answer
questions that maybe theywouldn't ask during a, a visit
with, with their provider.
Mostly because there's so muchgoing on and their, your kid is
(11:21):
all over the place and, but ifwe're in the middle of a
procedure testing, let's say,it's a great time to just ask
those things that they'reworrying about.
And so I feel like as a trustedperson, we can, we can help,
work as a team.
With the providers.
I feel like the patients in ourpractice really, seem to
recognize that.
And I think sometimes too, theyjust need someone to hear them
(11:43):
too.
And, and nurses could do thattoo.
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (11:46):
Not every allergist has the ability to
hire a nurse or a mental healthprofessional or registered
dietician.
So if you are in a largeacademic center, you may have
that luxury to have thatinterprofessional inter
disciplinary team.
But for many private practices,this luxury doesn't always
materialize.
And then they have to outsourcesome of that to other
(12:07):
specialties.
If they already have a nurse onstaff, oftentimes that nurse
sort of becomes that person thatpicks up the pieces when it
comes to.
Counseling, whether it becomesto that education and follow up
and even, dietary, how do youprepare things?
how do you read labels?
All those things, kind of fallon the nurse's shoulders if
there is no ability to haveregistered dietician or the
(12:30):
mental health professional onstaff.
And I know many practices don'teven hire nurses, and so
physicians oftentimes have MAs.
Or, other, paraprofessionalsthat unfortunately it's not
within their scope of practiceto do some of that work.
And so, hopefully the physicianpicks up that on their end.
But if they don't, clearlypatients are not given that full
(12:53):
care, that, multifaceted,holistic care that they deserve.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (12:59):
It's such a good point and, I'm sure
the two of you are like me, justdreaming about, oh, what would
it look like if I could have mydream of how this is structured
and how it would operate?
And, and yeah, it's amazing toimagine,
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (13:10):
Actually, it's interesting because a few
years ago, we're at the FARESummit and one of the panels
that we put together wasprecisely that, is that
interdisciplinary care team.
We need the dream team in orderfor every aspect of their care
taken care of.
'cause they do eat and they dohave, mental health concerns
that they need to be addressed.
And they do have physicalconcerns and they do have, that
(13:32):
educational needs.
So we need to be workingtogether in order to make that
happen for them.
So they are living their fulllives.
Amanda Whitehouse, (13:40):
Definitely.
Well, thank you for the stepsthat you're taking to move
things in that direction, Ican't resist while I have you
here to ask a couple morequestions about this end of
things because when theprocedures that are difficult
for people with allergies,especially kids, nurses are
usually the ones doing those,right?
My child's allergist isn't theone who comes in and does the
skin prick test.
(14:01):
They're not the one checkingtheir heart and their skin when
we have a food challenge or, orare doing, you know, an updose
in our OIT program.
So you're talking about thetrust that they develop in you
and the relationship with, whichis huge.
You are the people that I loveto hear from.
In terms of what helps kids,what do you want people to know
about all those procedures thatreally are challenging for us?
Sarah Pederson, RN (14:24):
Oh, well, they, they can be really
challenging, but in differentways for the parent and the
child.
I do think there's some thingsthat stand out that really just
being prepared.
Understanding what is gonnahappen.
So being prepared with how manypokes there might be or, whether
it might hurt, what is justgenerally gonna happen.
Kids always do better when they,they know.
(14:45):
But also I think parents justreally need to know too, because
a lot of the anxiety seems tostart.
And then, is very present duringany of those procedures if the
parent is unsure about it or,and has any, worries that they
haven't had addressed.
So I think that, and justreally, having a bit of a plan,
you know, like a what kind ofbreathing we're gonna do, what
kind of, What kind of, thingsare you gonna do after this?
(15:07):
There's a lot of distractionthat we can employ.
We have been fortunate to havechild life services at, our
clinics, but even those servicesare becoming scarce, so, we
spend a lot of time prepping, Iwould say.
This goes along with theplanning, is that the more you
talk about it.
And delay it, the worse it goes.
That's why being prepared is soimportant.
(15:27):
So we'll call ahead, try toanswer all the questions, give
them information to read.
We find that happens.
'cause again, the more chatterthat maybe the parent needs.
The child does not need that,and so that can make it really
go in a different direction.
Also just taking advantage ofwhat the, the pain relief,
options are.
And distraction like, whetherit's vr, that's something that's
even available, or just, asimple, a buzzy device.
(15:49):
a little bit of numbing cream,things like that that just make
it all better.
But I do find too, it's prep.
And it's all about how you talkabout it.
I think one of my favorite,things that I've heard in clinic
is, the owie makes me better.
The owie makes me safer ingetting, her injections.
And I think that just always hasstuck with me
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (16:08):
Thank you.
And it's so helpful, and asyou're describing it, I'm just
picturing too, what I know youare doing just by your presence
is that co-regulation.
So if I'm alone in the room withmy child and I'm nervous versus
when a really calm, confidentnurse is in there helping me and
checking me and reassuring me asthe parent that.
Just goes so far.
So shout out to all of thenurses who have helped us along
(16:28):
the way and, and all of you outthere doing that tough work that
it, it makes such a differencein, in our experience as
patients..
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (16:36):
And I know we focus on pediatrics a lot,
but we also, don't wanna neglectour adult population because as
people are aging, they areliving with food allergies and
now we're seeing them enteringlong-term facilities and nursing
homes, et cetera, which aren'tprepared.
In accommodating thoseindividuals with food allergy.
So this is like an untappedarea, which, our organization is
(16:59):
also looking at.
So we're really looking atpatient's journey from childhood
to, geriatrics because we wannamake sure that every patient is
cared for in the best possibleway.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (17:10):
That's a great point.
Tell me more about all theprojects that you're trying to
create, your programs, yourinitiatives we wanna know about
in your short year as anorganization, what you've been
dreaming up and doing
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (17:21):
Oh gosh, there's a lot going on.
So, well, uh, we are trying toreally live to our mission,
which is live up to it because,uh, one of our things that,
we're trying to accomplish iseducation is number one'cause.
In developing a more allergyinformed nursing workforce is
one of our, core pillars, thateducational leadership piece.
(17:42):
And then our other pillars,innovation and collaboration,
because we do wanna develop and,and, and support those
innovative and scalable caremodels like we discussed earlier
with the allergen nurse educatorrole, for example, which would
be another project.
And then the.
Third pillar is research andscholarship.
'cause we do an advancednurse-led research and we wanna
(18:04):
be able to translate thatevidence into practice because
everything we do in nursing isevidence-based.
And so working with otherprofessionals.
Allergists, paraprofessionals,allied health professionals, to
come up with the researchprojects that,, again, have this
holistic approach to patientcare.
So those are the three mainpillars that we work around, and
(18:25):
we do support leadership.
We wanna develop next generationof nurse leaders in that space.
We also have some mentorshipbuilt in.
We, you know, had several nursesthrough our committees.
We have several committees thatthey work on, on different
things.
We also have, projects.
Through our partnerships.
(18:45):
So for instance, most recentlywe've partnered with the food
diversity and because they haveall this helpful resources that
our nurses could benefit fromwhen they care for their
patients, we're now able to hostthose resources and, Inform our
nurses about their availability.
We also have partnershiprecently we had with the AANP,
(19:05):
which is American Association ofNurse Practitioners, and they're
also a global organization.
And we had this entire socialmedia campaign around food
allergies during months of May.
We were able to reach nursesbeyond our own organization.
So really spreading thatinformation and awareness in our
nursing circles.
And just to put it intoperspective, there are over 5
(19:28):
million nurses in the UnitedStates and about 28 million
nurses globally, and we're thelargest workforce in healthcare,
yet we're not well informed onfood allergies, which have been
on a rise steadily, not just inthe United States, but
worldwide.
And so nurses are bound to carefor patients with food allergy
(19:48):
at some point in their career,no matter what settings they
work in, whether it be, schoolsor primary care or hospital
settings.
So, we know that they're gonnainterface with them.
They're gonna be responsible forfeeding them, for giving them
medications, doing follow up,doing care coordination, you
know, doing all that stuff withthose patients.
(20:09):
When they care for thoseindividuals, they have to be
knowledgeable, what to look outfor.
especially, many patients whenthey're not able to advocate for
themselves, nurses become theiradvocates.
And so they need to really beallergy informed.
So that's what we're trying toaccomplish.
And it starts with nursingcurriculum, which unfortunately
isn't.
Teaching a lot about foodallergies, at least not yet.
(20:30):
So hopefully as an organizationwe can make a dent in that at
some point.
And of course, with the nurseswho are already in the workforce
today.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (20:39):
I would imagine that nurses are eager
for this information and forthis education.
What was the response when youstarted talking about, expanding
and formally, creating thisgroup?
What did you hear from thenurses who ended up joining up?
Sarah Pederson, RN (20:53):
well, yeah, they were pretty darn excited.
Really.
the reality is that people dowant more information and, and
they do want to be part ofsomething that is, Official,
like what they already do,right?
You're already working in thisfield and and there's nothing we
can go with, certification andasthma educator, but there's no
allergy, certification, thingslike that.
(21:15):
So people wanna be part ofsomething, and learn and but
also validate their knowledgeThey look for that, nurses look
for that.
We got a great response.
And it's exciting to see itgrow.
The benefit and the value thatis added by a nursing,
association membership.
Such as FANA, which is I thinkis pretty cool that we offer ce,
with our speaker series.
(21:35):
And the ability to network, andalso do research projects.
Some of us have a book thatwe're working on.
We have many, nurses that areinvolved in that different
chapters and that's really funto find.
People that have an area thatthey would like to contribute to
the book and, and putting it alltogether.
It's a big job.
And I am not in charge of thatluckily, it's exciting and I
(21:58):
think that's gonna be reallyhelpful because that will be a
book for nurses, to learn about,food allergy nursing.
So yeah, I think the responsehas been super positive.
And also with providers, I thinkproviders are excited to have.
The collaboration I'm excited tosee, see what, other people
bring to the table.
It's been fun to hear, and meetlots of, nurses that work in,
(22:18):
more technology side, like Olgahas all this experience besides
an allergy, um, and it's reallyfun to see there are so many
areas when they come together,they can do a lot of things.
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (22:28):
When we formed, we really made sure that
our board had this diverseskillset and knowledge that we
could compliment each other.
And I'm so glad that we're ableto bring this amazing group
together on our board, we mustwork together in order to make
this happen for our patients.
And so it's just amazing to havethat.
(22:49):
Group, a core group of our boardmembers that, is able to
compliment each other in so manydifferent ways.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (22:56):
Right, I'm learning from you.
There are so many angles, thereare so many different settings
and roles and specialties andcertifications nursing to me
just seems like one of those sowidely spanning fields that I
can't really grasp what all thenurses out there are doing.
So I appreciate you helping usto understand
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (23:14):
the only one.
Even some of the nurses can'tgrasp.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (23:20):
Yeah, you're jacks of all trades.
What were some of the barriersor, challenges that you ran into
trying to make this a reality?
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (23:27):
Yes, we've had several challenges, as you
could tell.
It took us some time toincorporate.
So we started in 2019 and 2022when we opened it up to a larger
audience.
In 2022, we started talkingabout.
Should we incorporate, if wewanted to get any sort of
funding or for CEs, we couldn'tdo that as an informal group.
And we knew we kind of outgrewourselves.
(23:48):
So we kind of felt on that cuspof, what do we do with this?
Now we've got all these peoplewho are interested, which wasn't
just in the US.
It was international too, We hadsome amazing humans who were
willing to donate their in-kindservices from attorneys to
accountants, to our own familieswho chipped in to support our
(24:08):
endeavor.
Already in the.
Just less than a year.
We've had such an impact.
And, um, again, very proud ofour board and our members and
the families who've supported usthrough this because there's so
many families who felt the needfor this.
And if you look at some of thetestimonials on our website,
some of them come from patientswhere they felt that nurses meet
(24:29):
such a difference in their livesand they wanted to support'em.
And so it was just incredibly,um, rewarding to see that.
Once we took that leap that itactually is now finally making a
difference.
So we're able to offer ces now.
We're able to, work with,industry and with other
professionals, and apply forfunding and be able to offer
(24:52):
scholarships to our, nurses forconferences, especially new
nurses who wanna learn more.
We want them to be able toafford to go to a conference so
they can learn more.
We want'em to be able to affordto.
Take those CEEs, like for ournurses, who are students and,
retirees.
We have like a$10, annualmembership fee, which is,,
(25:12):
really just a nominal fee, justso that they can join and make
it affordable so they can learnNeedless to say, it's not being
taught in a nursing curriculum.
And so we are that organizationthat kind of helps bring that
information forward for nursesto take advantage of, having
that international membershiptruly is, Amazing because we're
now able to look at bestpractices across the globe.
(25:34):
We've got nurses from Australia,from Europe, from Africa, from
Asia, and we are actually goingto have, an international panel
on December 9th where we haveour one year anniversary.
To talk about that differentinternational perspective of
food allergies because you know,if they're doing something
better than us, we wanna knowand vice versa.
(25:56):
'cause we want to be able toshare, what we are doing and
what's helping our patients themost and try to implement it.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (26:04):
It's amazing to me to think of all of
the things that you haveaccomplished already and all of
the things that you already haveput into place., What do you see
in the future?
What else are the next goalsthat you wanna tackle?
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (26:16):
Yes, we do have quite a few things that we
wanna accomplish.
First of all, I think it'simportant for us to continue
building those bridges with ourcolleagues in organizations with
industry partners we're alsohoping to grow our membership,
bring several meaningfulprojects to fruition, hopefully
food allergy nurse educatorsbeing one of them.
Also hopefully work towardsdevelopment of the allergy
(26:36):
specialty so that it's arecognized specialty and the
nurses can go into thatspecialty and then that would
create a larger pool of.
Knowledgeable nurses forallergists to hire from.
And so when they're coming intothat workplace, there can hit
the ground running as opposed tohaving this learning curve.
(26:58):
So, a lot of work to be done andwe're just starting.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (27:01):
You're welcoming and encouraging new
members, right?
And not just nurses.
For those who might beinterested in joining who it
might be appropriate for andwhat you want them to know
about, joining yourorganization?
Sarah Pederson, RN (27:12):
I think we're looking for any
professional that is reallyinterested in, Seeing this go
somewhere, learning, supporting.
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (27:21):
We are open to any healthcare professionals.
You don't have to be a nurse.
And of course, like I mentionedearlier, we wanna make it very
affordable to students and thosewho, retired and they still
wanna be involved and pass onthe wisdom to, the younger
generation of nurses.
So we want them, in our circle.,Anybody who wants to subscribe
to our list, they can and theywill be getting newsletter.
(27:41):
and, be informed as to where weare in our journey.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (27:44):
Great.
So tell us where we can findthat and, and how to find your
website please.
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (27:48):
Food allergy nursing.org is our
website.
Uh, hello@foodallergynursing.orgis our email.
And of course you can follow uson Instagram, LinkedIn, and
Facebook.
That's where we're at.
We do have a speaker series andcalendar link where you could
see all of the events that arescheduled, for the next few
(28:08):
months.
Sarah Pederson, RN (28:10):
One more thing, that I wanted to say
about, having, patients andfamilies support, this, that
even if they're not joining, Ifeel like it's would be great if
they mentioned to theirpractices and the nurses that
they meet is, Hey, did you know,you know, this exists?
Getting the word out is hard.
That also is another way to besupportive of, food allergy
nursing in general
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (28:30):
I agree with you you don't have to
necessarily be involved in orderto help.
So you can help as a volunteer.
You can help by making adonation.
You can help by just gifting amembership to a nurse in your
circles.
Maybe you have a nurse.
Who's your relative or a friendand you,, wanna give them a
gift.
Just spread the awareness.
That would really be muchappreciated.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (28:49):
Thank you so much for sharing with us
what you're doing We'll have tohave you back sometime in the
future to continue sharing wherethings go
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (28:56):
Thank you so much for inviting us again.
As we wrap up this conversation,I hope you're feeling as
inspired and as grateful as I amby the expertise, leadership and
innovation that this team isbringing into the allergy world.
Here are a few ways you can takeaction.
Number one, follow the FoodAllergy Nursing Association.
food allergy nursing.org.
(29:17):
Stay connected to their mission,events and educational resources
by following them on socialmedia and visiting their
website.
Again, all the links will be inthe show notes.
Number two, sign up for theirfree event next week,
FANA is inviting.
All of our listeners to jointhem for a one year anniversary
celebration, taking placeonline, December 9th at 7:30 PM
(29:39):
The tickets are free and theycan be obtained on FANA's
website,
food allergy nursing.org.
And number three, please sharethis episode with a nurse, with
a healthcare professional, withsomeone that you know who works
in healthcare or supports foodallergy patients as a way of
saying thank you for their greatwork and as a way of continuing
to help the mission of the FoodAllergy Nursing Association.
(30:01):
Thank you so much for listening,and thank you to the incredible
FANA team for everything you doto make food allergy care more
informed, compassionate, andconnected.
If you like what you're hearing,I would love if you would rate
or review the show to help mereach more listeners.
the content of this podcast isfor informational and
educational purposes only, andis not a substitute for
professional medical or mentalhealth advice, diagnosis, or
(30:24):
treatment.
If you have any questions aboutyour own medical experience or
mental health needs, pleaseconsult a professional.
I'm Dr.
Amanda Whitehouse.
Thanks for joining me.
And until we chat again,remember don't feed the fear.
Welcome to the Don't Feed the Fear podcast, where we
dive into the complex world offood allergy anxiety.
I'm your host, Dr.
Amanda Whitehouse, food allergyanxiety psychologist and food
allergy mom.
Whether you're dealing withallergies yourself or supporting
someone who is, join us for anempathetic and informative
journey toward food allergy calmand confidence..
(00:22):
Today we're celebrating a groupof people who's very special in
the food allergy world.
It's the one year anniversary ofthe Food Allergy Nursing
Association, also known as FANA.
This group of passionate, highlyskilled and experienced nurses
from across the country cametogether to elevate food allergy
care through advocacy education.
Collaboration.
I've had the pleasure of gettingto know several members of this
(00:44):
team over the past year,including those with me today.
Dr.
Olga Kagan, who is the presidentand one of the founders of the
group, and Sarah Pederson, theFANA secretary, The two of them
are here to share with us whatthey saw as a need in the field
of food allergy and the paththat they're trying to carve out
to make sure that nurseseverywhere have the tools,
training, and confidence tosupport their patients with
(01:05):
compassion and accuracy.
And any of us who live with foodallergies or allergic diseases
know that when it comes to ourcare, nurses are at the heart of
that.
So thank you to all the nurseswho created FANA so that we can
get the best allergy care fromyou.
And thank you to nurseseverywhere.
We will celebrate today whatFANA has accomplished during
their first year and where theysee the future of food allergy
(01:25):
nursing heading.
amanda-whitehouse_1_10-16 (01:27):
today I'm so excited to have here with
me to celebrate the firstanniversary of the Food Allergy
Nursing Association.
The founder, Dr.
Olga Kagan, and the SecretarySarah Pederson.
Thank you both so much for beinghere.
squadcaster-6c9h_1_10-16 (01:40):
Thanks for inviting us.
Sara Pederson, RN (01:43):
Yeah.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (01:44):
Olga, we can start with you.
Would you mind just introducingyourself and how you got
involved in the food allergycommunity in your nursing role?
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (01:52):
All right, so, I actually became a nurse in
another country in, 1996, andthen I moved to the United
States where I pursued mynursing degree, again and got
involved.
And my first job was really in,A cardiac, cardiothoracic, ICUA
recovery step down.
So I had critical carebackground, and then after nine
(02:12):
11, I transitioned to work forthe world Trade Center Program
at Mount Sinai.
We would build the program fromscratch.
In order to see workers andvolunteers that worked at ground
zero.
So that was part ofenvironmental occupational
medicine, ecosystem that Iworked at.
And then since then, I went backto school.
I got my master's in informaticsadministration and then my
(02:34):
doctorate degree.
And slowly, slowly, you know.
Got involved with food allergiesbecause of my personal
connection with my own children.
And also having worked in that,occupational environmental
allergy space.
It kind of all came together.
And, my research is an allergy,also and primarily around
policy.
My dissertation was about,willingness and readiness to act
(02:57):
in a food and logic emergency ineffort to then.
Implement that as a similar towhat we have with, automatic,
external defibrillators or, youknow, with narcans, something
that could be available inpublic spaces in, allergic used,
in allergic emergencies.
Just like those other emergencyavail treatments that we have.
(03:18):
So that's basically where myjourney was.
And, I wasn't the only one.
It was few of us nurses.
In 2019, we kind of got togetherbecause we sold the gaps in food
allergy education and practiceand nursing research around food
allergies.
And we really wanted tounderstand how can we best fill
some of those need, gaps andmeet some of those needs.
(03:38):
And, at a time we were just, youknow, in discussions, publishing
some articles and, In 2022.
So it was Susan Kelly, myself,and, a couple other people who
are with us still, currently.
And that's how it kind ofevolved.
And, and in 22, after wepublished this piece in Allergic
living about that vision forAllergy Nurse educator role,
(04:00):
which I have to give a lot ofcredit to Sue Kelly for that.
And, We did get a, suchwonderful feedback And that sort
of sparked interest in ourgroups.
So many nurses were reaching outand and we knew that we had to
do something and that's how we.
Decided to incorporate andcreate this organization to meet
the needs of those individuals.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (04:22):
That's a fascinating path in your career.
Where you started to how you,landed here.
I wanna ask you so much aboutall that, but I'm gonna pause.
Sarah, would you give us alittle bit of your background
and the same thing, how did youland working with allergy
patients?
Sarah Pederson, RN (04:36):
when I graduated from nursing school, I
kind of fell into this jobworking for an allergist, And, I
have just kind of stuck with itand I've morphed it into Many
different types of clinics, indifferent populations, which has
been really interesting and funand unexpected.
I think that we get very littleeducation in nursing school
about allergies in general,whether it's food or
(04:58):
environmental.
All we hear about is, possibly aamoxicillin, penicillin allergy.
And we don't, we don't reallyhear much about, specifics and,
what our role would be in caringfor that patient.
And that family.
So, so I fell into it and Ijust, I just stayed.
I'm almost.
More than 25 years we'll say.
And I'm unusual because I don'thave any kids that have a food
allergy.
(05:18):
So I, I, that isn't why I gotinto it.
It was more just an interesting,path I've seen a lot of changes
in, in allergy over those yearsand, I think that's what's made
it fun.
But it's also helped reallydrive my passion for wanting to
see something else with allergynursing.
Such as more formal, uh, group.
Of allergy nurses, and alsobetter connecting of allergy
(05:41):
nurses.
And then also how do we, get theword out and how do we make it
better than what it is?
And I think that's somethingthat at this point in my, my
career, it's, fun I really seethe, the value of having, nurses
who are really informed and knowwhat's going on.
It's fun.
I love working with people.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (05:59):
That's so nice to hear you say because
with a lot of people, we talkabout it's stressful and the
risks and the dangers and lifethreatening and so many scary
words.
So to know that you're there in,those settings, working with us
and finding it fun andinteresting and motivating is
reassuring, at least to me as anallergy mom.
Sarah Pederson, RN (06:14):
Yeah.
And the, and the, all thosethings are very true..
But I think once you deal withit all the time, it actually
helps you to be able to then,support and educate and, and
inspire confidence in thepatients and families because
you are doing it all the timeand you see the outcomes and
you, You can be there to say,Hey, you know what, we can
figure this out and problemsolve it.
And I feel like that's also abig benefit.
(06:36):
And again, that's another reasonwhy I love nursing because
there's so many aspects of, ofwhat it, what it is in different
areas.
So, and I think allergy is justgonna continue to grow.
So why shouldn't we pursue aneducator role and all the things
that go along with, reallysupporting nurses to join in and
wanna stay with it.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (06:55):
Yeah.
And it sounds like that wasreally, one of the biggest
instigators of becoming a moreformal organization was this
discussion, and it beinghighlighted in allergic living
the allergy educator role.
Can you explain to those whodon't really know what you mean
when you're talking about that?
Sarah Pederson, RN (07:10):
So the allergy nurse educator role
would basically be, be a, awell-trained, nurse that can
really step in and address all,all aspects.
They're not, they're notdiagnosing, prescribing, they're
simply there to help formulate,education, plan a nursing care
plan basically.
And then work with families andpatients to, to, Utilize it.
(07:31):
Providers don't have time, uh,in today's world to really sit
down and spend all the time thatpatients and families need.
And there's so many questionsand so many nuances with food
allergy that, you really knowone patient is, is exactly
alike.
That I think it's so great to beable to have, an informed nurse
that can really sit down andknow what things should look
(07:52):
like, pediatric nurses,definitely could be really well
informed to support theirproviders as well.
On the.
The things I'm sure they get alot of questions about,
especially as their role, theproviders in pediatrics really
have, a burden, with having totalk about so many things and,
that, three month old's lifeabout what's supposed to be
(08:12):
happening.
So it's nice to know that we cankind of step in and also offer
that.
We also spend a lot of time withpatients and so it makes sense
that having, a more officialrole I think just really makes
it, Complete,
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (08:24):
Now that we have the technology, especially
tele nursing we call it, ortelemedicine, or.
Telehealth, which is this biggerumbrella.
Because we have this technology,we're now able to really utilize
that role of allergen nurseeducator to reach to those
underserved and under,represented communities in rural
areas that where specialty careis scarse.
(08:45):
And I think, you know, that rolecould really be an extension of
the allergists, in order todeliver that.
Quality and timely accessiblecare to patients across
different, geographic regions.
And of course, we've seen thatmodel work with other
specialties in nursing.
Like for instance, we havediabetes nurse educators,
(09:06):
lactation consultants.
We have all these differenttypes of navigators, educators,
et cetera, but not an allergy.
And that's one of the area whichI think could greatly benefit
from that.
And we've heard that fromphysicians from all who are.
Very much in support of thisbecause they know that they're
strapped for time.
Sometimes there's like six tonine months wait list to see
(09:27):
them and they want to be ableto, delegate some of that to
someone who's well-versed inallergies in terms of conti with
education, follow up, referrals,you know, things of that nature
that they can.
Rely on that potentiallyallogeneous educator role to do
while they see more patientsand, reduce those wait times.
(09:47):
And clearly, for them it wouldbe a win-win situation.
So I think this role couldreally change, how we deliver
care in not just.
Rural communities, but also invery busy, urban settings as
well.
And even in hospital settings,you know, we do now every
hospital system has a diabetesnurse educator because they see
so many of those patients.
(10:08):
So who's to say that we can'thave an algae nurse educator for
health system?
And if you ever interface with apatient.
Who has food allergies, whetherthey're there for cardiology or
oncology care, now you stillhave to feed that patient.
And to have that allergy nurseeducator, through your system is
a huge help because then nownurses can rely on that resource
(10:30):
to help you care for thatpatient to the best of their
abilities.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (10:33):
As you're describing it, it's both
making me excited and it's kindof making me sad for myself that
we didn't have someone to dothis.
When I met the two of you, wetalked about how really it's
medical information.
Obviously you're medicalprofessionals and you're the
bridge to that support and allof those things you mentioned
that you can do are the sourceof anxiety for the patients that
(10:54):
I know.
So it's, it's bringing those twoworlds together, which obviously
as a psychologist makes meexcited.
Sarah Pederson, RN (10:59):
Definitely, nurses spend a lot of time with
patients and families, during afood challenge, we, we could be
with a patient for hours and, soit's a great time to just.
Chat connect, and, kind oftroubleshoot through and answer
questions that maybe theywouldn't ask during a, a visit
with, with their provider.
Mostly because there's so muchgoing on and their, your kid is
(11:21):
all over the place and, but ifwe're in the middle of a
procedure testing, let's say,it's a great time to just ask
those things that they'reworrying about.
And so I feel like as a trustedperson, we can, we can help,
work as a team.
With the providers.
I feel like the patients in ourpractice really, seem to
recognize that.
And I think sometimes too, theyjust need someone to hear them
(11:43):
too.
And, and nurses could do thattoo.
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (11:46):
Not every allergist has the ability to
hire a nurse or a mental healthprofessional or registered
dietician.
So if you are in a largeacademic center, you may have
that luxury to have thatinterprofessional inter
disciplinary team.
But for many private practices,this luxury doesn't always
materialize.
And then they have to outsourcesome of that to other
(12:07):
specialties.
If they already have a nurse onstaff, oftentimes that nurse
sort of becomes that person thatpicks up the pieces when it
comes to.
Counseling, whether it becomesto that education and follow up
and even, dietary, how do youprepare things?
how do you read labels?
All those things, kind of fallon the nurse's shoulders if
there is no ability to haveregistered dietician or the
(12:30):
mental health professional onstaff.
And I know many practices don'teven hire nurses, and so
physicians oftentimes have MAs.
Or, other, paraprofessionalsthat unfortunately it's not
within their scope of practiceto do some of that work.
And so, hopefully the physicianpicks up that on their end.
But if they don't, clearlypatients are not given that full
(12:53):
care, that, multifaceted,holistic care that they deserve.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (12:59):
It's such a good point and, I'm sure
the two of you are like me, justdreaming about, oh, what would
it look like if I could have mydream of how this is structured
and how it would operate?
And, and yeah, it's amazing toimagine,
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (13:10):
Actually, it's interesting because a few
years ago, we're at the FARESummit and one of the panels
that we put together wasprecisely that, is that
interdisciplinary care team.
We need the dream team in orderfor every aspect of their care
taken care of.
'cause they do eat and they dohave, mental health concerns
that they need to be addressed.
And they do have physicalconcerns and they do have, that
(13:32):
educational needs.
So we need to be workingtogether in order to make that
happen for them.
So they are living their fulllives.
Amanda Whitehouse, (13:40):
Definitely.
Well, thank you for the stepsthat you're taking to move
things in that direction, Ican't resist while I have you
here to ask a couple morequestions about this end of
things because when theprocedures that are difficult
for people with allergies,especially kids, nurses are
usually the ones doing those,right?
My child's allergist isn't theone who comes in and does the
skin prick test.
(14:01):
They're not the one checkingtheir heart and their skin when
we have a food challenge or, orare doing, you know, an updose
in our OIT program.
So you're talking about thetrust that they develop in you
and the relationship with, whichis huge.
You are the people that I loveto hear from.
In terms of what helps kids,what do you want people to know
about all those procedures thatreally are challenging for us?
Sarah Pederson, RN (14:24):
Oh, well, they, they can be really
challenging, but in differentways for the parent and the
child.
I do think there's some thingsthat stand out that really just
being prepared.
Understanding what is gonnahappen.
So being prepared with how manypokes there might be or, whether
it might hurt, what is justgenerally gonna happen.
Kids always do better when they,they know.
(14:45):
But also I think parents justreally need to know too, because
a lot of the anxiety seems tostart.
And then, is very present duringany of those procedures if the
parent is unsure about it or,and has any, worries that they
haven't had addressed.
So I think that, and justreally, having a bit of a plan,
you know, like a what kind ofbreathing we're gonna do, what
kind of, What kind of, thingsare you gonna do after this?
(15:07):
There's a lot of distractionthat we can employ.
We have been fortunate to havechild life services at, our
clinics, but even those servicesare becoming scarce, so, we
spend a lot of time prepping, Iwould say.
This goes along with theplanning, is that the more you
talk about it.
And delay it, the worse it goes.
That's why being prepared is soimportant.
(15:27):
So we'll call ahead, try toanswer all the questions, give
them information to read.
We find that happens.
'cause again, the more chatterthat maybe the parent needs.
The child does not need that,and so that can make it really
go in a different direction.
Also just taking advantage ofwhat the, the pain relief,
options are.
And distraction like, whetherit's vr, that's something that's
even available, or just, asimple, a buzzy device.
(15:49):
a little bit of numbing cream,things like that that just make
it all better.
But I do find too, it's prep.
And it's all about how you talkabout it.
I think one of my favorite,things that I've heard in clinic
is, the owie makes me better.
The owie makes me safer ingetting, her injections.
And I think that just always hasstuck with me
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (16:08):
Thank you.
And it's so helpful, and asyou're describing it, I'm just
picturing too, what I know youare doing just by your presence
is that co-regulation.
So if I'm alone in the room withmy child and I'm nervous versus
when a really calm, confidentnurse is in there helping me and
checking me and reassuring me asthe parent that.
Just goes so far.
So shout out to all of thenurses who have helped us along
(16:28):
the way and, and all of you outthere doing that tough work that
it, it makes such a differencein, in our experience as
patients..
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (16:36):
And I know we focus on pediatrics a lot,
but we also, don't wanna neglectour adult population because as
people are aging, they areliving with food allergies and
now we're seeing them enteringlong-term facilities and nursing
homes, et cetera, which aren'tprepared.
In accommodating thoseindividuals with food allergy.
So this is like an untappedarea, which, our organization is
(16:59):
also looking at.
So we're really looking atpatient's journey from childhood
to, geriatrics because we wannamake sure that every patient is
cared for in the best possibleway.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (17:10):
That's a great point.
Tell me more about all theprojects that you're trying to
create, your programs, yourinitiatives we wanna know about
in your short year as anorganization, what you've been
dreaming up and doing
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (17:21):
Oh gosh, there's a lot going on.
So, well, uh, we are trying toreally live to our mission,
which is live up to it because,uh, one of our things that,
we're trying to accomplish iseducation is number one'cause.
In developing a more allergyinformed nursing workforce is
one of our, core pillars, thateducational leadership piece.
(17:42):
And then our other pillars,innovation and collaboration,
because we do wanna develop and,and, and support those
innovative and scalable caremodels like we discussed earlier
with the allergen nurse educatorrole, for example, which would
be another project.
And then the.
Third pillar is research andscholarship.
'cause we do an advancednurse-led research and we wanna
(18:04):
be able to translate thatevidence into practice because
everything we do in nursing isevidence-based.
And so working with otherprofessionals.
Allergists, paraprofessionals,allied health professionals, to
come up with the researchprojects that,, again, have this
holistic approach to patientcare.
So those are the three mainpillars that we work around, and
(18:25):
we do support leadership.
We wanna develop next generationof nurse leaders in that space.
We also have some mentorshipbuilt in.
We, you know, had several nursesthrough our committees.
We have several committees thatthey work on, on different
things.
We also have, projects.
Through our partnerships.
(18:45):
So for instance, most recentlywe've partnered with the food
diversity and because they haveall this helpful resources that
our nurses could benefit fromwhen they care for their
patients, we're now able to hostthose resources and, Inform our
nurses about their availability.
We also have partnershiprecently we had with the AANP,
(19:05):
which is American Association ofNurse Practitioners, and they're
also a global organization.
And we had this entire socialmedia campaign around food
allergies during months of May.
We were able to reach nursesbeyond our own organization.
So really spreading thatinformation and awareness in our
nursing circles.
And just to put it intoperspective, there are over 5
(19:28):
million nurses in the UnitedStates and about 28 million
nurses globally, and we're thelargest workforce in healthcare,
yet we're not well informed onfood allergies, which have been
on a rise steadily, not just inthe United States, but
worldwide.
And so nurses are bound to carefor patients with food allergy
(19:48):
at some point in their career,no matter what settings they
work in, whether it be, schoolsor primary care or hospital
settings.
So, we know that they're gonnainterface with them.
They're gonna be responsible forfeeding them, for giving them
medications, doing follow up,doing care coordination, you
know, doing all that stuff withthose patients.
(20:09):
When they care for thoseindividuals, they have to be
knowledgeable, what to look outfor.
especially, many patients whenthey're not able to advocate for
themselves, nurses become theiradvocates.
And so they need to really beallergy informed.
So that's what we're trying toaccomplish.
And it starts with nursingcurriculum, which unfortunately
isn't.
Teaching a lot about foodallergies, at least not yet.
(20:30):
So hopefully as an organizationwe can make a dent in that at
some point.
And of course, with the nurseswho are already in the workforce
today.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (20:39):
I would imagine that nurses are eager
for this information and forthis education.
What was the response when youstarted talking about, expanding
and formally, creating thisgroup?
What did you hear from thenurses who ended up joining up?
Sarah Pederson, RN (20:53):
well, yeah, they were pretty darn excited.
Really.
the reality is that people dowant more information and, and
they do want to be part ofsomething that is, Official,
like what they already do,right?
You're already working in thisfield and and there's nothing we
can go with, certification andasthma educator, but there's no
allergy, certification, thingslike that.
(21:15):
So people wanna be part ofsomething, and learn and but
also validate their knowledgeThey look for that, nurses look
for that.
We got a great response.
And it's exciting to see itgrow.
The benefit and the value thatis added by a nursing,
association membership.
Such as FANA, which is I thinkis pretty cool that we offer ce,
with our speaker series.
(21:35):
And the ability to network, andalso do research projects.
Some of us have a book thatwe're working on.
We have many, nurses that areinvolved in that different
chapters and that's really funto find.
People that have an area thatthey would like to contribute to
the book and, and putting it alltogether.
It's a big job.
And I am not in charge of thatluckily, it's exciting and I
(21:58):
think that's gonna be reallyhelpful because that will be a
book for nurses, to learn about,food allergy nursing.
So yeah, I think the responsehas been super positive.
And also with providers, I thinkproviders are excited to have.
The collaboration I'm excited tosee, see what, other people
bring to the table.
It's been fun to hear, and meetlots of, nurses that work in,
(22:18):
more technology side, like Olgahas all this experience besides
an allergy, um, and it's reallyfun to see there are so many
areas when they come together,they can do a lot of things.
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (22:28):
When we formed, we really made sure that
our board had this diverseskillset and knowledge that we
could compliment each other.
And I'm so glad that we're ableto bring this amazing group
together on our board, we mustwork together in order to make
this happen for our patients.
And so it's just amazing to havethat.
(22:49):
Group, a core group of our boardmembers that, is able to
compliment each other in so manydifferent ways.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (22:56):
Right, I'm learning from you.
There are so many angles, thereare so many different settings
and roles and specialties andcertifications nursing to me
just seems like one of those sowidely spanning fields that I
can't really grasp what all thenurses out there are doing.
So I appreciate you helping usto understand
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (23:14):
the only one.
Even some of the nurses can'tgrasp.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (23:20):
Yeah, you're jacks of all trades.
What were some of the barriersor, challenges that you ran into
trying to make this a reality?
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (23:27):
Yes, we've had several challenges, as you
could tell.
It took us some time toincorporate.
So we started in 2019 and 2022when we opened it up to a larger
audience.
In 2022, we started talkingabout.
Should we incorporate, if wewanted to get any sort of
funding or for CEs, we couldn'tdo that as an informal group.
And we knew we kind of outgrewourselves.
(23:48):
So we kind of felt on that cuspof, what do we do with this?
Now we've got all these peoplewho are interested, which wasn't
just in the US.
It was international too, We hadsome amazing humans who were
willing to donate their in-kindservices from attorneys to
accountants, to our own familieswho chipped in to support our
(24:08):
endeavor.
Already in the.
Just less than a year.
We've had such an impact.
And, um, again, very proud ofour board and our members and
the families who've supported usthrough this because there's so
many families who felt the needfor this.
And if you look at some of thetestimonials on our website,
some of them come from patientswhere they felt that nurses meet
(24:29):
such a difference in their livesand they wanted to support'em.
And so it was just incredibly,um, rewarding to see that.
Once we took that leap that itactually is now finally making a
difference.
So we're able to offer ces now.
We're able to, work with,industry and with other
professionals, and apply forfunding and be able to offer
(24:52):
scholarships to our, nurses forconferences, especially new
nurses who wanna learn more.
We want them to be able toafford to go to a conference so
they can learn more.
We want'em to be able to affordto.
Take those CEEs, like for ournurses, who are students and,
retirees.
We have like a$10, annualmembership fee, which is,,
(25:12):
really just a nominal fee, justso that they can join and make
it affordable so they can learnNeedless to say, it's not being
taught in a nursing curriculum.
And so we are that organizationthat kind of helps bring that
information forward for nursesto take advantage of, having
that international membershiptruly is, Amazing because we're
now able to look at bestpractices across the globe.
(25:34):
We've got nurses from Australia,from Europe, from Africa, from
Asia, and we are actually goingto have, an international panel
on December 9th where we haveour one year anniversary.
To talk about that differentinternational perspective of
food allergies because you know,if they're doing something
better than us, we wanna knowand vice versa.
(25:56):
'cause we want to be able toshare, what we are doing and
what's helping our patients themost and try to implement it.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (26:04):
It's amazing to me to think of all of
the things that you haveaccomplished already and all of
the things that you already haveput into place., What do you see
in the future?
What else are the next goalsthat you wanna tackle?
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (26:16):
Yes, we do have quite a few things that we
wanna accomplish.
First of all, I think it'simportant for us to continue
building those bridges with ourcolleagues in organizations with
industry partners we're alsohoping to grow our membership,
bring several meaningfulprojects to fruition, hopefully
food allergy nurse educatorsbeing one of them.
Also hopefully work towardsdevelopment of the allergy
(26:36):
specialty so that it's arecognized specialty and the
nurses can go into thatspecialty and then that would
create a larger pool of.
Knowledgeable nurses forallergists to hire from.
And so when they're coming intothat workplace, there can hit
the ground running as opposed tohaving this learning curve.
(26:58):
So, a lot of work to be done andwe're just starting.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (27:01):
You're welcoming and encouraging new
members, right?
And not just nurses.
For those who might beinterested in joining who it
might be appropriate for andwhat you want them to know
about, joining yourorganization?
Sarah Pederson, RN (27:12):
I think we're looking for any
professional that is reallyinterested in, Seeing this go
somewhere, learning, supporting.
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (27:21):
We are open to any healthcare professionals.
You don't have to be a nurse.
And of course, like I mentionedearlier, we wanna make it very
affordable to students and thosewho, retired and they still
wanna be involved and pass onthe wisdom to, the younger
generation of nurses.
So we want them, in our circle.,Anybody who wants to subscribe
to our list, they can and theywill be getting newsletter.
(27:41):
and, be informed as to where weare in our journey.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (27:44):
Great.
So tell us where we can findthat and, and how to find your
website please.
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (27:48):
Food allergy nursing.org is our
website.
Uh, hello@foodallergynursing.orgis our email.
And of course you can follow uson Instagram, LinkedIn, and
Facebook.
That's where we're at.
We do have a speaker series andcalendar link where you could
see all of the events that arescheduled, for the next few
(28:08):
months.
Sarah Pederson, RN (28:10):
One more thing, that I wanted to say
about, having, patients andfamilies support, this, that
even if they're not joining, Ifeel like it's would be great if
they mentioned to theirpractices and the nurses that
they meet is, Hey, did you know,you know, this exists?
Getting the word out is hard.
That also is another way to besupportive of, food allergy
nursing in general
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (28:30):
I agree with you you don't have to
necessarily be involved in orderto help.
So you can help as a volunteer.
You can help by making adonation.
You can help by just gifting amembership to a nurse in your
circles.
Maybe you have a nurse.
Who's your relative or a friendand you,, wanna give them a
gift.
Just spread the awareness.
That would really be muchappreciated.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (28:49):
Thank you so much for sharing with us
what you're doing We'll have tohave you back sometime in the
future to continue sharing wherethings go
Olga Kagan, PhD, RN (28:56):
Thank you so much for inviting us again.
As we wrap up this conversation,I hope you're feeling as
inspired and as grateful as I amby the expertise, leadership and
innovation that this team isbringing into the allergy world.
Here are a few ways you can takeaction.
Number one, follow the FoodAllergy Nursing Association.
food allergy nursing.org.
(29:17):
Stay connected to their mission,events and educational resources
by following them on socialmedia and visiting their
website.
Again, all the links will be inthe show notes.
Number two, sign up for theirfree event next week,
FANA is inviting.
All of our listeners to jointhem for a one year anniversary
celebration, taking placeonline, December 9th at 7:30 PM
(29:39):
The tickets are free and theycan be obtained on FANA's
website,
food allergy nursing.org.
And number three, please sharethis episode with a nurse, with
a healthcare professional, withsomeone that you know who works
in healthcare or supports foodallergy patients as a way of
saying thank you for their greatwork and as a way of continuing
to help the mission of the FoodAllergy Nursing Association.
(30:01):
Thank you so much for listening,and thank you to the incredible
FANA team for everything you doto make food allergy care more
informed, compassionate, andconnected.
If you like what you're hearing,I would love if you would rate
or review the show to help mereach more listeners.
the content of this podcast isfor informational and
educational purposes only, andis not a substitute for
professional medical or mentalhealth advice, diagnosis, or
(30:24):
treatment.
If you have any questions aboutyour own medical experience or
mental health needs, pleaseconsult a professional.
I'm Dr.
Amanda Whitehouse.
Thanks for joining me.
And until we chat again,remember don't feed the fear.
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