How to accidentally become a researcher

“It doesn’t have to start with a huge trial. It starts with a patient and it starts with a problem.” —Dr. Gord Sussman

How do we move from the exam room to the frontlines of discovery? On this episode of The Allergist, Dr. Mariam Hanna talks with Dr. Gord Sussman about how curiosity—not a research grant—launched his decades-long contribution to allergy science. From identifying the early signs of latex allergy to shaping the treatment landscape for urticaria and hereditary angioedema, Dr. Sussman shares what keeps him asking the next question, and how any allergist can get involved.

On this episode:

• Why Dr. Sussman initially thought he’d never pursue research—and what changed his mind
  
  
• How one nurse's anaphylactic reaction to latex launched a field of study
  
  
• What it was like to design and run early research trials for food allergy challenges and peanut desensitization
  
  
• Why recruiting patients for trials has become harder—not easier—over time
  
  
• What makes a good research coordinator and why infrastructure is critical
  
  
• How to identify patients who may be open to research, and when not to push
  
  
• Why some promising drugs never reach market—and what frustrates Dr. Sussman most
  
  
• What advice he gives to allergists who are research-curious but hesitant
  
  

You don’t need a lab coat to help change practice. Just curiosity, commitment—and maybe a really good clinical coordinator.

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Find Dr. Hanna on X, previously Twitter, @PedsAllergyDoc or CSACI @CSACI_ca

The Allergist is produced for CSACI by PodCraft Productions