The Massachusetts Allergy & Asthma Society grew out of a need for practicing allergists to have a forum for discussion of issues specific to office practice.
Mission Statement
To promote excellence in and access to allergy and immunology care, through education and advocacy on behalf of patients, allergists and clinical immunologists in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
History
Bernie Berman (Brookline), Al Sheffer (Weston), Jack Farnham (Chelmsford), Paul Hannaway (Salem) and Irv Biaillit (Needham) were active in the Sneeze Wheeze and Itch Society (a monthly journal club fror practicing allergists in Massachusetts), and were some of the founding members of the Massachusetts Allergy Society (MAS).
MAS updated its name to Massachusetts Allergy and Asthma society in the 1980s coinciding with national organizations updating their names to include Asthma as well. Monthly meetings of MAAS started as informal discussions and grew to include speakers on topics such as risk management, managed care, and the insurance industry.
While MAAS no longer meets monthly, it has continued to be a place for local allergists to share knowledge and advocate for the practice of allergy in Massachusetts.
Get started with MAAS, with a membership today.
Fill out the form below and attached documents, to get started on becoming a member.
Clinical Trials
Among Massachusetts Allergy and Asthma include physicians who have worked as principal investigators for a wide variety of clinical trials for allergic diseases such as food allergies, eczema, chronic spontaneous urticaria, eosinophilic esophagitis, etc. These physicians have worked to coordinate clinical trials for pharmaceutical companies such as AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celgene, Ellodi, and Allakos among many others.
Each physician in this organization works with a large volume of patients with a variety of allergic diseases. For companies looking for subject recruitment in their clinical trials, our network of physicians can enhance the ability of trials to recruit participants. Our access to this large patient network benefits both the companies sponsoring the research, as well as patients who have exhausted standard of care options with minimal results for treatment of their conditions. We hope to expand the number of clinical trials that we are able to coordinate at our sites to further medical research and the quality of the patient care that we can provide.
For pharmaceutical companies looking for potential clinical trial sites and principal investigators, our society provides great options given the extensive research and clinical experience of these physicians. The practices listed also have experienced clinical research coordinators and knowledgeable staff members that are experienced in clinical research. Regardless of their involvement as research coordinators, the staff members working under these physicians have extensive exposure and experience with clinical trials, and they are able to provide our patient populations with information about research and what it would mean to be a part of a clinical trial. Additionally, as non-academically affiliated sites with IRB certification, we are able to accommodate and initiate multiple clinical trials very efficiently.
Available clinical trials:
John Leung, MD, AGAF, FACAAI
Boston Specialists Clinical Trials
Deborah Pedersen, MD, MS:
Pedersen/ Allergy & Asthma Care, PC: Research conducting site - A Phase 3, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Randomized Study to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of Epicutaneous Immunotherapy with DBV712 250 μg in 4-7-year-old Children with Peanut Allergy.
The current slate of officers are:
Michelle Conroy, MD - President
David Robertson, MD - President-Elect
Deborah Pedersen, MD - Secretary
Jordan Scott, MD - Treasurer
The executive committee also includes the past president, Jonathan Bayuk, DO
Our Team
Northeast Allergy Asthma and Immunology
Jordan Scott, MD
Dr Jordan Scott is the owner of Northeast Allergy, which has locations in Leominster, Newton, Concord, Stoneham, Sudbury and Worcester.
He’s past president of the MA Allergy Society and currently treasurer of the MA Allergy and New England Allergy Societies.
Western Massachusetts Allergy
David Robertson, MD
Dr. Robertson has been practicing Allergy and Clinical Immunology in Western Massachusetts since 2012. He is board certified in Pediatrics, Adult Internal Medicine and Allergy Immunology and is the current president of the New England Society of Allergy. He is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School's Baystate campus. Originally a New Orleans native, he is happy to call Western Mass home.
Allergy & Asthma Care, PC
Deborah Pedersen, MD, MS
Dr. Pedersen has been in private practice in Massachusetts since 2011. She is board certified in Allergy and Immunology as well as Pediatrics. She sees patients of all ages. Dr. Pedersen is a second generation allergist and grew up "working" at the front desk at her father's office (she mostly ate donuts and played with the copier). She also serves on the board of the New England Society of Allergy.
Allergy Associates
Michelle Conroy, MD
Dr. Michelle Conroy in an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard University, attending physician in Allergy and Immunology and a Principle Investigator at the Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Conroy provides care to both adult and pediatric patients at MGH where she has a particular focus on food allergy.
Her research focuses on glycosylation as it relates to regulation of antibody function. Specifically, her work uncovered a previously dismissed role for glycosylation in determination of pathogenesis of IgE antibodies in the context of allergic inflammation. This novel finding provides an entirely new dimension to understand regulation of IgE function. Clinical relevance of this finding is widespread as IgE is implicated in not only atopic diseases, but chronic itch, autoimmunity and cancer.
Boston Specialists
John Leung, MD, AGAF, FACAAI
Dr. Leung is a physician dual board certified in Allergy/Immunology and Gastroenterology. He attended medical school at University of Michigan Medical School and completed his internal medicine residency at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. He then proceeded with a Gastroenterology fellowship at Tufts Medical Center and an Allergy/Immunology fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. He began his early career in academia working on several NIH-funded research projects.
He is a former site principal investigator of the Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers (CEGiR). He established and directed the Center for Food Related Diseases at Tufts Medical Center and the Pediatric Food Allergy Center at Tufts Children’s Hospital. In 2015, Dr. Leung founded Boston Specialists/Boston Food Allergy Center. The center has become one of the most distinguished independent clinical and research centers in New England, treating 250-300 patients per week. He has conducted over 40 industry and federally funded clinical trials since 2010.
He is currently an adjunct assistant professor at Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, and an adjunct faculty member of the Immunology Program at Tufts Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Both his clinical and research focus are on eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases, mast cell GI disorders and food allergy/intolerance. He has co-authored more than 60 peer-reviewed manuscripts including an article in New England Journal of Medicine, numerous scientific abstracts, book chapters, and online tutorials.
He has been invited to lecture at many well-renowned institutions, some of which include Tufts Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Massachusetts Medical Society, and the American Gastroenterology Association.
Jonathan Bayuk, DO
Dr. Jonathan Bayuk is a board-certified allergist and clinical immunologist, as well as a board-certified internist. In addition to his position as President of AIANE, Dr. Bayuk is highly involved in the teaching of residents and medical students, which he accomplishes as an Asst.
Professor of Medicine and UMASS medical school at Baystate Medical Center. He is the Division Chief of Allergy and Immunology at Baystate Medical Center. Dr. Bayuk serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine at Tufts School of Medicine and The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine. He is also an instructor at Springfield College and Baypath University where he teaches the allergy component of the Physician Assistant programs.
Dr. Bayuk has served as President of both the New England Society of Allergy and The Massachusetts Allergy and Asthma Society and remains very active in local, regional and national allergy and immunology organizations. He sees patients of all ages.
Locations
John Leung
77 Warren Street, Brighton, MA 02111