Bridging Gaps in Food Allergy Care with Dr. Olga Kagan

Welcome to this episode of The Immune Edit Podcast, hosted by Dr. Doug Jones. Joined by Dr. Olga Kagan, a doctorally prepared nurse specializing in food allergies and nursing education, they discuss her unique career journey—from critical care to spearheading post-9/11 health programs—and her work founding the Food Allergy Nursing Association. Learn about challenges in nursing education, global outreach, and innovative roles like the Certified Allergy Nurse Educator to improve patient access and care.

Introductions and Background

Dr. Doug Jones: I'm so excited for today's episode. I've got a special guest with me—Dr. Olga Kagan. Why don't you introduce yourself to the audience?

Dr. Olga Kagan: Thank you for inviting me. Pleasure to meet you. I'm a doctorally prepared nurse. I started my career in 1996 outside the United States in an infectious disease hospital dealing with TB patients in a former republic of the USSR—Uzbekistan. We share a short border with Afghanistan. I moved here in 1996, got my baccalaureate degree from Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing, pursued advanced studies at Molloy University in nursing informatics and administration, and graduated with my doctoral degree in 2018.

Career Evolution and Post-9/11 Work

Dr. Doug Jones: How has your career evolved?

Dr. Olga Kagan: I started in critical care as a cardiothoracic ICU nurse in New York City hospitals. After 9/11, there was a need for a World Trade Center program to monitor and treat responders at Ground Zero. Myself and a handful of nurses and physicians spearheaded the 9/11 World Trade Center Medical Screening Program at Mount Sinai's Environmental Medicine Department. We built the infrastructure that's still running today, recently funded through 2099.

It was rewarding but showed me the power of data and information. Collecting enormous amounts by hand in the early 2000s was burdensome—we were implementing electronic health records. This sparked my interest in informatics, data, and research, leading me back to school.

I had maternity leaves with my children, both of whom developed food allergies. Working with environmental allergies, I dove into food allergies and their root causes. My doctoral studies focused on individuals' willingness to act in food allergic emergencies on college campuses, aiming to change policy and make epinephrine accessible.

The Food Allergy Nursing Association

Dr. Olga Kagan: Talking to other nurses, we realized gaps in knowledge. Nurses aren't taught food allergies in curriculum—similar to medical education. We need to educate over 5 million nurses in the U.S. That's how the Food Allergy Nursing Association was born.

It started as the Food Allergy Nursing Interest Group in 2019 with a handful of us. In 2022, we published an article on our vision for a Certified Allergy Nurse Educator role delivered via tele-nursing (like telemedicine). There was a lot of interest, so we opened it up and incorporated as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) in December 2022.

It's now a global movement across five continents—Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe, and primarily the U.S.

Managing Growth

Dr. Doug Jones: How have you managed all the growth?

Dr. Olga Kagan: It's been challenging, but we're passionate. We don't work in silos—we have allergists on our board, like Dr. Alice Hoyt, who's passionate about educating school nurses. We're attracting support from those who share our mission for better care of patients and families.

Education for Nurses

Dr. Doug Jones: How do you educate nurses across five continents, with different languages, healthcare systems? Do you hold conferences or use online resources?

Dr. Olga Kagan: We're new—one year old as a nonprofit. We offer everything online via tools like Zoom. We hold monthly speaker series with experts, offering CEUs (professional development hours). Recordings are available for up to nine months. We alternate times—afternoon in summer, evenings during the year—to accommodate time zones.

You'll be joining us in the summer—our members can meet and learn from you.

Top Initiatives

Dr. Doug Jones: What are your top initiatives?

Dr. Olga Kagan: - Education is number one- Research committee initiating nurse-led projects to identify gaps and implement evidence-based practice- Best practices sharing- Book for nurses edited by two members (launching this year)- Certified Allergy Nurse Educator role using technology

Access to care is a big problem—not just urban, but rural. Patients travel hours to see allergists. Nurses can help alleviate burdens, acting as bridges for education, coordination, and follow-up.

Hopes for the Next Year

Dr. Doug Jones: What are your hopes over the next year?

Dr. Olga Kagan: We'll connect at the Quad AI meeting—we'll have a booth. Excited about the book for Food Allergy Nursing. More exciting speakers, including you. Building the Food Allergy Nurse Educator role—securing funding to pilot it, show ROI and efficacy.

Challenges for Nurses

Dr. Doug Jones: What are some biggest challenges or pain points nurses face within your organization?

Dr. Olga Kagan: Not so much within the organization—nursing in general. Raising awareness that we exist to support them. We cover food allergies and comorbidities (asthma, eczema, EoE, FPIES). Diverse speakers: registered dietitians like Karina Ventriglio, Dr. Anna Nowak, Ruchi Gupta's team, nurses, allergists on alpha-gal.

This year: more on school health for school nurses. Patient perspectives in May (Leon Metelbaum, Thomas Silvera, Kyle Dine). Upcoming in-person event February 11th at New York Academy of Medicine with Food Allergy Research & Education—screening their film on patient stories/struggles. Register if nearby!

Dr. Olga Kagan’s Top Edits

Dr. Doug Jones: With misconceptions or myths you're addressing, what are 2–3 key edits for nurses or parents so we're not trapped in misinformation?

Dr. Olga Kagan: Misinformation impacts everyone. Be extra cautious/diligent in what we say/publish. Proverb: Measure 10 times before cutting once—verify multiple times before putting out into the world.

More allergists on social media is exciting—we need more nurses amplifying evidence-based info from credible sources.

Don't shy away from involvement—spend extra 10 minutes on something passionate (nonprofit, professional organization, community). Giving back brings personal fulfillment and community building.

Thank you for tuning in to The Immune Edit. This show is separate from my clinical practice at Global Allergy Immune Network and is for educational purposes only.

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