Stephanie Leeds, MD, is a pediatric allergy and immunology physician who specializes in food allergy.
“I love interacting with kids. I think they are earnest and funny and straightforward in a way that makes my job easy and pleasurable. Plus, everyone wants to advocate for kids, so I always have a team around me, including parents and other caregivers who are invested in them,” she says.
Dr. Leeds says she also enjoys the educational component of her job. “If I have a new food allergy patient, it’s a 60-minute visit and half of that is talking and counseling,” she says. “The devil is in the details when we talk about food allergies, and we have a multidisciplinary approach that includes a dietitian and a child life specialist.”
Food allergies, Dr. Leeds notes, have been increasing in prevalence over the past few decades. This is partly because medical experts were likely giving the wrong advice for years, she adds.
“We were telling parents to delay the introduction of allergenic foods until a child is older, but we are now finding that early introduction promotes tolerance,” she says. “I am passionate about offering families food allergy prevention strategies and managing those who do have allergies, including through oral immunotherapy treatment.”
