Dr. Reed specializes in diseases of the esophagus, and he sees patients with esophageal motility disorders, Barrett’s esophagus, eosinophilic esophagitis, and complex esophageal strictures. His clinical practice includes the endoscopic management of Barrett’s esophagus, as well as the interpretation of esophageal motility studies. Dr. Reed is involved in clinical research with a focus on eosinophilic esophagitis, as well as the instruction of pre- and post-graduate medical trainees.

David Leiman, MD, MSHP, is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology at Duke University School of Medicine, where he serves as the Director of the Esophageal Program and Motility Lab.

His clinical practice focuses on the evaluation and management of patients with complex esophageal and swallowing disorders, including eosinophilic esophagitis.

Dr. Jensen is a professor of epidemiology with specific expertise in reproductive, perinatal, pediatric epidemiology. Her research primarily focuses on etiologic factors in the development of pediatric, immune-mediated chronic disease, including understanding factors contributing to disparities in health outcomes. Dr. Jensen earned both her MPH and PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) in biomarker-based epidemiology. In addition to her appointment in Epidemiology and Prevention at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, she holds a joint appointment in the Department of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, and an adjunct appointment at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Department of Medicine.  She serves as the Research Director for the GI fellowship program at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Dr. Jensen leads several on-going cohort studies, including a study leveraging administrative databases and resources in Denmark to study in utero and early life environmental exposures in interaction with genotype in the development of eosinophilic esophagitis.   She also co-leads a study designed to characterize early life exposure to antibiotics through microspatial assessment of deciduous teeth in children, examining antibiotics in interaction for susceptibility genotype in development of eosinophilic esophagitis. As an investigator in the Consortium for Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers (CEGIR) she co-leads a study of clinical management of food bolus impaction at the time of emergency department encounters, with a goal of identifying opportunities to improve patient care at the time of these emergency department encounters. She also has on-going projects designed to elucidate novel markers in predicting treatment response for EoE patients. Dr. Jensen also serves on the EGID Partners registry scientific advisory committee and contributes actively to the patient-directed research supported through EGID Partners.

Emily Pierce is a Division 1 cross-country athlete and nursing student at Campbell University who has lived with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) since age 12. Balancing school, sports, and travel, she’s learned to manage her condition while staying active and ambitious. Living away at college, Emily has continued to adapt and thrive—advocating for greater awareness of GI disorders in young athletes. Her journey has inspired her to pursue a career in nursing and use her social media platforms to support others facing similar challenges.

Evan S. Dellon, MD, MPH, is a Professor of Medicine and Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill. Dr. Dellon received his undergraduate degree from Brown University and his medical degree from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He completed internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.  He performed a clinical and a research fellowship in Adult Gastroenterology at UNC, during which he also received a Masters of Public Health degree in Epidemiology from the UNC School of Public Health. Dr. Dellon is currently the Director of the UNC Center for Esophageal Diseases and Swallowing (CEDAS) and has served as an Associate Editor for Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.  Dr. Dellon’s main research interest is in the epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and the eosinophilic GI diseases (EGIDs). The goal of his research is to improve the lives of patients with EoE and EGIDs by learning how to better diagnose, treat, and monitor these conditions.

Dr. Alexander Reddy is a gastroenterologist who specializes in the care of patients with esophageal disorders, including eosinophilic esophagitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, Barrett’s esophagus, and esophageal motility disorders. His clinical practice also includes the management of other eosinophilic GI disorders such as eosinophilic gastritis, enteritis, and colitis. He attended the University of Alabama School of Medicine and completed his residency and fellowship training at Duke University. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Duke University and the Director of the Duke GI of Raleigh Motility Lab.

Dr. Jensen is a professor of epidemiology with specific expertise in reproductive, perinatal, pediatric epidemiology. Her research primarily focuses on etiologic factors in the development of pediatric, immune-mediated chronic disease, including understanding factors contributing to disparities in health outcomes. Dr. Jensen earned both her MPH and PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) in biomarker-based epidemiology. In addition to her appointment in Epidemiology and Prevention at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, she holds a joint appointment in the Department of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, and an adjunct appointment at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Department of Medicine.  She serves as the Research Director for the GI fellowship program at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Dr. Jensen leads several on-going cohort studies, including a study leveraging administrative databases and resources in Denmark to study in utero and early life environmental exposures in interaction with genotype in the development of eosinophilic esophagitis.   She also co-leads a study designed to characterize early life exposure to antibiotics through microspatial assessment of deciduous teeth in children, examining antibiotics in interaction for susceptibility genotype in development of eosinophilic esophagitis. As an investigator in the Consortium for Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers (CEGIR) she co-leads a study of clinical management of food bolus impaction at the time of emergency department encounters, with a goal of identifying opportunities to improve patient care at the time of these emergency department encounters. She also has on-going projects designed to elucidate novel markers in predicting treatment response for EoE patients. Dr. Jensen also serves on the EGID Partners registry scientific advisory committee and contributes actively to the patient-directed research supported through EGID Partners.

Francesca is a Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner at Duke Health, specializing in the outpatient management of Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) as well as Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) and Hepatitis C. She works closely with care teams in clinic settings to coordinate medication therapy, provide personalized education, and support safe, effective treatment plans. Her responsibilities include assisting in all aspects of medication initiation, training on injectable therapies, monitoring for safety, and making sure treatments are affordable and accessible. Francesca earned her Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) from the University of Connecticut in 2022 and completed PGY1 Pharmacy Practice and PGY2 Ambulatory Care residencies at UNC Health Rex. She is passionate about making care more personalized and accessible, and she is dedicated to helping patients feel informed, supported, and confident in managing their health.

Trevor Barlowe, MD, MSCR, is a clinical research fellow in the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He completed medical school at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine and internal medicine residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. His research interests involve using large clinical datasets to answer common clinical questions in digestive diseases, and he has participated in research projects evaluating the optimal management of esophageal food impaction under the guidance of Dr. Evan Dellon.

Brady Allen is a collegiate quarterback for the University of Louisville and a member of APFED community, having been recently diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis and eosinophilic gastritis. Originally from Fort Branch, Indiana, Brady was named Indiana Mr. Football and is one of the most accomplished high school quarterbacks in state history, holding records for career completions and touchdowns. A 4-star recruit and consensus Top 10 quarterback in the Class of 2022, Allen earned the prestigious title of Indiana Mr. Football, recognizing him as the state’s top high school player. He holds Indiana high school football records for career completions and touchdowns, and ranks second all-time in career passing yards in the state’s history. Brady joins us at Eos Connection 2025 to connect with patients and families and share his personal insights as someone who understands the strength it takes to overcome adversity—on and off the field.

M. Angie Almond, MEd, RD, LDN, FAND is the Program Coordinator for the Gluten and Allergic Digestive Diseases (GLADD) Program in the Department of Pediatrics at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist and a Clinical Research Project Manager in the Department of Public Health Sciences at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. With over 34 years of experience as a clinical dietitian, she specializes in Medical Nutrition Therapy for pediatric gastrointestinal conditions including eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), celiac disease, and non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

Ms. Almond plays an active role in advancing research on eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and related gastrointestinal disorders. Over the past eight years, she has contributed to numerous abstracts and peer-reviewed publications through her leadership and collaboration on multidisciplinary studies. She is also recognized as a Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for her professional excellence and impact in the field.

Dr. Edwin Kim is an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina school of medicine and chief of the division of pediatric allergy and immunology. He is also the director of the UNC Food Allergy Initiative research group whose focus is the development of novel therapeutics for IgE mediated food allergy.

Onyinye I. Iweala*, M.D., Ph.D. is an allergist and immunologist and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology Allergy, and Immunology at the University of North Carolina (UNC)-Chapel Hill. She is the Director of the UNC Allergy Mast Cell Disorders Program and has served as a diversity, equity, and inclusion officer within her division. She also serves as an Allergy and Immunology telehealth consultant for Capital Health Surgical Center, in Abuja, Nigeria.   

Dr. Iweala’s passion is to understand mechanistic drivers of mast cell activation and anaphylaxis. Ultimately, she wants to improve and expand treatment options for patients with mast cell activation disorders and mast cell driven symptoms, including those with food allergies. She is a member of the UNC Food Allergy Initiative, the UNC Children’s Research Institute, and the UNC Thurston Arthritis Research Center.

Dr. Iweala received her Ph.D. in Experimental Pathology from Harvard University and her medical degree from Harvard Medical School. She completed a residency in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and a clinical and research fellowship in Allergy and Immunology at UNC-Chapel Hill. She is a recipient of a 2020 AAAAI Foundation Faculty Development Award.

Her NIH-funded research program has 3 focus areas: (1) Mast cell activation in food allergies, including in alpha-gal syndrome, the tick-associated “red” or mammal meat allergy (2) Epigenetic regulation of allergic responses, including anaphylaxis and (3) Improving the diagnosis and management of anaphylaxis, mast cell disorders, and symptoms of mast cell activation. Her lab also studies how gastrointestinal and external parasites can influence immune responses.

Dr. Iweala and her work have been featured in the JAMA Clinical Reviews Podcast, HealthDay, Healio, Allergic Living, the Finding Genius Podcast, Voice of America, and the New York Times Magazine.

Dr. Iweala is married with three children. Her hobbies include singing -- especially a cappella music, dancing, running, and high intensity interval training.

Raquel Durban is a registered dietitian specialized in food allergy. Feeding disorders are not an uncommon comorbidity of food allergy. Symptoms, anxiety, trauma and structural changes are frequent contributors in addition to prescribed food avoidance in the development of feeding disorders in the food allergic person. In collaboration with the care team, Raquel provides nutrient dense food options with consideration of safety, preferences and developmental milestones. 

In addition to patient care, Raquel participates in clinical research, medical advisory board appointments and national and international allergy associations.