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.

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.

Laura Bach, D.O. is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Duke University in Durham, NC. After graduating from Midwestern University-Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, she completed residency in Internal Medicine at Advocate Lutheran General in Park Ridge, IL. She completed specialty training in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ, where she served as a clinical teaching faculty at the University of Arizona for two years.  She then pursued a subspecialty fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ in Advanced Esophageal Diseases. She is a member of the Esophageal Diseases faculty at Duke, providing care for patients with a variety of esophageal disorders. 

Wendy Book, MD, has been involved in a volunteer capacity on the executive board of APFED, serving as the board’s President since 2009. She has led education, advocacy, research, and awareness efforts leading to the creation of National Eosinophil Awareness Week, NIH report language, the NIH Task Force on the Research Needs of Eosinophil-Associated Diseases (TREAD) document, insurance coverage of medical foods, and development of ICD-9-CM codes for eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases. She assisted in development of APFED’s HOPE on the Horizon Research Grant Program which has directed more than $2.3 million to research efforts to date. Her efforts have led to collaborations with other patient advocacy groups, physicians, medical societies, and federal agencies. Her experience as a parent of a chronically ill child, and as a physician, provides a unique perspective on the patient experience and challenges involved in navigating the medical system.