Conference Co-Chairs

David Sloane, MD, EdM listened to his mother when she told him to get up off the couch, get a job, and not major just in philosophy and mathematics.

So he went to Harvard Medical School, completed residency in internal medicine at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and then completed a fellowship in allergy and immunology at the Brigham and Women's Hospital. For some reason they allowed him to stay on there, first as an NIH funded researcher into the cellular and molecular mechanisms of allergic diseases for five years, and thereafter as an attending, where he sees patients with allergic diseases and adult immunodeficiencies. He also attends on the rapid drug desensitization service (of which he is the assistant director) at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and cares for allergy and immunology patients at the West Roxbury VA Medical Center where he is the medical director.

When he is not doing this clinical work, he teaches, develops curriculum, and immerses himself in educational research at Harvard Medical School. Thinking that he ought to develop some expertise in learning and teaching, he earned a master’s degree in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

When he is not doing those educational things, he spends his time with his wife and five children in Sharon, Massachusetts. When they are all asleep and he has a moment of quiet, he goes back to his couch and dreams of having a life devoted to philosophy and mathematics. He calls his mother frequently to tell her this.

Donna-Marie "Dee" Lynch, MSN, FNP-BC began her nursing career at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) in 1993, starting in oncology before transitioning to the Medical Intensive Care Unit, where she cared for critically ill oncology patients for more than two decades. For the past 13 years, she has worked as a Nurse Practitioner in the Drug Desensitization Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and BWH. In this specialized role, Dee supports patients with drug allergies from their initial consultation in the allergy clinic through desensitization protocols—enabling them to continue receiving first-line therapies safely.

With over 30 years of clinical experience, Dee brings deep compassion, dedication, and highly specialized expertise to her practice. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling with her family and friends—and always packs a good suspense novel for the journey.

Speakers

Mariana Castells, MD, PhD is a clinician-scientist with over 30 years of experience in allergy and immunology and over 200 publications. She is the Director of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Mastocytosis Center, one of the few nationally and internationally recognized centers of excellence, which provides diagnosis, management, and treatment options for patients with mastocytosis and mast cell activation disorders. She is actively involved in mast cell-related research and is the PI on several clinical trials, including Blueprint Medicines, Cogent Biosciences, and Telios Pharmaceuticals. She is also the Director of the Drug Hypersensitivity and Desensitization Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. This center has provided over 900 high-risk desensitizations per year for over 30 years to patients with cancer and chronic inflammatory diseases. Dr. Castells is also a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, current Editor-in-Chief of Current Allergy and Asthma Reports, serves on the Board of Directors for the American Initiative in Mast Cell Diseases, and she directs the Drug Desensitization International Meeting in Spain yearly. Dr. Castells is the newly elected AAAAI secretary-treasurer. 

Teodorikez W. Jimenez-Rodriguez, MD, PhD, has clinical experience in both pediatric and adult medicine, providing a broad perspective on disease processes. His primary research interest focuses on elucidating the immunological mechanisms underlying allergic conditions and translating this knowledge into clinical practice. As a physician-scientist, his professional goal is to advance research in allergic mechanisms with direct clinical applications—enhancing understanding of allergic diseases and ultimately improving patient care.

Teodorikez W. Jimenez-Rodriguez, MD, PhD completed a six-month fellowship in the Drug Desensitization Unit at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard University, under the supervision of Dr. Mariana Castells. Upon returning to Alicante, he founded the Drug Desensitization Unit at Dr. Balmis General University Hospital, where he currently serves as Director. Over the past seven years, his team has performed more than 1,200 drug desensitization procedures in both adult and pediatric patients.

Kerry Hennessy, DNP, RN, AOCN has been an oncology nurse for over 35 years, with experience across a wide range of settings including inpatient, outpatient, home care, and the pharmaceutical industry. For much of her career, she has served as an Oncology Nurse Educator and Clinical Nurse Specialist. She has coordinated and participated in institution-based and Oncology Nursing Society–sponsored courses for chemotherapy administration and handling, as well as Boston Oncology Nursing’s certification review offerings. While completing her DNP program, she transitioned to a more direct patient care role as an Oncology Nurse Navigator in Sarcoma at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Kathleen Marquis, PharmD, PhD is the Drug Hypersensitivity and Desensitization Pharmacist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Kathleen received her PhD from Harvard Medical School, PharmD from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and completed postgraduate residency training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Kathleen currently provides clinical services for the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology inpatient consultation service and ambulatory clinics.  Her role has focused on clinical research aimed at standardizing processes by developing institutional guidelines, policies, and multidisciplinary education. These efforts are designed to enhance operational efficiency, optimize resource utilization, minimize delays in patient care delivery, and ensure safe and appropriate treatment for all patients, thereby contributing to improved clinical outcomes. 

Olivia McWhorter, MPH has served as the Program Coordinator for the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Drug Hypersensitivity and Desensitization Center for almost two years. She received her BS and MPH from the University of Georgia, and she has experience working as an inpatient pharmacy technician. Olivia will be starting medical school this fall.