Building a secure digital dosing record and safety optimization tool for food allergen desensitization therapy: Dr. Sakina Bajowala.
Innovator’s Full Name
Dr. Sakina Bajowala
Title and Specialty
Sakina Shikari Bajowala, MD, Board-Certified Allergist & Immunologist
Innovation project and tagline
The Food Allergy Fix App is a secure digital dosing record and safety optimization tool for food allergen desensitization therapy.
Problem your innovation solves
Food allergen desensitization is an immunomodulatory treatment designed to gradually increase a patient’s tolerance to a food to which he or she is hypersensitive. The goal is to reduce the risk of experiencing allergic reactions from accidental ingestion, expand the diet, and improve quality of life by reducing restrictions and easing anxiety. The treatment involves daily dosing with the very food to which the patient is allergic, with doses that increase regularly. The risk of potentially experiencing an allergic reaction to the dose itself is real, and is mitigated by carefully following numerous safety rules and proactively modifying the dose if the patient exhibits signs of intolerance. This requires meticulous record-keeping and open communication on the part of both patient and allergist. However, if there are lapses in data collection or communication, dosing errors may result in reactions.
Intended target audience/user of your innovation
1. Patients who are pursuing food allergen desensitization therapy
2. Allergists supervising food allergen desensitization therapy
Interesting experience while developing your innovation
Mistakes/hurdles along the way
The biggest hurdle I have needed to overcome is to get comfortable with self-promotion. As physicians, we’re taught to be quiet about our accomplishments and let the health of our patients be our best advertisement. It is rare that we ever need to sell ourselves to the patient – they typically seek us out proactively. This laissez-faire approach doesn’t work in the digital space, where you have to tout the benefits of your creation not only with passion, but also with tenacity in the face of rejection.
Typical day in your life
6:00am – wake up
6:30am – Drink tea and listen to the news on Alexa while preparing breakfast for the remote learners in the household
7:00am – Various meetings with development team and other contractors (Zoom, Amazon Chime, Microsoft Teams, RingCentral – you name it)
8:00am-11:30am, 1:00pm-5:00pm (M, T, Th, F) – Clinic at Kaneland Allergy and Asthma Center. Mix of telemedicine and in person appointments, plus direct supervision of immunotherapy, oral challenges and food desensitization. (Since the onset of the pandemic, I try to go home mid-day to either drop off or prepare lunch for my family.)
5:00pm-6:30pm – Conference calls for professional societies, catching up with kids and husband
6:30pm-7:30pm – Talk to friends while making dinner
7:30pm-8:00pm – dinner with family
8:00pm-8:30pm – watch tv with family
8:30pm-9:30pm – work out, shower
9:30pm-11:30pm – Catch up on emails, work on app and website – development, testing, marketing (often with a movie on in the background, usually something we’ve seen before – the familiarity of the dialogue is calming)
11:30pm – Sleep
On Wednesdays and weekends, I devote more time to the app, and less to the kitchen.
Someone who inspires you
Parting words of wisdom
Interview Footage
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Innovation website
http://allergistmommy.com/
Innovator Bio
Dr. Sakina Shikari Bajowala is an internationally recognized physician, best-selling author, speaker, and health advocate.
She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Chicago, and earned her medical degree from Rush Medical College. Following a residency in General Pediatrics at the University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital, Dr. Bajowala returned to Rush University Medical Center for her fellowship in Adult & Pediatric Allergy & Immunology.
The Medical Director of Kaneland Allergy and Asthma Center, Dr. Bajowala is an expert in the highly specialized field of food allergen desensitization. She has successfully treated hundreds of patients with life-threatening food allergies, and has developed her own integrative protocols to optimize the safety and efficacy of this immunomodulatory procedure. Dr. Bajowala is also the author of the #1 best-selling book, “The Food Allergy Fix: An Integrative and Evidence-Based Approach to Food Allergen Desensitization”, and is a dynamic educator and speaker on the topic of integrative food allergy treatments.
Dr. Bajowala dedicates her volunteer time to a variety of advocacy efforts, including food allergy, physician wellness, consumer safety, and environmental health.