Event Speakers/Presenters

Monique Allman is a certified Physician Assistant at Kelsey Seybold Clinic in Webster, TX specializing in Allergy and Immunology. She graduated from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center with her Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree in 2009. She has worked with patients of all ages in this specialty since 2013 and loves teaching patients about their medical conditions and allowing them to be active participants in their care. She is an active member of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology (ACAAI) and the Association of PAs in Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (APA-AAAI).

My name is Ana M. Gutierrez, I am a Family Nurse Practitioner that joined the Aspire Team in January of 2022. I completed my Nursing Undergraduate in Norwalk, CT and completed Graduate school at Grand Canyon University with a Masters in Science of Nursing, Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner. I have been in the medical field for over 30 years and my passion is to promote wellness. My favorite part of being a Nurse Practitioner is the privilege of having the opportunity to care for and educate my community on Allergic Rhinitis, Sinus disease, Urticaria, Asthma, and Environmental and Food Allergy Treatment options. This brings me JOY! I pursue the virtue of staying positive, no matter what! Encouraging others around me has been my superpower. Although I may be only 4’10" tall, I feel like I am over six feet tall on the inside. I trained as a hospital Chaplin while completing my graduate degree and often use those skills during difficult diagnosis and situations as I practice the art and science of medicine. My career goal is to always work with passion, lead with empathy and promote wellness.

Erin Kolb, MSN, FNP-BC, is a Family Nurse Practitioner specializing in Allergy & Immunology who earned her BSN and MSN from the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing. She is the founder of Mast Cell Care PLLC, where she provides specialized telehealth care across eight states, including New England, New York, and Arizona, in collaboration with Clinical Paradigms LLC. Her clinical practice focuses on clonal and non-clonal mast cell disease, as well as chronic urticaria, rhinitis, immunodeficiencies, and complex immune dysregulation, with a particular interest in the neuroimmune axis. She serves on the AAAAI Mast Cell Disorders Committee and the ACAAI Integrative Medicine Committee. Erin is dedicated to advancing patient and clinician education. She focuses on improving patient outcomes and quality of life by empowering patients with knowledge and hope, while equipping clinicians with practical, evidence-based approaches to the workup, diagnosis, and management of mast cell disease.

Katie Larson is a PA with Aspire Allergy & Sinus in the Houston area and is also the president of the American Society of Allergy Professionals. Katie graduated at the top of her class from Baylor College of Medicine with a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies and also holds a master’s degree in teaching. She has a personal connection with allergic conditions and treatments, as one of her sons successfully underwent oral immunotherapy (OIT) for his food allergies years ago. Katie loves being able to offer patients allergy treatment because, thanks to her son’s experience, she knows how life-changing it can be to no longer suffer from allergies. Katie is a member of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI). In her spare time, Katie enjoys traveling with her husband and two boys.

ENT and facial plastic surgery 19 years in practice. Training at Tulane University in New Orleans and Mount Sinai in New York City, fellowship in Tampa in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. Work experience at cedar Sinai in Los Angeles, Private practice in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Currently working at Albuquerque, NM location of Aspire Allergy and Sinus

Veena Patel, MD, is a rheumatologist and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin. She cares for patients with a broad range of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases and has a particular interest in systemic lupus erythematosus. Her interests include healthcare operations and improving the quality and delivery of rheumatology care. She is actively involved in medical education and serves as Interim Chief Clinical Officer for UT Health Austin.

Dr. Schroer is a founding board member and past president of the Ohio Allergy Immunology Society and serves on CME Committees for the AAAAI, ACAAI, and is current chair of the AAAAI CME Committee, is on the AAAAI Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease (EGID) Committee and Health Information Technology and Information Committee (HITE). He also serves as a journal reviewer for the journals Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, and the Annals of Allergy. He is also involved with teaching medical students and allergy and immunology fellows. He is also involved with training medical students and clinicians in learning relationship centered communication skills.

Dr. Shankar is a double board-certified allergy/immunology physician who specializes in caring for adults and children with allergic disorders such as allergic rhinitis/conjunctivitis, chronic sinusitis, chronic rhino-sinusitis with nasal polyps, asthma, atopic/contact dermatitis, urticaria, angioedema, food allergy, & anaphylaxis. He is well-versed in sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) & oral immunotherapy (OIT) as a treatment for food allergy, intralymphatic immunotherapy (ILIT), sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) & subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) for allergic rhinitis/conjunctivitis, as well as the use of intravenous immunoglobulin for immunodeficiencies. In addition, he utilizes treatment with biologics for various allergic conditions. Dr. Shankar believes in educating his patients on evidence-based treatment options, empowering them to take ownership of their health, & engaging in shared-decision making. Dr. Shankar earned his medical degree from A.T. Still University of Health Sciences in Phoenix, Arizona & was recognized for his commitment to the underserved. He received his Certification in Population Health & Health Equity at the University of Michigan School of Public Health while completing his pediatric residency at Authority Health with clinical training at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan. He served as chief pediatric resident & received the outstanding intern and outstanding senior resident of the year awards during his time in Michigan. He subsequently completed his pediatric and adult allergy/immunology fellowship at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine/University Hospitals - Cleveland Medical Center, where he served as chief clinical fellow. Dr. Shankar has published in various magazines & journals related to pollen counting, COVID-19, newborn screening & have spear-headed several project implementations in the clinical setting through the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology (AAAAI), as well as drug & food challenges & desensitization protocols in the outpatient & inpatient settings. He currently serves on the Division Directors & Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committees of the AAAAI as well as the Food Allergy & Population Health Committees & Advocacy Council for the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI). He was named a Rising Star with Top Doctor in Texas. In his free time, he consults in the allergy/immunology space & mentors clinical fellows, residents, & APPs. Dr. Shankar is a speaker who has presented his research at national conferences & given lectures at the local, state & national level.

Dr. Slocum (formerly Dr. Kosmach) graduated from Pediatric Allergy Immunology Fellowship at National Jewish Health and prior to that served in the United States Navy as an Aviation Medical Examiner and General Pediatrician. She is passionate about food allergy.

Allergist

Same as last year but I can email it (if needed)

William Yao, MD is an associate professor in the Department Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles and received his medical degree at the University of Colorado Health Science Center School of Medicine. He was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society in 2008. He completed his Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery residency at Baylor College of Medicine, where he was recognized with the 2014 Resident Teaching Award. Following that, he completed a fellowship in rhinology and anterior skull base surgery at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary/Harvard Medical School. Dr. William Yao is co-director of the Texas Sinus Institute Rhinology and Skull Base Fellowship and Residency Program Director for the Department of Otorhinolaryngology. He has a strong interest in surgical technique, residency education, including the development of teaching instruments. Dr. Yao specializes in disorders of the nose, sinus and skull base. He is devoted to delivering cutting edge medical and surgical management for chronic rhinosinusitis, paranasal sinus diseases, as well as advanced endoscopic sinus surgery, revision sinus surgery, skull base and orbital surgery. Dr. Yao is fluent in English and Japanese and is the author of chapters in many textbooks, as well as numerous articles published in peer-reviewed journals (including The Laryngoscope, International Forum of Allergy and Rhinology, American Journal of Rhinology and Allergy, and Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery). He has also been awarded the Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award from the McGovern Medical School every year since 2017 and the Faculty of the Year Award on multiple occasions. He has been named a Houstonia Top Doctor, Castle Connolly Top Doctor and a Texas Super Doctor Rising Star.