The first incumbent of the Denise and David Bunning Professorship in the Field of Allergy and Immunology at Boston Children’s Hospital is Talal Chatila. His relationship with Children’s and Harvard Medical School began in 1985 when he joined the Division of Immunology at Children’s and later became an instructor and assistant professor at HMS. Most recently Chatila has been an HMS professor of pediatrics and senior physician in the Division of Immunology at Children’s.
The focus of Chatila’s research the genetic and regulatory mechanisms involved in the pathologies of human immunological diseases. His studies have centered on the mechanisms by which immunological tolerance fails in allergic diseases, such as food allergies, and the means for re-establishing tolerance in these disorders. Chatila’s studies also focus on the interpretation of genetic pathways that enable allergic response and the mapping of human disease resulting from defects along those pathways.
His research has led to the identification of novel genetic pathways, including the first identification of human mutations associated with food allergies.
This professorship was established by Denise and David Bunning, who have been advocates for children with life-threatening food allergies for more than 15 years.
