Ivan Cardona, MD
Continuing AD Focus in Maine
Ivan Cardona, MD, completed his allergy and immunology fellowship at National Jewish Health in 2006, where he studied under Donald Leung, MD. Dr. Cardona explains that witnessing the remarkably rapid improvements of Atopic Dermatitis (AD) patients through the “soak and seal” method during his training, forever changed him. He was especially moved by the emotional appreciation of parents who never believed their children could have normal skin. These experiences led him to his current practice interests.
Following his training, Dr. Cardona became one of six providers, including Dr. Barbara Chilmonczyk, another National Jewish Health former fellow, at Allergy and Asthma Associates of Maine (www.allergyme.com), the state’s largest allergy and immunology (A/I) practice. Dr. Cardona’s practice is the major A/I referral center for the state of Maine, as well as the academic allergists and immunologists for the region.
In addition to being a full-time clinician, Dr. Cardona teaches residents and medical students who rotate through his practice, provides consultation services and delivers lectures and grand rounds at Maine Medical Center (MMC), contributes to state-wide pediatric AAP quality care initiatives and conducts investigator-initiated clinical research.
Advancing AD Research
Dr. Cardona extended his fellowship training an extra year to research AD in Dr. Leung's lab. That research experience fueled his interest in AD and is why he has continued to pursue clinical research amidst a busy clinical practice, without dedicated research time. “The knowledge I gained through my National Jewish Health training has allowed me to help some of Maine’s most severe AD patients,” he explains. “In addition, I have had the great pleasure of mentoring a pediatric resident from MMC with her AD research and her interest in pursuing a career in A/I.”
With his research primarily focused on clinical aspects of AD, Dr. Cardona, collaborating with another former fellow, Neal Jain, MD, is investigating basic skin care practices that currently lack evidence-based data. He recently received a $10,000 grant from MMC to help fund these efforts.
ACAAI 2011
Continuing the mission of teaching and community involvement, Dr. Cardona has been involved in the National Eczema Association for several years. His abstract was accepted at the 2011 ACAAI Boston meeting, where he, Dr. Jain and his pediatric resident mentee, Dr. Kempe, presented some of their preliminary research data, entitled: A Pilot Survey of Wet vs. Dry Treatment Strategies for Atopic Dermatitis Among Allergy and Immunology Physicians.
If you would like more information about Dr. Cardona’s practice or research, you may email him at icardona001@gmail.com.