Kara J. Wada (Simonson), MD
CURRENT POSITION
Clinical Instructor, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Department of Otolaryngology, Division of Allergy/Immunology
EDUCATION/TRAINING
2016-Present Ohio State University
Clinician Educator Fellowship
2014-2016 Ohio State University/Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Fellowship in Allergy and Immunology
2010-2014 Ohio State University/Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Residency in Internal Medicine-Pediatrics
2006-2010 University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria
Medical Doctorate, Graduation with Honors
Alpha Omega Alpha
2002-2006 Rockford College, Rockford Illinois
Bachelors of Science: Biochemistry, Summa Cum Laude
Minors: Mathematics and Psychology
EMPLOYMENT
2011-2013 Author, Discharge 123/Callibra Inc.
-Wrote evidence based problem specific discharge instructions
BOARD CERTIFICATION
2014-Present American Board of Internal Medicine-Board Certified
2014-Present American Board of Pediatrics-Board Certified
2016 American Board of Allergy and Immunology-Eligible
LICENSURE/CERTIFICATION
2008 USMLE Step 1 Pass
2009 USMLE Step 2 CK Pass
2010 USMLE Step 2 CS Pass
2011 USMLE Step 3 Pass
2010-Present Basic Cardiac Life Support
Advanced Cardiac Life Support
Neonatal Resuscitation Program
Pediatric Advanced Life Support
2012-Present State of Ohio Medical License 35.098862
AWARDS AND HONORS
2016 ACAAI FIT Travel Grant recipient
AAAAI FIT Travel Grant recipient
2015 AAAAI FIT Travel Grant recipient
2014 ACAAI FIT Travel Grant recipient
Research Honors Program Certificate
Adolescent Medicine Resident of the Year
2011 Internal Medicine Intern Teaching Award
2009 Who’s Who Among Medical Students
2008 Best Student Technical Poster
Excellence in Rural Health Care Disparities
Student Essay Contest, 1st place
2002-2006 Presidential Scholarship at Rockford College, full tuition
Bergman Benjamin Moore Chemistry Scholarship
Pheffer Chemistry Scholarship
2005 President’s Volunteer Service Award
Dennis Klenk Award for Top College Intern
Sigma Xi Award
2004 United Way’s Daily Points of Light Award
ACS Organic Chemistry Award
NATIONAL/UNIVERSITY/HOSPITAL COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS
2016 ACAAI Board Review 3rd Edition Revision Committee
Quality Improvement and Safety Committee, Department of Otolaryngology
2014-present Fellow in Training Regional Representative, ACAAI
-Authored immunology board review questions for national distribution among all other allergy/immunology fellows
2007-2010 University Medical Student Council
-Secretary 2007-08 and 2009-10
-Vice President 2008-2009
2008-2009 Urbana Medical Student Government, President
2008-2010 College Committee on Admissions, Student Representative
Social Events Committee
Pediatric Interest Group
2006-2007 Avian Flu Preparedness Committee
2005-2005 Residence Advisor, Community Service-themed Hall
2003-2005 Jane Addams Center for Civic Engagement, Service Fellow
MEETINGS
2016 ACAAI National Meeting
San Francisco, California
Poster: “Arrest due to Aspiration or Anaphylaxis? Higher Stakes in High Risk Patients”
2016 AAAAI National Meeting
Los Angeles, California
Poster: “The Ability of Pediatric Health Care Providers to Visually Identity Peanuts, Tree Nuts and Seeds”
2015 Ohio Regional Allergy Meeting
Columbus, Ohio
Presentation: “Allergy Misconceptions among Physicians at Academic Medical Centers”
2014 ACAAI National Meeting
Atlanta, Georgia
Oral abstract: “Allergy Misconceptions among Physicians at Academic Medical Centers”
2014 AAAAI National Meeting
San Diego, California
Oral Abstract: “Adherence Documentation During Asthma Encounters At a
Pediatric Tertiary Care Referral Center”
2014 Ohio Regional Allergy Meeting
Columbus, Ohio
Participant
2011 North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference
Anaheim, California
Participant
2008 American Public Health Association National Meeting
San Diego, California
Poster: “Rural and urban patient satisfaction with office visit communication at
family practice residency program clinics”
PEER-REVIEWED MANUSCRIPTS
1. Redmond, M., Scherzer, R., Wada, K.J., Strothman, K., Kempe, E. Galantowicz, S. Stukus, D. “Food Allergy Prevalence and Management at an Overnight Summer Camp”. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. Accepted for publication 2016.
2. Stukus, D.R., Green, T., Montandon, S.V., Wada, K.J. “Deficits in Allergy Knowledge Among Physicians at Academic Medical Centers”. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 115:1, July 2015, Pages 51-55.e1
3. Kassis, K., Wada, K.J., Milton, A. “Another Disease Re-emerges Due to Parental Shot Refusal: Case Report of a Fussy Infant with Blood in Stool”. J Emerg Med., Vol. 49 , Issue 1 , e15 - e17.
NON PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
1. MT Redmond, KJ Wada, DW Hauswirth. “Pediatric Allergic Rhinitis: the Stepwise Treatment Approach.” Curr Treat Options Allergy (2016) 3: 253.
BOOK CHAPTERS
1. Wada, KJ. Chapter 3. Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology. ACAAI Review for the Allergy & Immunology Boards. In press.
ABSTRACTS
1. Patadia, D.D., Wada, K.J., Strothman, K., Ogbogu, P. “Not All Lip Swelling is Angioedema: A Case of a Rare Cause of Lip Swelling”. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Vol. 115: 5, Sup1, Nov. 2015.
2. Redmond, M., Scherzer, R., Wada, K.J., Strothman, K., Kempe, E. Galantowicz, S. Stukus, D. “Characterization of Food Allergies Among Children Attending An Overnight Summer Camp”. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Vol. 115: 5, Sup1, Nov. 2015.
3. Curtis C., Stukus D.R., Scherzer R., Simonson, K. Epinephrine Preparedness in a Food-Allergic Pediatric Patient Population. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Vol. 131, Issue 2. Feb. 2013.
POSTER PRESENTATIONS
1. Wada, K.J., Redmond, M., Scherzer, R., Ogbogu, P., Hostetler , T., Hostetler , S., Martin, B. “The Ability of Pediatric Health Care Providers to Visually Identity Peanuts, Tree Nuts and Seeds”. AAAAI National Meeting in Los Angeles, California in March 2016.
2. Wada, K., Montandon, S., Green, T., Stukus, D. “Allergy Misconceptions among Physicians at Academic Medical Centers”. Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Department of Internal Medicine Clinician Scientist Trainee Research Day in Columbus, Ohio in May 2015.
3. Wada, K., Stukus D.R. “Adherence Documentation During Asthma Encounters At a Pediatric Tertiary Care Referral Center”. Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Department of Internal Medicine Clinician Scientist Trainee Research Day in Columbus, Ohio in May 2014.
ORAL PRESENTATIONS
1. Wada, K., Montandon, S., Green, T., Stukus, D. “Allergy Misconceptions among Physicians at Academic Medical Centers”. Presented at the ACAAI Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia November 2014 and the Ohio Regional Allergy Meeting in August 2015.
2. Wada, K., Stukus D.R. “Adherence Documentation During Asthma Encounters At a Pediatric Tertiary Care Referral Center.” Presented at the AAAAI Annual Meeting in San Diego, California in February 2014.
3. Simonson, K. MacDowell, M. “Rural and urban patient satisfaction with office visit communication at family practice residency program clinics" Presented at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Expo in San Diego, California in October, 2008 & the Annual Research Symposium, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford in April, 2008 & the Annual Research Day, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago in February, 2008
4. Simonson, K. “Development of sensitive and specific Bovine IL-4 ELISA Screening Set and ELISpot Kits for the Endogen product line at Pierce Biotechnology, a division of Fischer Scientific” Presented at Annual Summer Research Symposium. August 2005 in Rockford, Illinois.
5. Simonson, K. “Engineering and analyzing retinal binding CRAPBII protein mutants in order to develop a rhodopsin protein mimic”. Presented at the Annual Summer Research Symposium. July 2004 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
RESEARCH AND QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
2016 A Pre-Operative Penicillin Allergy Evaluation Pathway: A Pilot Program
-Applied for Faculty Advancement Mentorship and Engagement Short Clinical Research project funding
-IRB application in process
2015-Present Prevalence and Clinical Significance of Elevated Levels of Double Negative T-cells in Patients with 22Q11 Deletion Syndrome
-Performing a retrospective chart review, prospective data collection, and statistical analysis for submission to a national meeting.
-Submitted for presentation at the AAAAI National Meeting
-IRB approved.
2015-Present The Ability of Pediatric Health Care Providers to Visually Identity Peanuts, Tree Nuts and Seeds
-Assembled collection of nut and seed specimens, distributed survey tool, collected data and performed statistical analysis
-Results presented at upcoming national meeting
-Planning to extend to adult provider population
2015-2016 Characterization of Food Allergies Among Children Attending An Overnight Summer Camp
-Collaborated with colleagues to teach camp counselors on proper use of intramuscular epinephrine
2015-Present Penicillin Allergy Clinical Practice Guideline and Electronic Clinical Decision Support System Development and Implementation
-Partnered with infectious disease, emergency medicine and pharmacy colleagues to develop a proposed program to address penicillin allergy on an institutional level
-Application for institutional patient safety advancement grant funding submitted
2014-2015 Allergy Misconceptions among Physicians at Academic Medical Centers
-Collaborated on the development and distribution of a novel survey to internal medicine and pediatric physicians at 4 large medical centers, performed a statistical analysis of the data and plan to present findings at both national and local meetings
2013-2015 Adherence Documentation During Asthma Encounters at a Pediatric Tertiary Care Referral Center
-Collaborated on expedited IRB application, completed retrospective chart review of over 1000 unique clinical encounters, performed a statistical analysis of the data and presented findings at both national and local meetings
2012-2014 EpiFAST project
-Initial assessment of compliance with having self-injectable epinephrine readily available in a pediatric population with food allergies
-Developing an intervention with the goal to increase compliance with having self-injectable epinephrine immediately available
-Plan to follow up on this intervention and evaluate outcomes
2012-2014 Diabetes quality improvement initiative at South High Primary Care Clinic
-Goal of lowering hemoglobin A1c of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus to less than 7
-Instituted clinic wide initiatives including connecting patients with a primary resident, targeting patients for referral for a pharmacy appointment, and measuring effects of intervention.
2008 Craig Fellowship Recipient “Rural and urban patient satisfaction with office visit communication at family practice residency program clinics" Supervised by: Martin MacDowell, DrPH, MBA, MS. University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford
2005 Research and Development Intern, Pierce Biotechnology (Rockford, IL)
·Worked on the development of sensitive and specific Bovine IL-4 ELISA Screening Set and ELISpot Kits for the Endogen product line at Pierce Biotechnology, a division of Fischer Scientific.
2004 Research Intern, Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)
·Worked in the Organic Chemistry Department engineering and analyzing retinal binding CRAPBII protein mutants in order to develop a rhodopsin protein mimic
2003-2005 Jane Addams Student Service Fellow, Rockford College (Rockford, IL)
·Organized and planned various community outreach programs and projects for Jane Addams Center for Civic Engagement at Rockford College. Wrote and received two grants to help fund the Alan Hutchcroft Memorial Prairie and Jensen Butterfly Garden.
TEACHING/MENTORSHIP
2016 Longitudinal Preceptor
Mentorship and one on one teaching with a second year medical student
2016 Longitudinal Group Facilitator
Substitute for second year medical student education sessions
Objective Structured Clinical Exam rater
2016 “The Slow Burn: Bradykinin-Mediated Angioedema”. Department of Allergy/Immunology. Columbus, Ohio. July 2016.
2016 “Calling Dr. Google, Dr. Oz, Dr Axe: Stooges or Saviors? A review of the science behind complementary and alternative (CAM) treatments of allergic conditions”. Department of Allergy/Immunology. Columbus, Ohio. April 2016.
2015 “Lip Swelling ¹ Angioedema: A Morning Report Inspired Case Presentation”. Department of Allergy/Immunology. Columbus, Ohio. August 2015.
2015 “Venom Allergy”. Recorded lecture for Course Entomology 2200. Columbus, Ohio. April 2015.
2015 “Bradykinin-mediated Angioedema”. Department of Allergy/Immunology. Columbus, Ohio. April 2015.
2015 “A Series of Rash Events”. Department of Allergy/Immunology. Columbus, Ohio. January 2015.
2011-2014 Med-Peds Mentorship program
2009 Surgical Grand Rounds: Interesting Cases
-“A 3 year old with abdominal pain”-a review of a case of a ruptured Meckel’s diverticulum
PERSONAL
Family: Live in Columbus, Ohio with my husband, Akira Wada, MD (Advanced Cardiac Imaging Fellow at Ohio State University) and our daughter, Charlotte.
Interests: Crocheting (specialize in creating one of a kind children’s wear including sweaters, dresses and accessories), cooking, baking and party planning
Languages: English (fluent), Spanish (basic)