Dr. Katie Allen is an inaugural Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Science and Chief Investigator on five National Health and Medical Research Council funded studies which all seek to answer parts of the jigsaw with regards to population health and evolution of the new allergy epidemic including gene-environment and epigenetic associations with food allergy.

Dr. Allen is also Director of the NHMRC funded Australian Centre of Food & Allergy Research which aims to translate research findings into clinical practice and public health policy to ensure the best outcomes for children regarding food allergy.

Her research has illuminated the connection between vitamin D and food allergy, supported the role of early introduction of egg underpinning revised infant feeding guidelines in the US and Australia, identified an eczema gene that increases risk of food allergy, found that young siblings & pets may have a protective effect on infants in the development of allergies, helped establish guidelines for trace allergen labeling of food in Australia, and advanced diagnostic testing in peanut and egg allergies.