This Female-Led Company is Helping To Change Lives for Those With Food Allergies

Kim Yates’ story was typical for a Silicon Valley professional. She had a career in software sales. She also led a non-profit supporting venture capital executives. Everything changed when her young daughter, Tessa, was diagnosed with severe life-threatening food allergies to dairy, wheat, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, and sesame. In due time, nothing about Yates’ life ― or her career ― would be typical.

Kim Yates, founder and CEO of Latitude Food Allergy CarePhoto byLatitude Food Allergy Care

In a 2013 profile in the New York Times, Yates described how Tessa almost died twice as a result of allergic reactions to food, which quickly led to panic attacks ― at age 7. The emotional and physical toll of Tessa’s allergies and near-fatal episodes drove Yates to look for a solution and a cure. After consulting fruitlessly with several allergists, a meeting with Dr. Kari Nadeau of Stanford University led Yates down a path she’s still following today.

A ground-breaking researcher, Nadeau was practically alone in exploring treatments for food allergy sufferers 15 years ago. Even the potential for a single-allergen treatment was a significant improvement over the usual recommendation for food allergy sufferers: strict avoidance of any and all allergy triggers. But Tessa was allergic to many foods, and Yates needed a solution for all of them. She asked Dr. Nadeau: “What can you do for children with multiple allergies, like Tessa?” Her response changed their lives forever. 

“I don’t know, but I promise we will figure it out,” said Nadeau.

At Stanford in 2012, Tessa became the first patient to be treated for her multiple life-threatening food allergies using oral immunotherapy (OIT) alongside Xolair (omalizumab). Ultimately, Yates’ and Nadeau’s work at the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research at Stanford University led to life-changing and life-saving solutions for Tessa and other food allergy patients.

After dedicating nine years to building Stanford's food allergy research program — advocating for patients, working closely with the clinical team, supporting clinical trial development, and building a strong community of food allergy families — Yates realized it was her mission to share food allergy solutions with families across the country. Thanks to a core founding team that included Dr. Nadeau and many dedicated food allergy families who wanted to ensure this care was accessible, she opened Latitude Food Allergy Care in 2018 in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

Latitude’s network now includes six clinics in California and New York, providing life-changing food allergy testing and treatment. Their specialists have cared for more than 6,000 patients. 

“When we were introduced to Latitude, William’s world expanded; there was light at the end of the tunnel,” said Lindsay Connors, a parent of a 2-year-old patient at Latitude Food Allergy Care. “William’s allergies were no longer something we had to ‘live with,’ nor the status quo for his life. Latitude gave William the opportunity to overcome his allergies and receive world-class care from expert doctors. From the beginning, Latitude has created an environment that has fostered trust and certainty that William’s allergies will be treated with the highest degree of care.”

Yates shared more about her journey as a female founder.

How has your approach to food allergy care changed since your founding?

When we first designed our services with our Medical Advisory Board and our Medical Director, Dr. Zahida Rani Maskatia, we had the assumption that there were two distinct paths for food allergy patients and their families: one path calls for strict avoidance of food allergy triggers, and the other path calls for patients to receive treatments for their food allergies to live more freely and safely. In other words, there was a ‘live with it’ path (avoidance) and a ‘fix it’ path (treatment). 

“We discovered a problem more pervasive than the dilemma of how or if to treat true food allergies: many patients have been misdiagnosed and have been avoiding foods unnecessarily. In a 2009 study, researchers at National Jewish Health in Denver conducted oral food challenges on 125 children with allergies and eczema. They found more than 50 percent of the kids could tolerate foods they had been told to avoid. In our clinics, our statistics are even more impactful. In more than 80% of the oral food challenges that patients have completed at Latitude, we have discovered they can safely eat some of the foods they have been unnecessarily avoiding based on unclear or outdated information.

When you reduce the list of foods that patients fear and put foods back into their diet, you can immediately impact the patient's and their family's quality of life. From there, we can focus on the foods they are truly allergic to. Many clinics cannot offer these life-changing diagnostic tests. We have designed our physical spaces, clinical staffing, and appointments so that we can safely provide many food challenges each day. Now, we focus on accurately diagnosing our patients to determine what they are truly allergic to.”

What sets Latitude apart from other food allergy care providers in the United States?

Food allergy families created Latitude for food allergy families. Our founders work very closely with the clinical team to ensure they understand the patient's perspective. Many of our patients are very fearful and full of anxiety, sometimes even fearing the sight of the foods they are allergic to. We have created an environment where you feel understood and supported from the moment you walk in the door, all to ease our patients' minds and make them feel comfortable. We work with patients to make them feel safe around the foods they are allergic to so that they feel confident and safe by the time they get through their treatment. Seeing the transformation from the first appointment to the last is amazing.

“Before Latitude, other than sparse regional providers, focused food allergy care was only available in research settings and only to patients who met rigid clinical trial criteria. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI) consists of nearly 7,000 Allergist members, but only a tiny subset of those are food allergy specialists. Latitude is one of the only clinics that focuses only on food allergies. 

“Our patients also have many opportunities to learn from and support each other. With a ‘family room’ communal space in most of our clinics, patients can share their stories and experiences. Our patients find comfort in this ability to connect. We also have a supportive online community and offer phone calls and weekly Zoom support sessions for non-medical patient support. These efforts are essential for families who have otherwise felt isolated and unable to access complete food allergy care for their child or themselves.

What are some of the treatment methods you use? Are there any methods you find the most success with?

Today, we focus on accurate diagnosis and oral immunotherapy (OIT). We are always on the lookout for new and proven methods. As new treatments become available, we will offer them at Latitude. We aim to provide our patients with all the options.

Thousands of people around the world have gone through treatment with oral immunotherapy (OIT) with life-changing results, including my daughter Tessa. OIT helps desensitize patients to their allergens by regularly giving them small amounts of food, building up the body’s tolerance to those foods. The amount of food gradually increases over time to desensitize the body to larger quantities and protect against severe reactions to accidental exposures. Active treatment is generally less than a year. 92% of Latitude patients that begin OIT ‘graduate’ and reach the maintenance phase. Other studies have documented an 80% success rate, highlighting the difference in success between results in a generic clinical trial and a Latitude clinic.

Some celebrities have spoken publicly about their experiences with food allergies. Is there anything from a clinical aspect these testimonials are missing?

Celebrities are some of the most prominent spokespeople for families coping with food allergies. When a celebrity shares the impact on their own family, it raises awareness about food allergies and their severity. Celebrity food allergy patients typically highlight their initial allergic event(s) and advocate for allergy-safe foods, better labeling, and access to epinephrine. All are important for food allergy families. However, I would like to hear them discussing treatment options more (or at all). In most cases, they are just unaware that options even exist. I always want to call them to say, "You don’t have to live like this, avoiding food and living in fear! Seek treatment! It can be life-changing."

While I would never wish food allergies on anyone, I am always so grateful when a celebrity shares their food allergy journey and its impact on their family with the public. I am keenly aware that this can put their families at risk. Still, their stories can be incredibly helpful in bringing awareness, which helps make the public more aware and empathetic towards food allergy families. Public testimonials help others understand that food allergies are real and can be life-threatening.