Join WAEC!
WAEC is a support group for families living in the Washington DC, Virginia, and Maryland area who are dealing with Eosinophilic Disorders (EE, EG, and EC). We are a group dedicated to increasing awareness about the disease and giving support to families who learn that their loved ones have been diagnosed with an Eosinophilic disease. For now, we’re just a group of a few families meeting in a local library to discuss our experiences and maybe listen to a speaker or two. We hope to expand our reach to recommendations, partners, maybe fundraising, and certainly national fame and fortune.
Currently running the show are the two founders and our medical advisors.
 Rosemary Moriarty |
Rosemary lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, Jon (who is to blame for the website), and two sons. Her oldest son was diagnosed with Eosinophilic Esophagitis in 2009 at the age of 3 1/2, after several years of concerns with food in his diet and unanswered allergy testing. Quickly thrown into the world of Eosinophilic Disorders, Rosemary began spending much of her time researching the condition and looking for answers. Rosemary quickly realized she was in need of local support and after reaching out to Vicki, they together began searching for others in the Washington DC metro area who also had family members with Eosinophilic Disorders. |
 Vicki Boughton |
Vicki lives in Virginia with her husband and three children. Her son was diagnosed with multiple food allergies after an anaphylactic reaction around 9 months old. Despite a limited diet, his health continued to decline over the next 6 months. She began to research and stumbled across information related to eosinophilic disorders, which explained the symptoms her son was experiencing. Around 15 months old, he was diagnosed with Eosinophilic Esophagitis. It was through reading about another family’s journey that led to a diagnosis for their family. She is committed to helping other families searching for answers both before and after diagnosis. |
 Dr. Otto Louis-Jacques |
Dr. Otto Louis-Jacques is currently a Pediatric Gastroenterologist practicing at the Inova Pediatric Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Center in Fairfax, VA and Rockville, MD. Together with allergist Dr. Oral Alpan, the Inova Eosinophilic and Autoimmune Gastrointestinal Diseases Program was recently set up to treat difficult allergic and immune diseases in children. Dr. Louis-Jacques’ special interests include GERD and eosinophilic esophagitis. Formerly, Dr. Louis-Jacques completed his fellowship at the University of Michigan in Pediatric Gastroenterology, and was a member of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Maryland, in Baltimore. |
 Dr. Oral Alpan |
Dr. Oral Alpan is a Pediatric Allergist practicing in Annandale and Springfield, VA. He treats patients in allergy and immunology at Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children. Alongside Dr. Louis-Jacques, Dr. Alpan helped to set up the Inova Eosinophilic and Autoimmune Gastrointestinal Diseases Program, serving children with difficult allergic and immune diseases. Dr. Alpan completed his fellowships at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, MD and his residency at S.U.N.Y. at Stony Brook in New York. |
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Dr. Benjamin Enav |
Dr. Benjamin Enav is a Pediatric Gastroenterologist practicing at Inova Pediatric Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Center. He works closely with Drs. Louis-Jacques and Alpan at the Eosinophilic and Autoimmune Gastrointestinal Diseases Program, advancing therapeutic options for EE patients and research to help understand eosinophilic disorders. Dr. Enav earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biology at Binghamton University, SUNY and his medical degree from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. He completed his Pediatric residency at Winthrop University Hospital in Long Island, NY and fellowship training in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA. He has been part of the EE program since 2008. |
This group will not only give you the support you are looking for, but you may also make some lifelong friends in the process. We certainly hope that you will join us at our next meeting. Send us a message or just show up if you’d like to join and we’ll get you setup on the listserv and into the wonderful world of WAEC support.
