About
Let me introduce myself: I am a professor of clinical pediatrics at Indiana University and specialize in asthma, allergy, and clinical immunology at James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Indiana. I have been at Riley Hospital since 1994 as a member of the section of Pediatric Pulmonology, Critical Care, and Allergy. I am the director of allergy services for the children’s hospital. My partner is Dr. Girish Vitalpur.  I see patients at both Riley hospital in downtown Indianapolis and at our Clarian North facility.
My downtown Riley address is
James Whitcomb Riley Hosptial for Children Riley Outpatient Center #4270 702 Barnhill Drive Indianapolis, Indiana 46202 Phone 317-274-7205 Â Clarian North Hospital MOB #1 Suite 400 11725 North Illinois Carmel, Indiana 46032 Phone 317-688-5700 ÂI hail from the Midwest, specifically Cleveland, Ohio. I went to The Cleveland State University majoring in biology followed by two years as a Ph.D. student in pharmacology at Case Western Reserve University. I graduated from Case Western Reserve School of Medicine. I was a resident and chief resident in pediatrics at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. I remained at Duke to pursue specialty training in allergy and clinical immunology. Specialty boards were successfully awarded in both Pediatrics and Allergy/Clinical Immunology.
After finishing my specialty training, I took a position as a senior staff allergist at Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan. I spent almost 10 years in Detroit being actively involved with the allergy/clinical immunology training program as the director of Pediatric Allergy/Clinical Services. I also had the honor of being awarded an NIH grant to serve as the principle investigator for the Detroit sites of the National Co-operative Inner-City Asthma Study (NCICAS). My taking a most unique opportunity to come to Indiana University and James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children required me to step down during the last year of the NCICAS program, however I was still active with many asthma projects within the program.
I had heard that there hasn’t been a practicing allergist in the Riley/IU system for over 20 years prior to my arrival.
Given my NIH funded background in the public health aspects of asthma, I was asked to participate in a Marion County Health Department initiative dealing with asthma. A few years later, Dr. Greg Wilson the state health commissioner asked me to lead a Center for Disease Control sponsored group charged with developing an  asthma plan for the state of Indiana. I had the honor to lead the Indiana Joint Asthma Coalition (InJAC) in the creation of that plan and for the first few years of putting the plan into operation. The workings of InJAC can be viewed on a website and the state asthma plan is also available for review. It is very easy to see how an allergist and how allergy has a very significant role in asthma.
I am currently a fellow in both the academies of pediatrics and of allergy, asthma, and immunology. The entitlement of Professor of Clinical Pediatrics was awarded and added to my business card a few years ago based on my clinical work here at Riley through my outreach programs through the Marion County and Indiana State health departments and through my teaching of our pediatric residents at Riley on medical students on the pediatric clinical rotations.
I have been active with publishing having authored articles on topics involving hives, immune deficiency, treatments, and asthma. Most of my published work has dealt with asthma. When I was involved with NICAS, one of my areas of interest was and is adherence to therapeutic programs for asthma care.
I have been very active with the Academy of Pediatrics having served as a speaker for many CME programs and on the planning committees for both Super CME and Practical Pediatrics courses. I have been the moderator for a number of AAP Practical Pediatrics programs for the past five years.
My clinic practice is mostly at Riley Hospital, downtown Indianapolis. There I see children with a wide variety of allergic and potentially allergic conditions. Asthma is one of the most common reasons for a consultation in my clinic. The other conditions include nasal, skin, and gastrointestinal allergy. We see a number of children with food allergies and offer food challenges. To date we have performed almost 50 challenges for peanut alone.
My work with asthma both in the county and the state has lead to my receiving two public health awards and I have been involved with one of the largest epidemiological studies regarding inner-city asthma. All this occurred without any formal training in public health. Three years ago I decided to go back to school and obtain that formal training. This past May ‘08 I was awarded my Masters in Public Health with emphasis on epidemiology. Imagine going back to school after so many years. Needless to say, I was nervous about doing papers and taking exams. I truly enjoyed the program and see a real benefit for a public health perspective with asthma.
That should just about wrap up this already lengthy discourse about me. It makes sense to make folks aware of where you came from, what you have done, and what you do beyond the confines of the clinic situation.
Oh, what about me personally??? Me outside the clinic. Here are those highlights. My wife Linda and I have been married for 35 years. We have three great children that we are very proud of. We have added a son-in- law who is a great addition to the family and now our first granddaughter who is just everything. My wife and I bought a few acres of land and built a log home, we love it. When I am not playing games on the computer (much to my wife’s agitation) I am re-enacting. I love history and re-enacting is a chance to live that history. For the past few years we (yes Linda too) have been involved with Civil War re-enacting. I am a lieutenant in the Indiana 49th Volunteer Infantry Company F. Camping in canvas tents without flooring and no electricity. Cooking over campfires with cast iron cookware. There is nothing like it. I also have a 1967 Pontiac Lemans convertible- also known as the poor man’s GTO. This is my second 67 Lemans. The first was totaled in a wreck in the 1970’s and the current one looks exactly like my first 67.
That is all I have to say about that!
9 Responses
Wonder if this will go thru. My 4th try.
Very interesting
I am proud of your attempt at blogging
Thanks gay b, I appreciate the comments.
FEL
I am impressed with all your information and expertise about allergies. Good job blogging. It boggled(blogged) my mind. Lots of information to read and try to absorb at one time.You forgot pinochle. Anyway, I am impressed with all you have learned and accomplished.
You are too kind Gay, Yes I forgot about pinochle and euchre. I may even get to add the violin if I ever get around to working with it again.
Thanks,
FEL
How come you didn’t say anything about me – your brother – in your blog? Wait…I know…it’s all about you, isn’t it?
Dr Leickly,
My son is a patient of yours and I enjoy reading your blog.
With a milk allergic 8 year old, I am always looking for
good calcium supplements. Tums would be an option..
However, I remember reading somewhere ( and I cannot find the article again, of course!) that it is not good for food allergic children to eat anti acids.
Might have been in context with probiotiocs/GI flora…
Your thoughts on this?
Thanks, (Andrew’s mom)
Greetings Eva,
Thanks for the question. I punted this to one of my ‘go to’ dietary people. Laura tells me that Tums for kids- 2 per day in the age range 2-4 and 3 Tums per day in those who are 5 and older. This is the less costly way to supplement calcium. She also tells me that there are milk-free calcium supplements. She gave the Vitamin Shoppe’s Nature’s Plus Animal Parade Calcium tab and Hero Nutritional’s Yummi Bears Calcium. She did warn that they are price.
It is a theory that a certain acid level is needed in the gastrointestinal tract to help digest large molecules of food and that the use of antacids in the very young may allow large protein molecules to be absorbed through a developing gi tract. I do not think this has been proven. You would have to see a surge in new food allergy symptoms/sensitization after the Tums were started. That has not been my experience.
In hopes that this helps,
Warmest regards and thanks for sharing your question.
FEL
Greetings Eva,
Thanks for the question. I punted this to one of my ‘go to’ dietary people. Laura tells me that Tums for kids- 2 per day in the age range 2-4 and 3 Tums per day in those who are 5 and older. This is the less costly way to supplement calcium. She also tells me that there are milk-free calcium supplements. She gave the Vitamin Shoppe’s Nature’s Plus Animal Parade Calcium tab and Hero Nutritional’s Yummi Bears Calcium. She did warn that they are price.
It is a theory that a certain acid level is needed in the gastrointestinal tract to help digest large molecules of food and that the use of antacids in the very young may allow large protein molecules to be absorbed through a developing gi tract. I do not think this has been proven. You would have to see a surge in new food allergy symptoms/sensitization after the Tums were started. That has not been my experience.
In hopes that this helps,
Warmest regards and thanks for sharing your question.
FEL
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