Mission
To help Canadians with food allergies safely reclaim their freedom, confidence, and joy around food.
Purpose
Food allergies affect more than 3 million Canadians, yet access to treatments is limited. We are currently working towards:
-
Funding groundbreaking research that expands and accelerates access to safe, evidence-based food allergy treatments across Canada.
-
Equipping healthcare providers with the knowledge and tools they need to deliver food allergy treatments in their own practices.
-
Advocating for equitable patient access to food allergy treatment, ensuring geography, age, or income is never a determining factor.
-
Translating scientific innovation into real-world treatment, so that families can move from lifelong avoidance to lasting protection.
Our Board of Directors
Dr. Lianne Soller is the Allergy Research Manager at BC Children’s Hospital (BCCH). Dr. Soller manages a growing food allergy research team, including research nurses, research coordinators and assistants, and multiple trainees. Within the FAIT program, Dr. Soller leads several research initiatives including development and implementation of food allergy treatment protocols for older children and adolescents, as well as multiple clinical trials. Dr. Soller has published several important publications on preschool oral immunotherapy, multi-food sublingual immunotherapy, and quality of life and anxiety, in a real world setting.
Lianne Soller, PhD
Founding Member, Board Chair, Scientific Chair
Tim Lo practised as a lawyer, patent & trade-mark agent for 20 years before retiring from the partnership of Smart & Biggar to become a stay at home dad to his 2 then pre-teen children. During his years of study at UBC, Tim was highly involved with the AMS, UBC's student society, including being elected as one of the society's executives. During his law practice, Tim held various committee positions with the International Trademark Association, contributed written materials to and taught courses for the Continuing Legal Education Society of BC, and was an adjunct professor at both UBC and UVic. Tim is also a board member and vice chair of the Dr. Peter Centre.Peter Centre.
Tim Lo
Founding Member, Board Vice-Chair
Katie Walsh is deeply engaged in raising awareness and providing support for food allergy research, inspired by her role as a parent of a FAIT program patient. With firsthand experience in navigating the challenges and benefits of food allergy immunotherapy, Katie brings a personal and empathetic perspective to her advocacy work. Drawing from a background in early childhood development and child and youth care, Katie possesses a rich understanding of the needs and experiences of families and children.
Katie Walsh
Founding Member, Secretary
Andrea (Ange) leads software organizations—shaping products, wrangling tech, and crafting meaningful experiences. Her connection to food allergies is deeply personal: her younger brother has a peanut allergy that has sent him to the ER more than a few times, and her son was diagnosed with multiple food allergies (peanuts, dairy, sesame, cashews, walnuts, and flax) before he was 18 months old. Thanks to two years of immunotherapy, he’s no longer allergic to three of them—and they're getting ready to challenge the rest. Her goal is to help ensure as many families as possible can access treatment and avoid the constant fear and anxiety that come with food allergies.
Andrea Harrison
Treasurer, Chair of Finance
Dan Sharp has been the CEO/Owner of Western Allergy for over 36 years. Dan spearheaded the very first clinical trial of sublingual immunotherapy in North America over 20 years ago and is passionate about evidence driven emerging allergy treatments. His philanthropic work includes the BC Cancer Foundation, UVIC Alumni, The Victoria Symphony and numerous other groups, now including FAIT. Dan has 2 grown sons and lives in Victoria with his wife Pam and 2 gigantic goofy dogs. He speaks terrible French and Spanish.
Daniel Sharp
Founding Member, Board Chair Emeritus
Dianne McKerrell joined the board to help share the stories of the ongoing developments in food allergy treatment and research. With her personal history, growing up with an anaphylactic allergy, a bachelor’s degree in marketing communication, much of her professional career spent sharing stories about non-profits and community groups she is excited to share CAN-FAIT's work. Dianne has worked with over 50 Victoria local non-profits and charitable organizations to share their unique stories as the former publisher of Your Magazine Victoria. Her philanthropic involvement has included SALTS, Oak Bay Fire Fighters Charitable Foundation and Santas Anonymous. Dianne lives in Victoria with her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Lady Charlotte; she enjoys traveling, cooking and spending time with friends and family.
Dianne McKerrell
Chair of Communications
Maggie Xu is a classically trained pianist and music industry professional with a Master of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Victoria. With nearly a decade of experience in piano sales, marketing, and community engagement, she has built strong connections with musicians, educators, and arts communities across Greater Vancouver.
Passionate about music, creativity, and bringing people
together, Maggie enjoys using her experience to support
meaningful community initiatives and create opportunities for connection through the arts.
Maggie Xu
Board Member
Our Researchers
Dr. Edmond S. Chan is a Pediatric Allergist at the BC Children's Hospital (BCCH) Allergy Clinic in Vancouver, BC, Canada. He is a University of British Columbia (UBC) Clinical Professor, Clinical Investigator (BCCH Research Institute), and Head of the UBC Division of Allergy at BCCH, where he leads a dedicated food allergy research program. He has 220 peer-reviewed publications, and is an author of several national/international guidelines, including: co-lead of CPS/CSACI food allergy prevention guidelines, co-lead of CSACI oral immunotherapy guidelines, and co-author of AGA/AAAAI/ACAAI EoE management guidelines.
He is President of the CSACI. He is on Food Allergy Canada’s healthcare advisory board, and steering committee for Canada’s National Food Allergy Action Plan.
Edmond S. Chan, MD
Lead Researcher, Pediatrics
Dr. Raymond Mak is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia, physician lead of allergy at BC Children's Hospital and the Division Head of Allergy and Immunology at Vancouver General Hospital.
He is the director of the the Adolescent Transition FAIT Program, a pilot project for adolescents to understand their food allergy treatment journey as they transition from pediatric to adult care.
Raymond Mak, MD
Lead Researcher, Adolescents
Volunteers & Community Champions
Bear advances the Canadian FAIT Foundation’s mission through strategic partnerships and his own journey as a patient. He started giving back at age seven and hasn’t stopped. For Bear, helping others, especially kids, isn’t just something he does, it’s who he is. What began as an idea during the pandemic has grown into his annual Toys and Devices Drive for BC Children’s Hospital, now Canada’s largest toy drive. He also supports Lions Gate Hospital and Zajac Ranch for Children. For him, advocacy is not abstract. It’s personal. This is his fight.
Jonathan "Bear" Yeung, M.S.M., M.G.C.
Founding Patient Advocate
Kendra Wang grew up in Richmond and is a Health Sciences student at Queen's University. She spent the 2026 summerworking with researchers and clinicians at BC Children’s Hospital on a key project exploring new pathways for food allergy treatment. Kendra brings both academic excellence and personal experience to her work. Having grown out of mild childhood dairy, egg, and peanut allergies herself — alongside her younger siblings — she has seen firsthand how food allergies can shape everyday life. Kendra hopes to become either a family physician or a pediatric allergist, inspired in part by her work with the team at BC Children’s Hospital.
Kendra Wang
Student Journalist