Jax Bari Inspired $100,000 Grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Health to CHOP's Center for Celiac Disease
- Jon Bari
- Jun 1, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 5
In honor of Celiac Awareness Month in 2023, Pennsylvania State Senator Amanda M. Cappelletti presented a state grant for $100,000 to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to fund Celiac Disease Research. The grant, awarded through the Pennsylvania Department of Health, will be utilized by CHOP's Center for Celiac Disease, which conducts research and provides specialized care and support for children with Celiac Disease, wheat allergies, non-celiac gluten sensitivities, and their families. Joining Senator Cappelletti was Jax Bari, a 10-year old boy who advocated for the grant.
CBS News Press Coverage of the Donation
Participants at the Press Conference
Pennsylvania State Senator Amanda M. Cappelletti, representing Montgomery and Delaware Counties (17th Senatorial District) in the Pennsylvania State Senate.
Jax Bari, 4th grader at the William Penn Charter School, Celiac Disease Advocate, and one of CHOP's 2023 Champions.
Dr. David Piccoli, Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Director of the Biesecker Pediatric Liver Center, and a board-certified pediatric gastroenterologist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Dr. Virginia Stallings, MD, Board Certified Nutrition Pediatrician, Jean A. Cortner Endowed Chair in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia ("CHOP") and Director of CHOP's Nutrition Center; Emeritus Professor CE of Pediatrics (Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition), Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania; and Report Editor and Chair of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Committee on Food Allergies: "Finding a Path to Safety in Food Allergy: Assessment of the Global Burden, Causes, Prevention, Management and Public Policy." Dr. Stallings has worked with Jax, including attending meetings with senior FDA leadership and the Immediate Office of HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra calling for Gluten to be labeled on all packaged foods in the United States.
Dr. Arunjot Singh, Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Co-Director, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Center for Celiac Disease, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Stallings has advocated alongside Jax for more government research funding for Celiac Disease and for requiring the labeling of Gluten. Dr. Singh has travelled with Jax to speak at a Congressional Briefing in Washington, DC, and also for Gluten labeling legislation in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Peter Grollman, Senior Vice President, External Affairs, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Leslie Bari, Founder of Gluten Free Finds (@GlutenFreeFinds_PA)
Jon Bari, Co-Founder of Celiac Journey.
