Free to Feed launches AI-powered allergy ally with Ema

By Morgan Rose, CNM, WHNP-BC, IBCLC | Chief Science Officer, Ema

In a bold stride toward reshaping paediatric allergy care, Free to Feed has launched a groundbreaking new partnership with Ema, the first AI platform built for women’s health.

This collaboration is more than technology; it radically improves how we identify and support food-allergic children through care that’s smarter, more personal, and emotionally attuned to the families navigating it.

Dr Trillitye Paullin, molecular biologist and co-founder of Free to Feed, said: “Partnering with Ema has been transformative for Free to Feed.

“Ema’s cutting-edge AI capabilities have enabled us to deepen our understanding and enhance our approach towards managing infant allergies effectively.

“With Ema’s support, we are addressing the symptoms directly while empowering families and clinicians with the knowledge to make informed decisions. It’s a game changer.”

The collaboration centres on an ambitious capstone project titled “Improving Outcomes for Food-Allergic Children,” led by Dr Trill and supported by the Stanford University Data Science for Social Good Program.

Alongside Stanford research assistant Miguel Esteban Villarreal Rodriguez, MD, the team is tackling one of pediatric health’s most frustrating disconnects: the gap between what parents report and what’s formally diagnosed.

That gap is starkly highlighted by the fact that non-IgE-mediated reactions, which largely impact children under 5, didn’t get their own ICD-10 codes until 2017 despite case reports dating back to the 1960s.

Ema brings to this partnership a proprietary AI trained on the real language, symptoms, and care experiences of women across life stages.

But Ema isn’t just built for women, she’s built for how women care.

Because when a child struggles with food allergies, it’s the mother who carries the invisible load: tracking symptoms, managing anxiety, navigating dismissals, and advocating for answers.

That’s why Free to Feed chose Ema to power this next phase.

Her hybrid language model delivers information and adapts to the emotional, cognitive, and logistical realities families face.

She meets parents where they are, and meets mothers as they are: the primary interpreters of paediatric health.

Through Free to Feed’s expansive data on infant food reactivity, Ema is helping build a powerful new AI-driven tool designed to:

• Collect and interpret parental reports of food allergy symptoms
• Prepare for integration through a planned pilot study with pediatric practices through Stanford
• Educate providers on emerging insights, especially around underrecognized non-IgE-mediated allergies
• Support parents with personalized, empathetic decision guidance

The project is already underway with over 500 families surveyed through the Stanford University Hoover Institution Veteran Fellowship Program, with clinical integration slated to begin next.

But its real promise lies in what comes next: improved provider awareness, better identification of food allergies, and ultimately, healthier outcomes for children.

Amanda Ducach, CEO of Ema, said: “This collaboration isn’t just academic.

“It’s a glimpse into what pediatric care can look like when we build around families’ real experiences, starting with how they talk, worry, and decide.”

Free to Feed’s mission has always been to give parents clarity in the chaos of infant allergies.

With Ema, that mission now includes a new kind of ally: one that’s smart, empathetic, and built to scale care that feels deeply human, while the Free to Feed provider network remains on hand to provide further support as needed.