Dr. Tina Merritt, MD

Internships

• Arkansas Children's Hospital

Fellowships

• University of Virginia Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Professional Society Memberships

• ACAAI, AAAAI

Professional Affiliations

• Arkansas Alpha-gal Task Force, Tickborne Disease Working Group Clinical Presentation and Pathogenesis

Articles and Publications

• Undergraduate:Whytsell TK, Kogut M. Immunomodulation of the Immune Response to Eimeria tinella by Thymosin alpha 1. Honors thesis at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville. 1991.Medical School:IL-1 expression and neuropathology in Alzheimers, Down Syndrome, and head injury in the laboratory of Dr. Sue Griffin at Arkansas Childrens Hospital. 1992.Residency:University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Grand RoundsTopic: Allergy testing and TreatmentLittle Rock, AR Oct. 29, 1998Hatley TK, Wheeler JG, Burks AW, Jones SM. Clinical Spectrum of Disease in Patients with DiGeorge Anomaly at Arkansas Childrens Hospital. Abstract presented at the Southern Society for Pediatric Research in New Orleans, Feb. 1998 and the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in Chicago, Nov. 1999.Fellowship:TK Hatley, JC Zambrano, HT Carper, FG Hayden, JM Gwaltney, TAE Platts-Mills, LC Borish, PW Heymann. Experimental Rhinovirus Infection (HRV-16) in Patients with Asthma: Presence of Cysteinyl Leukotrienes in Nasal Washes. Presented at the Southeastern Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Society meeting Oct. 2000, American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology meeting in New Orleans March, 2001 and Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Feb. 2001, Part 2, Vol. 107.Leukotrienes and other markers in the Rhinovirus challenge model. Presented at the 40th Annual Swineford Allergy Conference, Univ. of Virginia. April 20, 2001. TK Hatley, EJ Peters, S Crater, TE McLaughlin, LC Borish, TAE Platts-Mills. Sinus CT and Markers of Inflammation in Vocal Cord Dysfunction and Asthma. Presentation at the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology meeting in New York March, 2002 and Abstract Journal of Allergy and Clin Immunology. Jan. 2002, Part 2, Vol. 109. Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Vol. 90, Number 3, March 2003.Heymann PW, Carper HT, Murphy DD, Platts-Mills TA, Patrie J, McLaughlin AP, Erwin EA, Shaker MS, Hellems M, Peerzada J, Hayden FG, Hatley TK, Chamberlain R. Viral infections in relation to age, atopy and season of admission among children hospitalized for wheezing. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2004 Aug;114 (2):239-47.Private Practice Publications/Presentations:Tina Whytsell Hatley, MD, Thomas A. E. Platts-Mills, MD, PhD. Commentary on the article, The diagnosis and management of anaphylaxis: an updated practice parameter. The American Journal of Oncology Review published July 2006.Christine H. Chung, M.D.,Tina Hatley M.D.,Thomas A.E. Platts-Mills, M.D., PhD. Cetuximab-Induced Anaphylaxis and IgE Specific for Galactose-1,3Galactose. New England Journal of Medicine. Volume 358:1109-1117. March 13, 2008. Tina Hatley Merritt, MD. Increased Diagnosis of Primary Immune Deficiency and IgE to Galactose--1,3-galactose in Northwest Arkansas. Presented Poster at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology meeting in New Orleans. February 2010.Tina Hatley Merritt, MD, listed as contributing researcher. The relevance of tick bites to the production of IgE antibodies to the mammalian oligosaccharide galactose--1,3-galactose. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2011 May ; 127(5): 12861293.Merritt, Tina Hatley MD; Segreti, John MD. The Role of the Infectious Disease Specialist in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Primary Immunodeficiency Disease. Infectious Diseases in Clinical Practice: September 2011 - Volume 19 - Issue 5 - pp 316-325.Tina Hatley Merritt, MD, Linda Flebbe-Rehwaldt, PhD, and Michelle Altrich, PhD. Increased Diagnosis of IgE to Galactose-1, 3-alpha-galactose in Northwest Arkansas. Accepted for presentation at the 2011 American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Meeting in Boston, Mass. November 7, 2011.Thomas Platt-Mills,MD, PhD, FRS, Alexander Schuyler, BS, BA, Scott P. Commins MD, PhD, Tina Merritt, MD, Haylee James, MD, Lisa Workman, BA, Jeffrey M. Wilson, MD, PhD. Characterizing the Geographic Distribution of the Alpha-Gal Syndrome: Relevance to Lone Star Ticks and Rickettsia. Poster presented 2018 AAAAI/WAO.Honorable mention. Thomas A. E. Platts-Mills, MD, PhD, Rung-chi Li, DO, PhD, Behnam Keshavarz, PhD, Anna R. Smith, MD, and Jeffrey M. Wilson, MD, PhD. Diagnosis and Management of Patients with the Alpha-gal Syndrome. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2020 Jan;8(1):15-23.e1.Cohen MSBLAZE 2 investigators. Effect of Bamlanivimab vs Placebo on Incidence of COVID-19 Among Residents and Staff of Skilled Nursing and Assisted Living Facilities: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2021.Wilson JM, et al. Among authors: Merritt T. A dynamic relationship between two regional causes of IgE-mediated anaphylaxis: Alpha-gal syndrome and imported fire ant. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2021.Jennifer Platt, DrPH, Tina Merritt MD, FAAAI. Exploratory Survey Research Study of 2,000 Alpha-gal Syndrome Patients: Symptoms and Experiences in the United States. Abstract only. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 149(2): Supplement. AB322. Feb 01, 2022.Tina Merritt, MD, FAAAAI, Jennifer Platt, DrPH. Observed Relationships Between Time and Severity of Allergic Reactions to Galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose and Underlying Diagnosed Medical Conditions. J Allergy Clin Immunol Volume 151, issue 2, supplement, AB96, February 2023. M. Bermingham; S. Agah; B. Smith; T. Merritt; MD. Chapman. Alpha-gal Epitopes in Commercial Cat and Dog Allergenic Products. Poster presentation at the EAACI Congress. June 2023.Max Bermingham, BSc, Sayeh Agah, Bryan Smith, Tina Merritt, MD, FAAAAI, Martin Chapman, PhD. Alpha-gal Epitopes in Commercial Cat and Dog Diagnostic Allergenic Products. J Allergy Clin Immunol Volume 153, Number 2, AB137, Abstract 424, February 2024.

What do you attribute your success to?

• My family, taught be to be caring, giving and that I could do anything.

Areas of research

• Was part of the original team that discovered an allergy to Alpha-gal, a mammal carbohydrate.

Awards

• Best of the Best in the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette, The Best Allergist in Celebrate Magazine and Women in Medicine award in AY Magazine

Philanthropic Initiatives

• Started a nonprofit, White Cell Inc, a support group for patients with immune deficiency

Teaching and speaking

• Adjunct professor at the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine

Favorite Place to Vacation

• Florida

Dr. Tina Merritt, MD's Practice location