Kara E. Coffey, MD

Dr. Coffey is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and is board certified in Allergy and Immunology, practicing at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. She came to Pittsburgh for her pediatrics residency after graduating from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey. After residency completion, she worked as a General Emergency Pediatrician and as a sedation physician at Children’s for two years before fellowship training at UPMC in Allergy and Immunology. 

During fellowship, she developed a special interest in the diagnosis and management of primary immunodeficiency and immune dysregulation disorders. She worked in the laboratory of Dr. Timothy Hand focusing on mucosalimmunology; specifically, breast milk IgA and bacterial binding repertoires from donor human breast milk. 

Now as junior faculty, Coffey continues to focus her academic interests on children with immunodeficiency disorders. She is also passionate about advocacy work, particularly for universal statewide newborn screening for Severe Combined Immunodeficiency. 

When outside of work, Coffey enjoys spending time with her husband, two young sons, two rambunctious Labrador retrievers, and their aloof cat. They enjoy hiking, swimming, puzzles, and cooking.

Professional and Scientific Society Memberships

• American Academy of Pediatrics, 2012 
• American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology, 2017 
• American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology, 2017 
• Clinical Immunology Society, 2018