AllergyTampa — Where Quality Care Meets Groundbreaking Research! 

The team of doctors at AllergyTampa, which has a location on Bruce B. Downs Blvd., includes Dr. Richard Lockey (above), Dr. Seong Cho (below right), Dr. Mark Glaum (below left) & Dr. Amber Pepper (Bottom right) & Dr. Emily Dzoba (bottom left). 

When it comes to AllergyTampa, located on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. near E. Fletcher Ave., caring for individuals with allergies and immunological diseases goes beyond the walls of the office. Doctors Richard Lockey, Seong Cho, Mark Glaum, Amber Pepper and newest addition Dr. Emily Dzoba not only provide quality care for thousands of patients, they also participate in ground-breaking research and train students and medical professionals in the specialty. 

A founding faculty member of the University of South Florida (USF) Morsani College of Medicine, Dr. Richard Lockey helped start USF’s Division of Allergy & Immunology in 1973, along with founding director Dr. Samuel Bukantz. More than 50 years later, USF’s Division of Allergy & Immunology has been recognized as a World Allergy Organization “Center of Excellence.” 

Dr. Lockey earned his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree from the Temple University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA, before becoming a Professor of Medicine at USF. He is a past president of the World Allergy Organization and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI). 

Dr. Lockey first established his private practice in 1984 as “Academic Associates in Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.” At that time, Dr. Lockey humbly wondered if he would even have enough patients. Within just five years, he was already getting referrals for severe asthmatics. Now, 40 years later, AllergyTampa’s flagship practice is thriving and there is a second location in South Tampa, and Dr. Lockey is still actively involved, seeing patients two days a week in addition to his teaching and research at USF. 

Despite his 50+ years of experience, Dr. Lockey appears to be in no rush to retire. His love of the work is evident — and not surprising — since his interest in allergy and immunology was sparked at a young age. Going on rounds with his father, a family physician who later specialized in allergy and immunology, Dr. Lockey says he was greatly impacted by what he witnessed — especially people who were struggling to breathe deeply. 

Then, after doing a research paper on asthma in medical school, it became clear to him that allergy & immunology was the specialty in which he wanted to make his mark. Dr. Lockey, and his colleagues at AllergyTampa, continue to be at the forefront of quality patient care that benefits from clinical research, Board-certified expertise and a desire to improve the quality of life for those suffering from allergies and immunological diseases. 

“The advances in immunology have totally revolutionized our care,” Dr. Lockey says. “The treatment of allergic and immunological diseases, in my lifetime, has changed exponentially. People no longer die from diseases they used to die from.” 

Dr. Seong Cho

Participating in those advances enables the doctors at AllergyTampa to provide informed, expert care for their patients. 

Dr. Lockey’s colleague, Dr. Seong Cho, shares his optimism about where medical science is heading. An otolaryngologist, or ear, nose & throat (ENT) specialist, Dr. Cho earned his M.D. degree from Kyung Hee University School of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea. He honed his allergy and immunology expertise at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, IL, before joining AllergyTampa. 

Dr. Cho describes how research of biologics (a class of drugs that can be used to treat a variety of allergic conditions, including asthma, eczema and food allergies) is expanding. Biologics are now being used to help with other conditions and are altering approaches to treatment altogether. As an ENT, Dr. Cho has seen first-hand how these advances have major impacts — for example, for patients who have nasal polyps, which are non-cancerous growths inside the nose or sinuses that can last for several months and are more common with allergies, asthma and frequent infections. While small nasal polyps may not cause symptoms, larger ones can cause discomfort and complications that need to be addressed. 

“In the past, nasal polyps and chronic sinusitis were surgical diseases,” Dr. Cho says. “But now, because of those medications, you don’t need to have repeated surgeries. We figure out [which] molecule causes the problem and target it.” That precision means fewer side effects for patients and, as their use continues, injections may have the potential to treat a variety of other conditions. That marriage of research and patient care by the doctors at AllergyTampa has led to other life-changing treatments. 

Dr. Mark Glaum

Dr. Mark Glaum describes how clinical research changed the landscape of how hereditary angioedema (HAE) is treated. HAE is an immune reaction which can be triggered by any number of potentially everyday occurrences, from anxiety and stress to colds and even minor injuries like a scratch. It can cause swelling of the face, intestinal tract and airway and, depending upon the location and severity, also can cause disfigurement or even potentially be life-threatening. HAE previously was only treated with supportive care, but that too has evolved, thanks to the clinical research involved in creating products that are now on the market. 

Dr. Glaum describes how these new medications helped a specific patient that had been extremely limited by her HAE. 

“She had never gone on a cruise, or a vacation outside of a metropolitan area, because she was afraid that she would have an attack and need treatment,” Dr. Glaum shares. “But, now that she is controlled, with no flare-ups or swelling on the medication, she is free to go and enjoy life and vacations outside of the city.” 

Dr. Glaum earned his M.D. degree from Hahnemann University School of Medicine (now Drexel University College of Medicine) in Philadelphia, and completed an allergy and clinical immunology fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, also in Philadelphia. He says that when he came out of his training, there was only supportive care for hereditary angioedema. 

Quality Of Life Improvements 
Dr. Amber Pepper

Helping people with allergies and immunological diseases improve their overall quality of life is a priority for all of the doctors at AllergyTampa. Dr. Amber Pepper says she was inspired to focus on the specialty in medical school, after meeting her husband, who has allergies and asthma, and seeing how those conditions affected him. That personal connection, along with the opportunity to shadow Dr. Dennis Ledford (who retired from this same practice), whom she calls an amazing mentor, at USF, made it an obvious choice. Dr. Pepper went on to earn her M.D. degree from USF in 2013 and completed her internal medicine residency and allergy & immunology fellowship at USF in 2016. 

Dr. Pepper emphasizes the importance of identifying food allergies, which she says are distinct from food sensitivities and intolerances. 

“The thing about food allergies, that is really important, is that if you are truly allergic, you can potentially have anaphylaxis (a severe allergic reaction that can cause patients to go into shock if not treated immediately), which can be life threatening,” she says, adding that, “there are now certain types of immunotherapies that we can do to try to increase the threshold of food allergies.” 

Dr. Emily Dzoba

For people who suffer from certain environmental allergies, Florida can be especially challenging according to Dr. Emily Dzoba, the newest member of the AllergyTampa team. Dr. Dzoba earned her M.D. degree from the University of Florida in Gainesville in 2019 and completed her internal medicine residency there in 2022. In June of this year, she completed her allergy & immunology fellowship at USF and came to AllergyTampa in October. 

“What’s pretty unique here in Florida is the pollen season,” Dr. Dzoba says. “It lasts all the way from January to May because of the climate.” 

Keeping track of area pollen levels is key for these reasons and the pollen-counting station at USF, which is run by Dr. Glaum, is there to help the wider Tampa Bay community. 

“We do counts of pollens that are in the air at any given point and time, on a weekly basis, and report it to the National Allergy Bureau,” Dr. Glaum explains. “It helps our patients keep track of what’s in the air that they might be sensitive to, and gives them a heads-up.” 

One thing that Dr. Glaum says makes AllergyTampa — where all of the doctors are Board-certified (Dr. Dzoba’s Board certification is pending) and members of AAAAI — unique is that, “We try to make sure when you come in you see a physician, each time. You don’t see a PA or nurse practitioner. We pride ourselves on taking care of patients like they were our family members.” 

AllergyTampa has offices at 13801 BBD Blvd., Suite 502, and in South Tampa at 1906 W. Platt St. For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit AllergyTampa.com or call (813) 971-9743. 

Adwaith Praveen Achieves A Perfect Triple! 

Tampa Palms Resident Defies The Odds With Perfect Scores On The PSAT, SAT & ACT! 
Tampa Palms resident Adwaith Praveen is the only New Tampa resident we know of who scored perfect grades on the PSAT, SAT & ACT exams. (Photo by Charmaine George) 

 A Tampa Palms resident has accomplished an outstanding academic feat by earning perfect scores on the PSAT (1520), SAT (1600) and ACT (36) exams and is likely the first to do so in the 30+ years since the name “New Tampa” was first coined. 

Strawberry Crest High junior Adwaith Praveen has joined an elite group of test takers who achieved all three of these perfect scores. Adwaith says he chose Strawberry Crest, located in Dover (near I-4), for its International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme and his family knows that these perfect test scores are just one measure of Adwaith’s academic acumen. 

While standardized entrance exams have changed and evolved over time, their difficulty is widely recognized, as they stress out millions of high school students who take them annually. The number of students who have achieved perfect scores on all three tests is hard to pinpoint since the exams only publicly share general info. 

However, in a typical year, only 0.1%- 0.2% of ACT test-takers will receive a perfect score of 36. This means that out of the approximately 1.4 million students who took the test in 2023, only 1,400 – 2,800 likely scored a 36. When it comes to the SAT, that number is even smaller. 

Scoring a perfect 1600 on the SAT is something that only 0.03% to 0.05% accomplish. Out of the 1.9 million students who took the SAT in 2023, only 570-950 would manage a perfect score. To achieve perfection on all three is even more rare, most likely in the low 100s annually nationwide. 

For perspective, the average SAT score in Florida in 2023 was only 966 — 463 in math and 503 on the evidence-based reading and writing (ERW) section. 

Adwaith says that he enjoys challenging himself intellectually. 

“I’ve always just had a general academic inclination,” he shares. “I watch a lot of documentaries. I read a lot of books about science. I always try to learn new things and take harder courses.” 

That determination to push himself fueled Adwaith’s choice of middle and high schools — neither of which is located in the New Tampa area. 

“We decided to give me the best learning opportunities and best environment,” explains Adwaith. He attended Terrace Community Middle School (TCMS) in Temple Terrace, a charter school that was named the #1 school in Hillsborough County and one of the “100 Best Bets in Charter Schools” nationally. And, Strawberry Crest’s IB program offers rigorous, pre-university coursework for highly motivated students. The comprehensive academic program integrates literature, science and language, in addition to other curriculum areas. 

As part of his IB program, Adwaith is currently taking courses Chemistry, high-level (HL) Physics (which is apparently a step above the AP Physics offered at most high schools) and HL Mathematics. 

Adwaith, who has an unweighted grade-point average (GPA) of 4.0, describes how he manages his strenuous academic requirements. One key strategy, he says, is avoiding procrastination. He utilizes time blocks allotted for study and work on assignments during the school day in order to take care of what he can before ever leaving the campus. Then, upon arriving home after school, he makes sure to get his homework finished before anything else. 

“I definitely spend a lot of time practicing for HL Mathematics, because it’s a rigorous course,” Adwaith says. “But most of the courses I’m taking do take quite a bit of studying and knowledge. Whenever there’s a test, I will generally be studying for that, whether it’s AP US History, Chemistry, Physics or Math.” 

Adwaith says his parents absolutely support and encourage him, but they don’t pressure him. In fact, he is the one that chooses to put in all the extra effort. 

“A lot of it is my own motivation,” says Adwaith. “I want to score high on my tests, and do good in school, so I can have a better future.” 

(L.-r.) Gopinath, Parvati, Adwaith & Anupama Praveen. (Photo by Turiya Autry) 

His parents say that Adwaith’s passion for learning was evident at a young age. His father, Gopinath, and mother, Ampana, both earned Master’s degrees from universities in India, and have always encouraged and supported his growing curiosity and interests. His father, who works in IT for a bank, says that there were early signs of his son’s talents. 

“When he was very small, he had a big fascination for numbers,” recalls Gopinath. “Before kindergarten, he could count into really high numbers and would remember things like Googolplex (or 10 to the 100th power). That kind of caught everyone’s attention.” Adwaith’s interests as a child also included a fascination with the solar system, as he remembered the names of constellations, stars and planets. 

Upon realizing that Adwaith had a gift and could easily remember things, his parents did whatever they could to nurture his talents and encourage him to always aim higher. While prioritizing academics is important to the family, Anupama , a Hillsborough County substitute teacher, explains proudly that she and her husband “don’t have to push him,” although they did make a point of encouraging Adwaith’s love of reading by taking him to the library and coming home with 30-40 books as well as buying him others — mostly nonfiction, such as Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind,” by Yuval Noah Harari, that sparked his interest throughout his youth. 

Adwaith knows that his voracious reading background was one of the keys to his perfect scores on the standardized tests. 

He says that reading regularly exposed him to more grammar and vocabulary than most children pick up. 

At some point you will just be able to read a passage and [know] that something doesn’t sound right and which phrasing sounds more natural.” 

When it comes to tackling math, physics and chemistry, Adwaith has this advice: “Write down examples and do them on your own. Once you learn the concept, do practice problems. Practice problems are key.” 

Adwaith acknowledges that everyone has their own unique learning style, but he is happy to share the strategies that have helped him academically. “The best thing you can do is be generally passionate about what you do,” he says. 

When asked if she felt pressured to achieve similar scholastic success as her brother, Adwaith’s sister Parvati, a 13 year-old 8th grader, also at TCMS, had only positive things to say. 

“I don’t really feel pressure to get that score,” she shares. “But it does inspire me knowing that someone in my family could get a perfect score. If I work hard enough, maybe I could get one too.” 

While Parvati, like her brother, also enjoys math classes, playing the piano is one of her favorite activities. She has been playing for eight years. 

Even with his heavy academic load, Adwaith makes time to relax and enjoy life, too. Like many teens, he enjoys playing video games and he does like to tinker with coding and programming. However, reading is one of his favorite ways to relax and unwind. 

“I like to sit on the porch and read a book,” he says. “It’s really nice with the sun shining through.” 

Gopinath says his son also owns and spends a lot of time looking at the stars with his Dobsonian telescope (a design invented in 1965 by amateur astronomer John Dobson, which is credited with vastly increasing the size of telescopes available to amateur astronomers). “Adwaith has always been fascinated by the stars,” Gopinath says. 

And, while he does generally try to hang out with like-minded teens, who also put an emphasis on academics, Adwaith never lets his unique interests and achievements create a gap between him and his peers. Instead, he looks for their commonalities. 

“When I’m interacting with people, we usually use a common medium like games,” he says, “When I am talking with people, we will talk about shared interests.” 

While he is currently undecided when it comes to what college he wants to attend (although he has mentioned both Georgia Tech and the University of Florida in Gainesville) and what field he plans to enter, Adwaith is excited about what the future holds. While his drive and level-headed-ness can not measured by standardized tests, those traits will continue to be the key to his ongoing success.