Dr. Susan Swedo
Chief Pediatrics & Developmental Neuroscience Branch at the NIMH
Dr. Swedo received her B.A. degree from Augustana College in 1977 and her M.D. from Southern Illinois University in 1980. Shortly after completing a residency in pediatrics at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois, Dr. Swedo was named Chief of the Division of Adolescent Medicine at the University. The following year, she moved to Washington D.C. and became a senior staff fellow in the Child Psychiatry Branch, NIMH. Dr. Swedo was granted tenure in 1992, became Head of the Section on Behavioral Pediatrics in 1994, and Chief of the Pediatrics and Developmental Neuropsychiatry Branch in 1998. She also served as the Acting Scientific Director for NIMH from 1995 through 1998. Dr. Swedo recently received the Joel Elkes International Research Award from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. Her laboratory studies childhood-onset obsessive compulsive disorder and related disorders, including Tourette syndrome and Sydenham chorea.
In 1993, Dr. Swedo was lead author on the seminal paper describing Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections, published in American Journal of Psychiatry. In 2012, Dr. Swedo published the White Paper, “From Research Subgroup to Clinical Syndrome: Modifying the PANDAS Criteria to Describe PANS (Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndromes).
Dr. Jennifer Frankovich
Pediatric Rheumatologist, Director PANS Clinic, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford
Please refer to Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford website for Dr. Frankovich's full profile.
Dr. Melanie Burgos-Alarcio
Pediatric Neurologist, Leading PANDAS/PANS Physician
Dr. Melanie Alarcio is board eligible in both Pediatrics and Neurology with special qualifications for Child Neurology. She provides comprehensive care for patients, especially children, suffering from neurologic disorders such as seizures, headaches, cerebral palsy, developmental delay, concussions, and others. She received her medical degree from University of the East College of Medicine in the Philippines. She completed her pediatric residency at King Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles, and her child neurology fellowship at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. She has special interest in concussion and the emerging field of psychoneuroimmunology and autoimmune encephalopathies like PANDAS, limbic, Hashimoto's and NMDA-receptor antibody encephalopathy. She is an active member of the International Child Neurology Association. Child Neurology Society and American Academy of Neurology. She is in fact a member of the Behavioral Neurology Section of the AAN. She currently practices in Phoenix AZ at the Phoenix Neurology and Sleep Medicine Center.
Dr. Michael Cooperstock, MD, MPH
Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases and Rheumatology Department of Child Health University of Missouri Health Care Columbia, MO
Please refer to University of Missouri School of Medicine's website for Dr. Cooperstock's full profile.
Dr. Eric Fier
Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychiatry, Leading PANDAS/PANS Physician
Eric Fier, M.D. graduated with highest honors from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and completed his specialty training in Psychiatry and Child Psychiatry at The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He received multiple Best Teacher awards throughout his academic career.
Dr. Fier currently practices in Atlanta, Georgia, where he specializes in the treatment of children and adolescents with complex psychiatric and medical co-occurring conditions, including many children with P.A.N.S. He works closely with kids and families struggling with life-altering illnesses, and employs spirituality, humor, and relationship-centered therapy throughout his clinical practice.
Dr. Margo Thienemann
Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist
Dr. Margo Thienemann is a Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist in Palo Alto, California. She received her medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine and has been in practice for over 20 years. Dr. Thienemann was among the six clinicians that presented to the NIMH clinical data extracted from their evaluations of children and adolescents who had been diagnosed with PANDAS. The information provided helped develop the current criteria for PANS.
Dr. Jamie Candelaria-Greene
Education Specialist, Visiting Scholar, UC Berkeley
Dr. Jamie Candelaria-Greene, who received her PhD from UC Berkeley, has served students with special needs from all ages and developmental levels. Her work as a teacher, researcher, and professor of Special Education has spanned thirty years and three continents.
Dr. Candelaria-Greene’s research and writing has focused attention on effective educational practices, literacy, language acquisition, and the effects of health conditions and the environment on learning ability. In her private practice, she provides educational assessments, academic support for adults re-entering education, and multi-sensory readiness skills for children at risk.
In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Candelaria-Greene is a Visiting Scholar Researcher at UC Berkeley, where she continues to investigate the effects of PANS on learning; an evolving and passionate inquiry ignited by her own child’s difficult journey with the illness.
Amy Joy Smith
Nurse Practitioner, Integrative Medicine, Director PANDAS/PANS Program, Hill Park Medical Center
Amy Joy Smith is a Nurse Practitioner specializing in Functional Medicine and heads up the integrative PANS / PANDAS Treatment Program of Hill Park Medical Center in Petaluma, California. She is the mother of an amazing child with PANDAS and a dedicated PANDAS awareness advocate.
Amy has practiced functional and nutritional medicine since the early 1980′s and has studied with a number of pioneers in the field. While currently she is working with all ages of patients, Amy’s has a particular interest in the health and development of adolescents and teens. She was a Fellow in the World Health Organization’s Adolescent Health Training Program at the University of Minnesota and in addition to being a Nurse Practitioner, has a Master’s Degree in Adolescent Health and Youth Development within the Public Health Nursing spectrum. She loves educating families and has experience in community education and program development for families as well as vulnerable youth populations.
While living in Atlanta, Amy was asked to serve as Policy Director for Jane Fonda’s (then) philanthropic organization, the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention, promoting family-friendly health policy and working deeply with community based organizations, legislators and lobbyists. She is passionate about organizing to change public awareness and policy to help people live better lives on every front.
Amy serves on the PANDAS Network.org.org Board of Directors and is the lead organizer of the West Coast PANDAS/PANS Symposium.
Diana Pohlman
Diana Pohlman is the Founder and Executive Director of PANDAS Network.org. Diana’s goal has been to be sure no family is left alone with this disease and to provide immediate comfort to those in need.
PANDAS Network.org has grown to a worldwide readership and is considered the leading non-profit for PANDAS/PANS information, research, and support. PANDAS Network.org has a formidable Executive and Scientific Advisory Board and seeks to launch new research investigations into this traumatic PANDAS-PANS syndrome and develop worldwide awareness and acceptance of this illness.
Sarah Jane Alleman
Sarah lives with her family in Lexington, KY. Her son was officially diagnosed with PANDAS in October 2010 and has greatly improved. Sarah contributes regularly to online forums and heads up the Kentucky PANDAS/PANS Support group and advocacy efforts. In October 2013, she launched "PANDAS Sucks", a blog about what PANDAS is really like. With a background in Marketing, Sarah has contributed the “Who We Are” survey at past PANDAS conferences and will continue the “tradition” by sharing the results of this year’s snapshot survey.
