Scientific and Clinical Advisory Council
SafeMinds Scientific & Clinical Advisory Council is comprised of clinicians, health professionals, and scientists from a variety of disciplines, including, among others, specialists and experts in autism, environment, toxicology, pediatrics, neuroscience, pharmacology, and psychology.
José G. Dórea, Ph.D.
Professor of Nutritional Sciences, University of Brasília
A graduate of the University of Pernambuco with advanced degrees from the University of Massachusetts (MSc and PhD), Dr. Dorea has worked at Iowa State University (USA), University of Hawaii (USA), and University of Campinas (Brazil). He has authored numerous book chapters, and has published on infant nutrition and the environmental impact of toxic (natural and man made) substances on the growth and development of children. Dr. Dorea is on the editorial board of peer-reviewed scientific journals, and has authored and co-authored more than 180 papers in journals of public health, medical and environmental sciences, toxicology, and pharmacology.
Cindy Schneider, MD
Medical Director, Center for Autism Research and Education
Dr. Schneider is the Medical Director of CARE, the Center for Autism Research and Education. Her integrative medical practice is exclusively dedicated to individuals with autism and related neurological and immune disorders. Dr. Schneider’s areas of special interest include treatment of the immune, gastrointestinal, and metabolic aspects of autism and the identification of environmental toxins contributing to the autism epidemic. She has designed and implemented multiple research studies, and collaborated with researchers worldwide. Dr. Schneider’s priorities in both her medical practice and her research include the identification of the causes of autism, the formulation of effective treatment protocols, and the prevention of autism in future generations.
Dr. Schneider has served as a member of the Defeat Autism Now! think tank since 1997, and serves on the Clinician Advisory Committee at the Autism Research Institute. She was the founding president and medical director of two nonprofit organizations for autism research, and is a medical advisor for SafeMinds. Dr. Schneider has published extensively in the areas of genetic vulnerability to environmental toxins, and innovative treatments for the gastrointestinal and immune complications of autism.
As the mother of two children with autism and a leading authority in the field, Dr. Schneider closely tracks developments in autism research, and provides both a medical and personal assessment of current and promising treatment options.
Robert Sears, M.D.
Robert W. Sears, MD, FAAP, is a board-certified pediatrician in a full-time private practice in Dana Point, Calif. He received his medical degree from Georgetown University, and did his pediatric residency training at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. “Dr. Bob,” as he likes to be called by his little patients, provides a unique blend of mainstream and integrative medical care. He is a co-author in the Sears Parenting Library, including The Baby Book and The Portable Pediatrician, and is the author of The Vaccine Book, The Autism Book, and HappyBaby: The Organic Guide to Baby’s First 24 Months. Dr. Bob has appeared on Dr. Oz, The Doctors, CNN, CBS Early Show, Fox Morning News, and Dr. Phil discussg parenting advice and pediatric health issues. He is a frequent speaker at parenting conferences, and serves on the medical advisory board for various organizations, including Talk About Curing Autism, Autism Care and Treatment Today, HappyBaby Organic Baby Food, and Kaplan University Department of Health Sciences. Dr. Bob is a contributor to AskDrSears.com, and regularly answers questions on his Mothering.com Ask the Experts forum.
Infant Gut Microbiome May Contribute to Fear Response Trajectory
Study Examines Microbiome Content for 1-Month and 1-Year Old Infants The microbiome is the collection of trillions of microorganisms that colonize the digestive tract. Each person has a completely unique microbiome, made up of a network of microbiota originally determined by their DNA. The microbiome develops rapidly during the first year of life. Previous research […]
Videoconferencing Opens Up a New World to an Adult with Autism
Ph.D. Science Student Becomes Closer to Colleagues Via Zoom During the Pandemic Anya Lawrence is a Ph.D. student who lives in Great Britain. She is also an adult with autism. Anya recently wrote an insightful article that describes how virtual meetings, necessitated during the pandemic, introduced her into a less stressful work and social environment. […]
Strengths and Weaknesses of Digital Health Technologies
Hi-Tech Augmentation Better Suited for Autism Treatment Providers vs. Individuals The past decade has given rise to many new digital health technologies which have been developed to support people with autism. Software for intervention delivery, augmentative and alternative devices and robots to improve social interaction are just some of the technologies that are now readily […]
New National Autism Indicators Report Focuses on Mental Health and Autism
High Rates of Co-occurring Mental Conditions Found Among Children and Adults with ASD Drexel University’s Life Course Outcomes Research Program, part of the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, has just released its annual National Autism Indicators Report. The goal of this report series is to present the program’s findings in “an open-access, online format to speed […]
Online Library Inventories Gut Microbiome of Humans
New Resource to Assist Scientists Explore How Intestinal Flora May Contribute to ASD A microbiome-focused metabolomics repository has recently been established by scientists from Stanford University and the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub in San Francisco. This new online library features information on nearly 200 microorganisms that inhabit the human gut and will help researchers characterize the […]
The Distinct Presentation of Atypical Anorexia Nervosa
Individuals Suffering from the Condition Are Not Noticeably Thin Somewhere between 20% to 33% of individuals with anorexia also hold an autism diagnosis. The overlap between these two conditions has been studied for decades with more research occurring each year. A recent article by the Child Mind Institute explores a type of anorexia that does […]
