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.
Having an Aunt or Uncle with Autism May Put Children at Higher Risk of ASD
Risk estimated at 3 to 5 percent vs. 1.5 percent in general population – According to new research from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a child who has a parent with a sibling on the spectrum is more likely to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to the general population.
Autism and Eating Disorders Linked
New Study Identifies Which Issue Comes First – Research has proven that eating disorders and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can occur comorbidly. Over the years, study after study after study has connected these two conditions. However, determining which disorder precedes the other had never been examined until now. New research from University College London (UCL) provides an answer to this question.
Racial Disparity Seen in ASD Prevalence Among Preschoolers in Swedish Immigrant Population
90% of Children Had a Mother Born in Africa or Asia – The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders recently published a new study out of Sweden which examines the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in preschool children among the country’s migrant population. Estimated ASD prevalence for this cohort was, at a minimum, 3.5 times more than the non-immigrant Swedish population.
Multiple Studies Show Autism Rates Surging Worldwide
Researchers Still Stumped – Three large epidemiological studies released this spring show a continuing trend, autism rates are increasing, not just in the United States, but across the globe. Regrettably, researchers and scientists still do not understand why.
Autoantibodies and Autism, Is There a Connection?
New Study Points to an Association, Although More Research Needed – An ideal immune system recognizes foreign organisms (bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi) while efficiently and rapidly destroying these invaders. A second infection from the same foreign organism is prevented by a well-functioning immune system as it recalls the method to destroy the invader another time.
Interview with Dr. Walter Zahorodny
SafeMinds recently had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Walter Zahorodny, Principal Investigator of the New Jersey Autism Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network about his latest research, which assisted in calculating the newest CDC autism rate. As highly publicized last March, 1 in 54 or almost two percent of American eight-year-olds now hold an autism diagnosis. To shed more light on this situation, Dr. Zahorodny shared his incredibly important viewpoints surrounding the ever-increasing autism crisis with SafeMinds. To learn more, watch our newest video.
