Susan Swedo

Susan Swedo is an American researcher in the field of pediatrics and neuropsychiatry. Beginning in 1998, she was Chief of the Pediatrics & Developmental Neuroscience Branch at the US National Institute of Mental Health. In 1994, Swedo was lead author on a paper describing pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS), a controversial hypothesis Swedo retired from the NIH in 2019, and serves on the PANDAS Physician Network.

PANDAS

In 1994, Swedo was lead author on a paper describing Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections (PANDAS).

The PANDAS hypothesis is controversial and unproven. As of 2020, the NIH information pages (which Swedo helped write) do not mention the studies that do not support the PANDAS hypothesis.

Autism study In September 2006, Swedo launched a study of the widespread but unproven use of chelation therapy, which is based on the hypothesis that the mercury-containing vaccine preservative thiomersal is linked with autism. The trial was to compare the chelator DMSA with placebo, with the social and language skills of the subjects being evaluated after twelve weeks. The trial was halted in February 2007 due to ethical concerns about safety following new evidence of risks of permanent cognitive and emotional problems in otherwise-healthy rodents that were given DMSA.