Our Panel of Neuro­immuno­logy and Immuno­psy­chiatry Experts

This is an ongoing opportunity for physicians to consult face-to-face virtually with leading experts in the field of neuro­im­muno­logy and immuno­psy­chia­try, including PANS and PANDAS. The Neuroimmune Foundation Expert Consultation Panel meets as part of our ECHO sessions. Physicians participating in the ECHO program will join these meetings to listen to the case presentations each month. The presenting physician will be addressing both the consultation panel and their peers, as part of our ECHO program.

Many clinicians encounter patients with complex neuropsychiatric presentations suggestive of inflammatory, autoimmune, or post-infectious brain disorders that do not fit a well-defined diagnosis. In the absence of definitive biomarkers or established treatment pathways, determining the next steps can be challenging, even for multidisciplinary teams at major academic medical centers.

The Neuroimmune Foundation Expert Consultation Panel was established to provide an educational forum where referring clinicians can present challenging cases for multidisciplinary discussion with nationally recognized experts in autoimmune encephalitis, multiple sclerosis, CNS vasculitis, neuropsychiatric lupus, Behçet disease, Sydenham chorea, PANS/PANDAS, autism spectrum disorder with neuropsychiatric deterioration, and other inflammatory and autoimmune disorders affecting the brain. Together, panel members review the available clinical information and imaging, and explore potential diagnostic considerations, additional evaluations, and management approaches. Because patients with psychiatric manifestations of neuroimmune disorders are often underserved, cases in which psychiatric symptoms are a prominent feature may receive priority for review. Preference is also given to complex or diagnostically challenging cases where prior evaluation has been completed but important clinical questions remain. The panel is intended to support clinician education.

Because patients with psychiatric manifestations of neuroimmune disorders are often underserved, cases in which psychiatric symptoms are a prominent feature may receive priority for review. Preference is also given to complex or diagnostically challenging cases where prior evaluation has been completed but important clinical questions remain.

Adult or child cases may be submitted.

The panel will meet the second Tuesday of every month at 4:00 – 5:00 pm PT/7:00 – 8:00 pm ET. Upcoming dates are listed below in the form.

Each session will focus on one patient. Physicians wishing to submit a case for consideration may do so below at least two weeks prior to the scheduled meeting.

Prior to submitting a case, patient/guardian’s assent/consent must be obtained (per your institution’s rules).

Adult or child cases may be submitted.

If the child does not have capacity to assent, this may be waived per your institution’s rules. Please remove any identifying information or PHI from the submission. If any identifying information is shared, the data will be redacted immediately upon review and you may need to report this data/privacy breach per your institution’s guidelines.The panel of experts/learners will receive the data from the submitted case prior to the panel meeting.

Please provide a clear, thorough, and concise summary of the case on the form. Panel members will simultaneously review the detailed data. The goal is to present the data efficiently to allow sufficient time for the panel to interpret findings and discuss the differential diagnosis and next steps towards evaluation and/or treatment.

Recordings will be made available to physicians for educational purposes.

The opinions and comments of the panelists are based on their personal experiences with their own patients as well as their interpretation of literature.  Panelists are not offering medical advice, but rather seek to educate and inform colleagues about the various considerations applicable to the cases discussed.  Their goal is to help treating physicians be in a better position to assess and treat patients.  Treating physicians must always make the ultimate determination of “next-steps” (evaluation and treatment).  Each child/case is unique, and such determinations should only be made after comprehensive examinations following direct interaction with families and patients.  By attending, you understand and agree to the terms of this disclaimer.

“The Neuroimmune Foundation expert consultation panel is profoundly helpful. Both for deepening my understanding of autoimmune brain illnesses, and in particular for guiding possible therapeutic steps for my most complex patients whom we have exhausted options locally.

Being able to present a complex case to a multidisciplinary panel of experts feels akin to working on a project in a dimly lit room, and then having the lights turned on with multiple people working together to solve the problem from different angles. Details now razor sharp, aspects previously not seen highlighted, and new hope and ideas for a solution.

As a result of this panel one of my patients who was severely incapacitated in hospital for over a year has now recovered almost fully, able to complete her high school studies and travel with family.”

Erin Stolte, MD, FRCPC Psychiatry
Royal Alexandra Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Panel Members

Sam Pleasure, MD, PhD

Glenn W. Johnson, Jr. Memorial Endowed Chair in Neurology, University of California, San Francisco — Read More

David B. Lewis, MD

Chief, Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine — Read More

Mark Pasternack, MD

Chief of Pediatric Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital Associate; Professor of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard — Read More

Russell Dale, MBChB, MRCP, PhD

Professor of Paediatric Neurology and Paediatric Neurology Research, University of Sydney — Read More

Jennifer Frankovich, MD

Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Immunology & Rheumatology, Stanford University — Read More

Chris Pittenger, MD, PhD

Professor of Psychiatry, Professor of Psychology, Deputy Chair for Translational Research, Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine — Read More

Laura Pace, MD, PhD, FACG

Founder & Director – Neuroimmune Axis Disorders Program, Chief Medical Officer, Meliora Bio / Meliora Genomics — Read More

Herbert M. Lachman, MD

Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medicine, Genetics, and Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine — Read More

John Gaitanis, MD

Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Clinician Educator, Brown University School of Medicine; Pediatric Neurologist, Hasbro Children’s Hospital — Read More

Bruno Passebon Soares, MD

Associate Professor of Radiology at Stanford University School of Medicine; Section Chief of Pediatric Neuroradiology at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford — Read More

Richard Jin, MD, PhD

Attending Psychiatrist, Dept of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neuro­sciences — Read More

Richard Frye, MD, PhD

Director of Research, Neurologist, Rossignol Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ — Read More

Submitting a case

Please fill out the form below if you’d like to submit a case to present to the panel for consultation. If your case meets initial guidelines for the panel, you will be invited to submit patient data in Redcap a minimum of two weeks prior to the meeting. This process will take 15–30 minutes, however, the opportunity to consult with the panel is not guaranteed and will be reviewed following submission in Redcap. This brief form below is to screen cases that may not meet all the above criteria or that have a smaller likelihood of selection in order to save physicians time. You will receive a follow up email with a Redcap link if additional information is requested.

  • *Please note we will solely contact you at this number in regards to the panel meeting if you're selected and will keep your number confidential.
    (Please do not submit a case for a patient whom you are not treating.)
    (We will not accept or review any submissions for family members.)
    The Expert Panel Meetings always take place on the second Tuesday of the month at 4:00–5:00 pm PT / 7:00–8:00 pm ET.