State ex-officio member
- Elaine Gabovitch, MPA
PANDAS/PANS Advisory Council Chair | Commissioner’s Designee
Director, Division for Children & Youth with Special Health Needs
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Public members
All Advisory Council members have lived experience caring for a family member with PANDAS/PANS or professional experience treating or working with people with PANDAS/PANS.
Council member seats are listed below as they appear in the legislation.
| Council Member | Affiliation | Council Seat |
|---|---|---|
| Margaret Chapman, APRN, MSN, PNMHCNS | Bridge Consultants | Child psychiatric practitioner |
| Karen Colwell | Massachusetts Coalition for PANDAS/PANS Legislation | Appointed council member |
| Sylvia Fogel MD | Mass General Hospital Lurie Center for Autism Harvard Medical School |
Appointed council member |
| John Gaitanis, MD | Tufts Medical Center Floating Hospital for Children | Health care provider/medical specialist |
| Sheilah Gauch, LICSW, MEd PANDAS/PANS Advisory Council Co-Facilitator |
Dearborn Academy Massachusetts Coalition for PANDAS/PANS Legislation |
Special Educator Administrator |
| Melissa Glynn-Hyman, LICSW | Private Practice New England PANS/PANDAS Association |
Licensed social worker |
| Lisa Grisolia | New England PANS/PANDAS Association | Representative of a Massachusetts non-profit PANDAS/PANS Advocacy Organization. |
| Kathleen Maher, MS-PHNA, RN | Massachusetts School Nurse Organization | Representative of a professional organization in this State for school nurses. |
| Melissa McCormack, MD, PhD | Wholistic Pediatricians Bridge Consultants |
Pediatrician |
| Mark Pasternack, MD | Massachusetts General Hospital for Children | Physician specializing in infectious diseases |
| Michelle Pinto, RN | Worcester State University Massachusetts Coalition for PANDAS/PANS Legislation |
Parent of a child with PANDAS/PANS |
| Blake Poggi, MA, CCC-SLP | Mending Minds Foundation for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Post-infectious Neuroimmune Disorders | Appointed council member |
| Jennifer M. Vitelli, MBA PANDAS/PANS Advisory Council Co-Facilitator |
JBC PANS & PANDAS Foundation Massachusetts Coalition for PANDAS/PANS Legislation |
Parent of a child with PANDAS/PANS |
| Kyle Williams, MD, PhD | Massachusetts General Hospital MGH Lurie Center for Autism |
Medical researcher |
| Yujuan (Julia) Zhang, MD | Tufts Children’s Hospital | Health care provider/medical specialist |