Dr. Chandra Menendez

Our first award recipient is Dr. Chandra Menendez, a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Dr. Menendez’s research focuses on elucidating the pathogenesis and autoimmune mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric sequelae in PANDAS, PANS, and related disorders. Her work aims to characterize specific immune responses and identify pathogenic autoantibodies, with a particular focus on Th1/Th17 pathways and B cell dysregulation. By investigating autoantibodies that target self-proteins, including those in the brain, Dr. Menendez seeks to uncover the mechanisms driving autoimmune responses, basal ganglia encephalitis, and neuropsychiatric sequelae.

Dr. Menendez expressed her gratitude for the support from the PANDAS Physicians Network, stating, “I’m grateful for this support from the PANDAS Physicians Network, which will allow me to investigate the immune factors driving PANDAS and PANS. This support has come at a crucial time to allow us to expand on previous findings on autoimmune mechanisms and continue to shed light on these complex disorders and help pave the way for improved care and outcomes for patients.”

Dr. Allison Vreeland

The second recipient, Dr. Allison Vreeland, Clinical Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, has received funding to advance the identification of neural biomarkers for PANS/PANDAS (and Sydenham Chorea). Dr. Vreeland’s research aims to shift the diagnosis of PANS/PANDAS from one of exclusion to one validated by experimental evidence. The work holds promise for more accurately identifying and promptly treating children with these conditions.

We congratulate Dr. Menendez and Dr. Vreeland on their accomplishments.