Autism Round Table: A National Call to Action for Families, Advocates, and Change Makers
Bringing together parents, researchers, clinicians, and legal advocates to address the autism epidemic. This round table examines the environmental and genetic factors driving rising autism rates, the failures of the current care system, and pathways toward justice, early intervention, and better outcomes for affected families.
Speakers
Debra Sheldon
Vice President, MAHA Institute
Tony Lyons
President, MAHA Action
Andrew Downing
Litigation Partner, Brueckner, Spitler & Shelts
Brian Hooker, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer, Children's Health Defense
Dr. Richard Frye, MD, PhD
Child Neurologist, Researcher, and Chief Scientific Officer
Elizabeth Horn
Founder and Executive Director, 2m Foundation
Gabrielle Traub
M.Tech (Hom), CCH – Classical Homeopath, Educator, and Author
Katie Wright
Autism Advocate & Writer
Dr. Sylvia Fogel
Columbia-trained Psychiatrist
Louis Conte
Author, The MAHA Report
Kim Mack Rosenberg
General Counsel, Children's Health Defense
John Gilmore
Executive Director, Autism Action Network
Tracy Slepcevic
Board-Certified Integrative Health Practitioner
Mary Coyle
Homeopath
Dr. John Gaitanis
Pediatric Neurologist
James Lyons-Weiler, PhD
Biomedical Researcher & Founder, IPAK
Honey Rinicella
Executive Director, Medical Academy of Pediatrics & Special Needs (MAPS) Advocate, Educator, Community Builder
Parents, the Front Lines of Advocacy
Moderator: Tony Lyons
Honey Rinicella
Executive Director, Medical Academy of Pediatrics & Special Needs (MAPS) Advocate, Educator, Community Builder
Mother of twins with autism and complex medical needs turned national leader and unstoppable advocate for the special needs community. My journey from the front lines of parenting to the forefront of medical education has shaped a mission rooted in lived experience, deep community connections, and proven leadership. I have built and led programs, conferences, and training that empower parents, educate professionals, and strengthen communities nationwide. As Executive Director of the Medical Academy of Pediatrics and Special Needs (MAPS), I unite medical innovation with compassionate care.
Katie Wright
Autism Advocate, Writer for Age of Autism
Katie Wright is an autism advocate, writer for Age of Autism, and former board member of SafeMinds, Generation Rescue, the National Autism Association, and Children's Health Defense. After her son Christian's autism diagnosis and his severe health issues, Wright became deeply involved in parent-led autism organizations, lobbying for awareness and medical research. She has publicly criticized vaccine policies and Autism Speaks, leading to family conflict and her dismissal from volunteer roles. Wright continues to follow NIH autism research and writes actively on autism-related topics.
Dr. Sylvia Fogel
Columbia-trained Psychiatrist
Dr. Sylvia Fogel is a Columbia-trained psychiatrist with over 20 years of clinical experience and a parent of a 17-year-old with profound, regressive autism and PANS. She specializes in autism community clinical support, offering psychotherapy and support groups. Her approach integrates systems biology for individualized care of autism and neuroimmune disorders. Dr. Fogel has over two decades of medical education experience, teaching at Columbia University and currently at the Harvard/McLean/Mass General Psychiatry Residency Program.
Louis Conte
Author (The Autism War), The MAHA Report Writer
Louis Conte, father of triplets with two autistic sons, successfully advocated for autism services, serving three terms on his school board. He has lobbied in state and national capitals for autism and vaccine-injured families. Conte suspects environmental triggers for autism and co-authored a study exposing hidden vaccine injury cases. He authored the novel 'The Autism War' and writes for The MAHA Report. Conte is a retired law enforcement officer providing forensic polygraph services.
Genetic Vulnerabilities and Environmental Factors
Moderator: James Lyons-Weiler
James Lyons-Weiler, PhD
Biomedical Researcher & Founder, IPAK
Dr. James Lyons-Weiler is a biomedical researcher and founder of Science, Public Health Policy & the Law journal. He leads the Institute for Pure and Applied Knowledge and IPAK-EDU, educating diverse learners in science and public policy. With over 60 publications, he researches cancer biology, genomics, vaccine safety, neurodevelopment, and environmental toxicology. Known for identifying vaccine trial flaws and pathogenic priming, Lyons-Weiler promotes independent, collaborative science and publishes the Popular Rationalism Substack with over 60,000 weekly readers.
Dr. Richard Frye, MD, PhD
Child Neurologist, Researcher, and Chief Scientific Officer
Dr. Richard Frye is a Harvard-trained Child Neurologist with expertise in neurodevelopmental and neurometabolic disorders. He holds an MD and PhD from Georgetown and has board certifications in Pediatrics and Child Neurology. With over 300 publications, he leads research on metabolic and mitochondrial abnormalities in autism. Dr. Frye is President and CSO of the Autism Discovery and Treatment Foundation and directs clinical trials on treatments like leucovorin and neuroimmune modulators for ASD.
Brian Hooker, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer, Children's Health Defense
Brian S. Hooker, PhD, is Chief Scientific Officer at Children's Health Defense and Professor Emeritus of Biology at Simpson University. He earned degrees in chemical and biochemical engineering. Hooker has over 80 publications and patents and has focused on vaccine safety since 2001. He worked with CDC whistleblower Dr. William Thompson to expose alleged fraud in vaccine safety research linked to autism.
Justice, Redress and Remedy
Moderator: Kim Mack Rosenberg
Kim Mack Rosenberg
General Counsel, Children's Health Defense
Kim Mack Rosenberg is General Counsel for Children's Health Defense and a private practice attorney specializing in medical freedom and autism-related legal issues. With 20 years in vaccine choice advocacy, she has testified nationwide to protect vaccine exemptions. Rosenberg has co-authored books on vaccines and autism, including "Vaccine Epidemic" and "The Parent's Autism Sourcebook," and engages widely in legislative and legal advocacy for health freedom and autism communities.
John Gilmore
Executive Director, Autism Action Network
John Gilmore has 25 years of advocacy for autism, developmental disabilities, and vaccine rights. Since 2007, he has been Executive Director of the Autism Action Network, influenced by his son's vaccine injury causing autism. He has collaborated with Children's Health Defense and co-founded the American Values 2024 Super PAC supporting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Gilmore holds a Master's in Public Policy from UC Berkeley and lives in Long Beach, NY.
Andrew Downing
Litigation Partner, Brueckner, Spitler & Shelts
Drew Downing is a litigation partner of Brueckner, Spitler & Shelts in Scottsdale, Arizona. Drew earned his undergraduate degree from Rice University and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Tulsa. He has practiced almost exclusively in the area of medical and product liability, and for the last 25 years, exclusively in the area of vaccine injury litigation. While regarded as one of the preeminent vaccine injury attorneys in the country, he resigned his position and is now Senior Policy Advisor to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. He represented victims of vaccination in the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) for decades, and his cases include some of the seminal cases that have shaped vaccine litigation over the years. Drew frequently speaks on the Vaccine Program around the Country, and is currently involved in shaping the changes to the VICP.
Brian Hooker, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer, Children's Health Defense
Brian S. Hooker, PhD, is Chief Scientific Officer at Children's Health Defense and Professor Emeritus of Biology at Simpson University. He earned degrees in chemical and biochemical engineering. Hooker has over 80 publications and patents and has focused on vaccine safety since 2001. He worked with CDC whistleblower Dr. William Thompson to expose alleged fraud in vaccine safety research linked to autism.
Clinical Needs and Research Priorities
Moderator: James Lyons-Weiler
Tracy Slepcevic
Board-Certified Integrative Health Practitioner
Tracy Slepcevic is a Board-Certified Integrative Health Practitioner, Air Force veteran, bestselling author, and founder of Autism Health, a nonprofit supporting families with autism. With over 17 years studying evidence-based treatments, she collaborates with experts to translate complex health information into practical guidance. Tracy is dedicated to empowering families through public speaking, community programs, and the Autism Health Summit, promoting holistic approaches to neurological disorders.
Mary Coyle
Homeopath
Mary Coyle, DIHom, is a certified homeopath specializing in Bioregulatory Therapeutics and Homotoxicology, a holistic system developed to restore natural biological processes by removing toxins. Inspired by her son's autism diagnosis and improvement through this therapy, she consults families on healing autism using homeopathic remedies. She has presented at major autism conferences and serves on advisory boards, sharing her expertise in toxin removal and holistic health for autism.
Dr. Richard Frye, MD, PhD
Child Neurologist, Researcher, and Chief Scientific Officer
Dr. Richard Frye is a Harvard-trained Child Neurologist with expertise in neurodevelopmental and neurometabolic disorders. He holds an MD and PhD from Georgetown and has board certifications in Pediatrics and Child Neurology. With over 300 publications, he leads research on metabolic and mitochondrial abnormalities in autism. Dr. Frye is President and CSO of the Autism Discovery and Treatment Foundation and directs clinical trials on treatments like leucovorin and neuroimmune modulators for ASD.
Dr. John Gaitanis
Pediatric Neurologist
Dr. John Gaitanis earned his MD from Brown Medical School and completed neurology residency at Children's Hospital Boston, followed by an epilepsy fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He served as Director of Pediatric Epilepsy at Brown and Tufts Medical Center, developing ketogenic diet and epilepsy surgery programs. His research focuses on autism and epilepsy biomarkers and communication improvements. He has held leadership roles in epilepsy advocacy and pediatric neurology organizations.