MGB doctor treating PANS/PANDAS patients to leave the hospital at the end of the year
By Allyson Chiu Globe Staff,Updated October 28, 2026
As families with children who have a complex pediatric condition grapple with news that a specialized treatment program at Mass General Brigham will shutter at the end of the year, they learned this week that one of the few doctors providing care will be leaving the hospital system.
Dr. Kyle Williams, a psychiatrist, is an expert on caring for patients with PANS, pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome, and a related condition, PANDAS, pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcus. Children with PANS/PANDAS develop sudden and often debilitating psychiatric symptoms, typically after common infections like strep throat or the flu.
Some patients received a message through their portals Tuesday informing them that Williams would be leaving MGB on Dec. 31, according to a copy of the notice obtained by The Globe. The message directed PANS/PANDAS patients to external programs and providers and encouraged families to make arrangements or join waitlists “as soon as possible.”
The announcement came less than three months after the hospital system told families it plans to shutter its PANS/PANDAS program offered through Mass General Brigham for Children in January. At the time, the hospital suggested patients could continue treatment through MGB even after the closure.
Parents and advocates say Williams is one of two MGB doctors who primarily treat PANS/PANDAS patients.
In a statement to The Globe, MGB said the message about Williams was sent to patients in error and “did not accurately reflect Mass General Brigham for Children’s plans for continuity of care.” But MGB confirmed that Williams would leave at the end of the year.
“We recognize that the recent communication may have created confusion for patients and families, and we regret that,” the hospital said. MGB added that it is working to provide more information directly to families to help them understand what care options are available to them.
Williams did not respond to an interview request.
Jennifer Vitelli, executive director of the Look. Foundation, a Massachusetts-based PANS/PANDAS advocacy group, called Tuesday’s message “incredibly confusing.”
“We are 65 days from closure, and PANS/PANDAS patients and their families are still in limbo,” Vitelli said. “A list of providers they may not be able to access or afford is not continuity of care. They need specific physician names, referrals, appointments, and a clear plan now.”
MGB’s PANS/PANDAS program is one of the few of its kind nationwide that aims to address the condition’s medical and psychiatric concerns, and the decision to close it sparked widespread anger and fear among parents. Many said they didn’t understand why the program was ending.
The news of Williams leaving the hospital raised additional concerns about whether patients can still receive treatment at MGB.
The notice that went out Tuesday included five options for alternative care. One was a link to a neuroimmune psychiatric disorders clinic at Dartmouth Health Children’s in Lebanon, N.H. It also listed Dr. Yujuan (Julia) Zhang, a well-regarded pediatric rheumatologist at Tufts Medical Center, who previously told The Globe that she has seen more than 580 PANS/PANDAS patients in the last two years and has a months-long waiting list for new patients. Some parents said the options provided by MGB would likely require families to travel long distances or pay out of pocket for treatment.
“This is a joke list,” said Kim Panton, a PANS/PANDAS advocate and Duxbury resident whose two adult sons were diagnosed with the condition as children and received care at MGB.
Finding care has long been challenging for families.
Treatment consists of first dealing with the trigger, if it’s still present. Patients might receive antibiotics or anti-inflammatory treatments, such as ibuprofen. People with more severe cases may require infusions of healthy antibodies, a treatment known as intravenous immunoglobulin, or IVIG. While patients are being treated for the inflammatory problem, doctors might also simultaneously treat behavioral symptoms, with cognitive behavioral therapy or other kinds of therapy and medication, including antidepressants.
Jessica Purcell, a mother of two children with PANDAS receiving care at MGB, said Williams was instrumental in getting her kids access to antibiotics and anti-inflammatories.
“Without him, we wouldn’t be on the right track,” said Purcell, who lives in Hanson. “I have no idea what we’re going to do.”
Parents and PANS/PANDAS providers say many health care professionals are either not familiar with or, in some cases, skeptical of the diagnosis and treatment. Sick children, for instance, are often initially referred to psychiatric services.
The American Academy of Pediatrics called PANS “likely a valid diagnosis” in a recent clinical report, but said more research on the condition is needed and raised concerns about widely used treatments. The AAP considers PANDAS a subset of PANS.
In Massachusetts, the law requires insurance to cover care for PANS and PANDAS, including the treatments the AAP cautioned about.
MGB said it has other providers with expertise in the psychiatric treatment of PANS/PANDAS. Existing patients will continue to have access to that care as well as “other multidisciplinary clinicians as clinically appropriate,” the hospital said.
In response to previous questions from the Globe about the treatment program’s closure, MGB said at the time it would continue to provide care through the hospital’s child and adolescent psychiatry department, pediatric infectious disease specialists, and primary care providers.
“We recognize that children diagnosed with PANS/PANDAS can experience severe and disabling symptoms, with a profound impact on them and their families,” MGB said. The decision to close the program “does not mean that we are dismissing these children’s symptoms or their need for care.”
But many parents say they are still concerned whether their children will be able to have access to antibiotics and other immunotherapies, such as IVIG, if they stay at MGB.
“This is a medical issue,” said Panton, whose son recently experienced a return of symptoms and needed IVIG treatment. “The psychiatric part is critical. It’s really important to help manage the psych symptoms until they can get the medical part of this under control. You’re looking at a two-prong approach to dealing with PANDAS kids.”
