The panelists at the start of the FDA's Expert Panel on Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and Pregnancy held on July 22, 2025.
The FDA had a panel discussion on the use of SSRI inhibitors in pregnancy the morning of July 22, 205 which was broadcasted via the FDA’s YouTube channel. Listed below were the selected members for this panel. It included 5 women and 8 men, 3 of which were from outside of the United States. Of the panelists 5 were psychiatrists, only 3 of them currently practicing, and only one was trained in perinatal medicine.
Tracy Beth Hoeg, MD, PhD—PM&R, Panel Moderator, senior advisor at FDA
Marty Makary, MD, PhD—FDA Commissioner, surgery, surgery oncology
Anick Berard, PhD—Perinatal epidemiologist from University of Montreal, Canada
Dorothy Fink, MD—Panel Moderator, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women's Health, specializing in endocrinology (IM/Peds)
Adam Urato, MD—Chief of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Metro West Medical Center, OBGYN
Jay Gingrich, MD, PhD—Psychiatrist and Columbia researcher who focuses on schizophrenia, depression and anxiety
David Healy, MD—psychiatrist/psychopharmacologist from Wales Department of Psychological Medicine
Jeffrey Lacasse, PhD, MSW—social worker from Florida State University
Roger McFillin, PsyD—psychologist Executive Director for Center for Integrated Behavioral Health
Josef Witt-Doerring, MD—psychiatrist and previous medical director of the FDA, co-founder of the Taper Clinic in Palm Desert, CA
Joanna Moncrieff, MD—London psychiatrist, professor
Michael Levin, PhD—Biologist from Tufts, Director of the Allen Discovery Center
Kay Roussos-Ross, MD—University of Florida Health, triple boarded on/gyn, psychiatrist, addiction medicine
Prior to the discussion, panelists were told to “speak from the heart.” Below you can click to be taken to the discussion. The panelists took turns presenting their perspectives on SSRIs. Some related to pregnancy, and others did not. For example, Dr. Moncrieff focused on whether antidepressants have efficacy for depression. Mr. Lacasse, a social worker, referenced an article he authored 20 years ago, and focused on the old chemical imbalance theory, which is widely known to be outdated. At least two of the panelists, Dr. Healy and Dr. Witt-Doerring, presented their known anti-psychiatry and anti-medication views. Dr. Healy, for reason not quite clear, made a reference to a man murdering his wife, before using the phrase “make doctors great again.”
There was only one perinatal psychiatrist on the panel, Dr. Roussos-Ross, whose work focuses on treating pregnant women with mental health and addiction issues. Notably, she was the only panelist who centered her discussion around the well-being of these women.
I will not further comment on this panel. My point is, when you don’t seek out the true experts on a topic, you will get misinformation, fear-mongering, and exposed to a hidden agenda. If only there were 10 perinatal psychiatrists discussing the risks and benefits of these medications, perhaps we could have had a nuanced and fruitful conversation about how to best treat and manage psychiatric disorders in pregnancy. Instead, we watched one expert in perinatal psychiatry and a dozen physicians and scientists who are perhaps experts in other areas, but not this, talk about a mishmash of topics that semi-related to SSRIs and pregnancy. I for one, hope that the FDA does better next time.
