Doctor Andrew Wakefield
Doctor Andrew Wakefield, an academic gastroenterologist w/ a St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School medical degree in London, 1981 & qualified as Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1985 & trained as a gastrointestinal surgeon w/ interest in inflammatory bowel disease. Wakefield has published over 140 original scientific papers, reviews, & book chapters. In 1995, as an academic physician, he was contacted by the parent of an autistic child w/ stomach issues. He soon learned from several other parents w/ autistic behaviors, that their children’s regressive behavior immediately followed an MMR vaccine. He investigated a role between gastrointestinal issues, MMR vaccine, & neurological injury in children. In pursuit of this possible link, Dr. Wakefield participated in a study of 12 children w/ both stomach & developmental issues. The ensuing report, written w/ 12 other authors would catapult him into becoming one of the most controversial figures in the history of medicine.
