Mark Geier
Encyclopedia
Mark R. Geier is a self-employed
American
physician
and controversial professional witness who has testified in more than 90 cases regarding allegations of injury or illness caused by vaccines
.
Geier and his son, David Geier, are frequently cited by proponents of the claim that vaccines cause autism
.
Geier's credibility as an expert witness
has been questioned in several court cases. In 2003, a judge ruled that Geier presented himself as an expert witness in "areas for which he has no training, expertise and experience." In other cases in which Geier has testified, judges have labeled his testimony "intellectually dishonest," "not reliable" and "wholly unqualified." Another judge wrote that Geier "may be clever, but he is not credible."
Geier's scientific work has also been criticized; when the Institute of Medicine
reviewed vaccine safety in 2004, it dismissed Geier's work as seriously flawed, "uninterpretable", and marred by incorrect use of scientific terms. In 2003, the American Academy of Pediatrics
criticized one of Geier's studies, which claimed a link between vaccines and autism, as containing "numerous conceptual and scientific flaws, omissions of fact, inaccuracies, and misstatements." New Scientist
reported that the institutional review board
which approved some of Geier's experiments with autistic children was located at Geier's business address and included Geier, his son and wife, a business partner of Geier's, and a plaintiff's lawyer involved in vaccine litigation. In January 2007, a paper by the Geiers was retracted by the journal Autoimmunity Reviews. In 2011, Geier's medical license was suspended in several states over concerns about his autism treatments.
in Zoology in 1970, a Ph.D.
in genetics in 1973, and an M.D. in 1978, all from George Washington University.
Geier while at the Laboratory of General and Comparative Biochemistry, National Institutes of Health
in the 1970s and 1980s was a student researcher from 1969–1970, a research geneticist from 1971–1973, a staff fellow from 1973–1974, on the professional staff from 1974–1978, and a guest worker from 1980-1982. He has been examining vaccine safety issues since then. He was an assistant professor of gynecology and obstetrics at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
(Baltimore, MD) from 1979–1982 and an assistant research professor, department of psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
(Bethesda, MD) from 1981-1984.
He was board certified by the American Board of Medical Genetics as a genetic counselor in 1987. In 1996, Dr. Geier was certified a Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Medicine. He has been a Fellow of the American College of Epidemiology
since 2007. He is a Fellow of the American College of Medical Genetics
.
He is currently a self-employed geneticist and along with his son David Geier he operates several organizations from his private address in Maryland, including the Institute for Chronic Illness and the Genetic Centers of America. As a professional witness he has testified in more than 90 vaccine cases, in support of the view that there is a clear link between thiomersal and autism
.
, Geier co-authored a paper published in Nature
reporting the first successful genetic engineering
experiment in which bacteriophage
Lambda carrying the galactose
operon corrected the inability of cells in tissue culture from a patient with galactosemia
to metabolise the milk sugar galactose. This work received a great deal of attention, and the research team was profiled in stories in Newsweek
and the New York Times as a result.
Geier cowrote the article, "The true story of pertussis vaccination: a sordid legacy?", which won the 2003 Stanley Jackson award for papers published in the Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences.
Geier has published several speculative articles with his son David Geier, suggesting a relation between mercury
exposure during infancy and the onset of neurodevelopmental disorders
.
dispute the conclusion of the Geiers' paper claiming a correlation between thimerosal and autism, and criticized it for "numerous conceptual and scientific flaws, omissions of fact, inaccuracies, and misstatements".
breach. Before leaving, the researchers renamed files for removal which were not allowed to be removed. Had it gone undetected, this would have constituted a breach of the rules about confidentiality."
s on the use of Lupron in combination with chelation therapy
as a treatment protocol for autism based on the hypothesis that "testosterone
mercury" along with low levels of glutathione
blocks the conversion of DHEA
to DHEA-S and therefore raises androgens which in turn further lower glutathione levels, ultimately providing a connection between autism, mercury exposure, and hyperandrogenicity, specifically precocious puberty
.
According to expert pediatric endocrinologists, the Lupron protocol for autism is supported only by junk science. The reaction of mercury and testosterone which the therapy is intended to treat is actually based on a protocol used to create testosterone crystals for use in X-ray crystallography rather than a physiological process that occurs in the human body. Although Abbott Laboratories
sells Lupron in the U.S. and cooperated with the Geiers in one of the patent applications, it is no longer pursuing work with them, citing the nonexistence of scientific evidence to justify further research.
When treating an autistic child, the Geiers order several dozen lab tests, costing $12,000: if at least one testosterone-related result is abnormal, the Geiers consider Lupron treatments, using 10 times the daily dose ordinarily used to treat precocious puberty. The therapy costs approximately $5,000 per month. The Geiers recommend starting treatment on children as young as possible, and say that some need treatment through adulthood.
The suspension was subsequently upheld on appeal. Geier's licenses to practice medicine in the states of Washington, Virginia and California were subsequently suspended as well.
In 2011 David Geier was charged by the Maryland State Board of Physicians of practicing medicine without a license.
Self-employment
Self-employment is working for one's self.Self-employed people can also be referred to as a person who works for himself/herself instead of an employer, but drawing income from a trade or business that they operate personally....
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and controversial professional witness who has testified in more than 90 cases regarding allegations of injury or illness caused by vaccines
Vaccine injury
A vaccine injury is an injury caused by vaccination.Allegations of vaccine injuries in recent decades have appeared in litigation in the United States. Some families have won substantial awards from sympathetic juries, even though most public health officials believed that the claims of injuries...
.
Geier and his son, David Geier, are frequently cited by proponents of the claim that vaccines cause autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
.
Geier's credibility as an expert witness
Expert witness
An expert witness, professional witness or judicial expert is a witness, who by virtue of education, training, skill, or experience, is believed to have expertise and specialised knowledge in a particular subject beyond that of the average person, sufficient that others may officially and legally...
has been questioned in several court cases. In 2003, a judge ruled that Geier presented himself as an expert witness in "areas for which he has no training, expertise and experience." In other cases in which Geier has testified, judges have labeled his testimony "intellectually dishonest," "not reliable" and "wholly unqualified." Another judge wrote that Geier "may be clever, but he is not credible."
Geier's scientific work has also been criticized; when the Institute of Medicine
Institute of Medicine
The Institute of Medicine is a not-for-profit, non-governmental American organization founded in 1970, under the congressional charter of the National Academy of Sciences...
reviewed vaccine safety in 2004, it dismissed Geier's work as seriously flawed, "uninterpretable", and marred by incorrect use of scientific terms. In 2003, the American Academy of Pediatrics
American Academy of Pediatrics
The American Academy of Pediatrics is the major professional association of pediatricians in the United States. The AAP was founded in 1930 by 35 pediatricians to address pediatric healthcare standards. It currently has 60,000 members in primary care and sub-specialist areas...
criticized one of Geier's studies, which claimed a link between vaccines and autism, as containing "numerous conceptual and scientific flaws, omissions of fact, inaccuracies, and misstatements." New Scientist
New Scientist
New Scientist is a weekly non-peer-reviewed English-language international science magazine, which since 1996 has also run a website, covering recent developments in science and technology for a general audience. Founded in 1956, it is published by Reed Business Information Ltd, a subsidiary of...
reported that the institutional review board
Institutional review board
An institutional review board , also known as an independent ethics committee or ethical review board , is a committee that has been formally designated to approve, monitor, and review biomedical and behavioral research involving humans with the aim to protect the rights and welfare of the...
which approved some of Geier's experiments with autistic children was located at Geier's business address and included Geier, his son and wife, a business partner of Geier's, and a plaintiff's lawyer involved in vaccine litigation. In January 2007, a paper by the Geiers was retracted by the journal Autoimmunity Reviews. In 2011, Geier's medical license was suspended in several states over concerns about his autism treatments.
Career
Geier received a B.S.Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in Zoology in 1970, a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in genetics in 1973, and an M.D. in 1978, all from George Washington University.
Geier while at the Laboratory of General and Comparative Biochemistry, National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
in the 1970s and 1980s was a student researcher from 1969–1970, a research geneticist from 1971–1973, a staff fellow from 1973–1974, on the professional staff from 1974–1978, and a guest worker from 1980-1982. He has been examining vaccine safety issues since then. He was an assistant professor of gynecology and obstetrics at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine , located in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., is the academic medical teaching and research arm of Johns Hopkins University. Hopkins has consistently been the nation's number one medical school in the amount of competitive research grants awarded by the National...
(Baltimore, MD) from 1979–1982 and an assistant research professor, department of psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences is a health science university run by the U.S. federal government. The primary mission of the school is to prepare graduates for service to the U.S. at home and abroad in the medical corps....
(Bethesda, MD) from 1981-1984.
He was board certified by the American Board of Medical Genetics as a genetic counselor in 1987. In 1996, Dr. Geier was certified a Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Medicine. He has been a Fellow of the American College of Epidemiology
American College of Epidemiology
The American College of Epidemiology is an American organization incorporated in 1979 to support and promote the work of American epidemiologists. It is based in Raleigh, North Carolina....
since 2007. He is a Fellow of the American College of Medical Genetics
American College of Medical Genetics
The American College of Medical Genetics is an organization composed of biochemical, clinical, cytogenetic, medical and molecular geneticists, genetic counselors and other health care professionals committed to the practice of medical genetics....
.
He is currently a self-employed geneticist and along with his son David Geier he operates several organizations from his private address in Maryland, including the Institute for Chronic Illness and the Genetic Centers of America. As a professional witness he has testified in more than 90 vaccine cases, in support of the view that there is a clear link between thiomersal and autism
Thiomersal controversy
The thiomersal controversy describes claims that vaccines containing the mercury-based preservative thiomersal contribute to the development of autism and other brain development disorders...
.
Research
In 1970, while at the National Institute of Mental HealthNational Institute of Mental Health
The National Institute of Mental Health is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health...
, Geier co-authored a paper published in Nature
Nature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
reporting the first successful genetic engineering
Genetic engineering
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...
experiment in which bacteriophage
Bacteriophage
A bacteriophage is any one of a number of viruses that infect bacteria. They do this by injecting genetic material, which they carry enclosed in an outer protein capsid...
Lambda carrying the galactose
Galactose
Galactose , sometimes abbreviated Gal, is a type of sugar that is less sweet than glucose. It is a C-4 epimer of glucose....
operon corrected the inability of cells in tissue culture from a patient with galactosemia
Galactosemia
Galactosemia is a rare genetic metabolic disorder that affects an individual's ability to metabolize the sugar galactose properly. Although the sugar lactose can metabolize to galactose, galactosemia is not related to and should not be confused with lactose intolerance...
to metabolise the milk sugar galactose. This work received a great deal of attention, and the research team was profiled in stories in Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
and the New York Times as a result.
Geier cowrote the article, "The true story of pertussis vaccination: a sordid legacy?", which won the 2003 Stanley Jackson award for papers published in the Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences.
Geier has published several speculative articles with his son David Geier, suggesting a relation between mercury
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
exposure during infancy and the onset of neurodevelopmental disorders
Neurodevelopmental Disorders
A neurodevelopmental disorder, or disorder of neural development, is an impairment of the growth and development of the brain or central nervous system. A narrower use of the term refers to a disorder of brain function that affects emotion, learning ability and memory and that unfolds as the...
.
Controversies
Geier and his son have published several speculative articles about a possible link between autism spectrum disorders and TCVs, generating some controversy. The American Academy of PediatricsAmerican Academy of Pediatrics
The American Academy of Pediatrics is the major professional association of pediatricians in the United States. The AAP was founded in 1930 by 35 pediatricians to address pediatric healthcare standards. It currently has 60,000 members in primary care and sub-specialist areas...
dispute the conclusion of the Geiers' paper claiming a correlation between thimerosal and autism, and criticized it for "numerous conceptual and scientific flaws, omissions of fact, inaccuracies, and misstatements".
Limited access to Vaccine Safety Datalink records
The Geiers have been granted access to the Vaccine Safety Datalink records, but the National Immunization Program found that "during the first visit the researchers conducted unapproved analysis on their datasets and on the second visit attempted to carry out unapproved analyses but did not complete this attempt. This analysis, had it been completed, could have increased the risk of a confidentialityConfidentiality
Confidentiality is an ethical principle associated with several professions . In ethics, and in law and alternative forms of legal resolution such as mediation, some types of communication between a person and one of these professionals are "privileged" and may not be discussed or divulged to...
breach. Before leaving, the researchers renamed files for removal which were not allowed to be removed. Had it gone undetected, this would have constituted a breach of the rules about confidentiality."
Lupron
The Geiers have developed a protocol for treating autism that uses the drug Lupron. Mark Geier has called Lupron "the miracle drug" and the Geiers have marketed the protocol across the U.S. The Geiers filed three U.S. patent applicationPatent application
A patent application is a request pending at a patent office for the grant of a patent for the invention described and claimed by that application. An application consists of a description of the invention , together with official forms and correspondence relating to the application...
s on the use of Lupron in combination with chelation therapy
Chelation therapy
Chelation therapy is the administration of chelating agents to remove heavy metals from the body. For the most common forms of heavy metal intoxication—those involving lead, arsenic or mercury—the standard of care in the United States dictates the use of dimercaptosuccinic acid...
as a treatment protocol for autism based on the hypothesis that "testosterone
Testosterone
Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group and is found in mammals, reptiles, birds, and other vertebrates. In mammals, testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands...
mercury" along with low levels of glutathione
Glutathione
Glutathione is a tripeptide that contains an unusual peptide linkage between the amine group of cysteine and the carboxyl group of the glutamate side-chain...
blocks the conversion of DHEA
Dehydroepiandrosterone
5-Dehydroepiandrosterone is a 19-carbon endogenous steroid hormone. It is the major secretory steroidal product of the adrenal glands and is also produced by the gonads and the brain. DHEA is the most abundant circulating steroid in humans....
to DHEA-S and therefore raises androgens which in turn further lower glutathione levels, ultimately providing a connection between autism, mercury exposure, and hyperandrogenicity, specifically precocious puberty
Precocious puberty
As a medical term, precocious puberty describes puberty occurring at an unusually early age. In most of these children, the process is normal in every respect except the unusually early age, and simply represents a variation of normal development. In a minority of children, the early development is...
.
According to expert pediatric endocrinologists, the Lupron protocol for autism is supported only by junk science. The reaction of mercury and testosterone which the therapy is intended to treat is actually based on a protocol used to create testosterone crystals for use in X-ray crystallography rather than a physiological process that occurs in the human body. Although Abbott Laboratories
Abbott Laboratories
Abbott Laboratories is an American-based global, diversified pharmaceuticals and health care products company. It has 90,000 employees and operates in over 130 countries. The company headquarters are in Abbott Park, North Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded by Chicago physician, Dr....
sells Lupron in the U.S. and cooperated with the Geiers in one of the patent applications, it is no longer pursuing work with them, citing the nonexistence of scientific evidence to justify further research.
When treating an autistic child, the Geiers order several dozen lab tests, costing $12,000: if at least one testosterone-related result is abnormal, the Geiers consider Lupron treatments, using 10 times the daily dose ordinarily used to treat precocious puberty. The therapy costs approximately $5,000 per month. The Geiers recommend starting treatment on children as young as possible, and say that some need treatment through adulthood.
Expert witness testimony
Geier has been qualified as an expert witness in Federal Court and has been accepted as an expert witness in approximately 100 hearings for parents seeking compensation from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program for alleged vaccine injuries to their children. In 10 of these cases, "Dr. Geier's opinion testimony has either been excluded or accorded little or no weight based upon a determination that he was testifying beyond his expertise."Medical licenses suspended
On April 27, 2011, the Maryland State Board of Physicians suspended Mark Geier's medical license as an "emergency action", saying he "endangers autistic children and exploits their parents by administering to the children a treatment protocol that has a known substantial risk of serious harm and which is neither consistent with evidence-based medicine nor generally accepted in the relevant scientific community." The board ruled that Geier misdiagnosed patients, diagnosed patients without sufficient tests, and recommended risky treatments without fully explaining the risks to the parents. They also ruled that he misrepresented his credentials, including during an interview with the board. Geier's lawyer, Joseph A. Schwartz III said the basis of the complaint was a "bona fide dispute over therapy", and hoped for a fair hearing to challenge the board's accusations.The suspension was subsequently upheld on appeal. Geier's licenses to practice medicine in the states of Washington, Virginia and California were subsequently suspended as well.
In 2011 David Geier was charged by the Maryland State Board of Physicians of practicing medicine without a license.
External links
- CaseWatch.org - "Dr Mark Geier Severely Criticized", by Stephen Barrett, M.D.
- IOM.edu - Immunization Safety Review: Vaccines and Autism, Institute of MedicineInstitute of MedicineThe Institute of Medicine is a not-for-profit, non-governmental American organization founded in 1970, under the congressional charter of the National Academy of Sciences...
, May 17, 2004 - Dr Mark Geier in error of magnitude - Court report, June 25, 1990