The Epilepsy Division at the University of Pittsburgh approaches the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy and seizures through a patient-oriented team of epileptologists, neurosurgeons, neuropsychologists, nurse specialists, EEG technologists, social workers and others with training in epilepsy care. In the department of neurology, the epilepsy division offers the following clinical services:
- Subspecialty epilepsy clinics
- Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU)
- EEG Laboratory Services
- Continuous EEG Service
- Presurgical Evaluation Service
All services are provided in conjunction with the University of Pittsburgh Comprehensive Epilepsy Center (UPCEC).
The epilepsy clinical care facilities at UPMC and University of Pittsburgh Comprehensive Epilepsy Center include eight adult epilepsy monitoring units (EMU) beds for short or long-term continuous closed-circuit television/electroencephalographic monitoring. Adult EMU is located in UPMC Presbyterian and is equipped with remote-controlled automatic SPECT injectors.
For more information on the clinical care facilities that are offered through UPCEC and UPMC, please redirect to the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center (UPCEC) page.
Epilepsy Division faculty members are involved in multiple research efforts ranging from sophisticated electrophysiological investigations (e.g. Dr. Alkawadri), human imaging studies (e.g. Dr. Bagić), effects of seizure medications on maternal outcomes (e.g. Dr. Bagić), to role of continuous EEG in treating acutely ill patients in the ICU (e.g. Dr. Fong), acute treatment of seizures (e.g. Dr. Bagić), VNS Registry (e.g. Dr. Bagić), and RNS-based investigations (e.g. Dr. Urban). The key intra-institutional collaborative efforts are with the Laboratory of Jorge Gonzalez-Martinez, MD, PhD (Department of Neurosurgery), Laboratory of Shawn Sorrells, PhD (Department of Neuroscience) and Laboratory of Mike Modo, PhD (McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine). Multiple other collaborative research interactions are cultivated through the Brain Institute and Center for Neural Basis of Cognition (CNBC). Traditionally productive collaborations with the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) are currently mainly through the CMU Biomedical Engineering headed by Dr. Bin He.
The new chapter in research at UPMC and Pittsburgh neuroscientific community starts this Spring with the arrival of the internationally eminent epileptologist and conceptual neuroscientist Patrick Y. M. Chauvel, MD who will serve as a Scientific Director of the Neural Networks Disorders Program (NNDP) of UPCEC and Neurological Institute.
Faculty members are engaged in various national academic and professional efforts through the American Epilepsy Society (AES), National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC), American Clinical MEG Society (ACMEGS), American Clinical Neurophysiology Society (ACNS), American Academy of Neurology (AAN), American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN), etc. For example, Alexandra Urban, MD is a member of the ABPN Epilepsy Committee, Vijayalakshmi (Viji) Rajasekaran, MD is a member of the AAN Residency In-service Training Examination (RITE) Advisory Council, etc. An example of our international professional engagements is Dr. Bagić’s initiative focused on defining the first internationally developed and accepted clinical practice guidelines (CPG) for MEG under the auspice of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology (IFCN).
Core Faculty:
- Page B. Pennell, MD (Department Chair)
- Anto Bagić, MD, PhD (Division Chief)
- Rafeed Alkawadri, MD
- Danielle R. Carns, PsyD
- James F. Castellano, MD, PhD
- Patrick Y. Chauvel, MD
- Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, MD
- Wesley T. Kerr, MD, PhD
- Alexandra Urban (Popescu), MD
- Abdulrahman Alwaki, MD
- Rahiwa Gebre, MD