Epilepsy conference coming to University of Toronto

Date: May 23, 2006

Coordinated care is lacking in Ontario. There is no comprehensive treatment centre available in Ontario.

TORONTO – January 2006 marked the 50th anniversary of Epilepsy Ontario’s ongoing efforts as an incorporated health charity. As part of the celebration activities of the special year, Epilepsy Ontario and the Society for the Advancement of Comprehensive Epilepsy Care present a one-day conference:

What: “Epilepsy Care in Ontario”
When: Saturday, June 10, 2006 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Medical Sciences Building, 1 King’s College Circle, University of Toronto

This conference is open to people living with epilepsy, their families and friends. The general public wanting to learn more about epilepsy is also welcome to attend.

The keynote speakers is Dr. Ilo E. Leppik, the director of research of MINCEP Epilepsy Care in Minneapolis and the adjunct professor of neurology and pharmacy at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Leppik is the past president of the American Epilepsy Society and the past Chairman of the American Epilepsy Society Guidelines Task Force and the Central Society for Neurological Research.

Also on the agenda are:

  • Dr. Peter L. Carlen is a clinical neurologist specializing in epilepsy and the director of the epilepsy clinic at the Toronto Western Hospital.
  • Dr. Taufik Valiante is an adult epilepsy neurosurgeon at the Toronto Western Hospital. He completed his residency in the Neurosurgery Training Program at the University of Toronto in 2002, and acquired his epilepsy neurosurgery fellowship at the University of Washington.
  • Irene Elliott is a registered nurse in the neurology division at the Hospital for Sick Children (HSC). She is an acute care nurse practitioner in the epilepsy program there.
  • Dr. McIntyre Burnham is a professor of pharmacology at the University of Toronto and an epilepsy researcher. Dr. Burnham is president of Epilepsy Ontario. He holds the Bahen Chair of Epilepsy Research and is director of the University of Toronto’s epilepsy research program.
  • Dr. Mary Lou Smith is a psychology professor at the University of Toronto and a psychologist at the Hospital for Sick Children.

Topics will include the medical management, surgical options and memory problems for people with epilepsy, co-morbidities in epilepsy and epilepsy in the schools. The conference will also address the future of epilepsy care in Ontario.

Admission is free. A donation to Epilepsy Ontario to cover the cost of lunch would be appreciated.

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