People affected by epilepsy who need answers to their questions can turn to Suzanne Nurse, who is an excellent information resource and who has a myriad of experience working with people who have epilepsy.

Nurse, Epilepsy Ontario’s new epilepsy information specialist, also holds a PhD in medicine with specialization in neuroscience. Through her new role, which began about two weeks ago, Nurse is helping a wide range of people find the information they need.

“With my new role I’m . . . providing information to people who have questions about epilepsy — that would be people who have a diagnosis of epilepsy themselves or who have a family member living with epilepsy — as well as partners in the community,” she says.

The information people seek can be anything from questions about accessing medication to dealing with discrimination to trying to learn more about their diagnosis.

Nurse says two goals she would like to achieve through her position are to raise the profile of Epilepsy Ontario as a key source of information for people in the province and to connect people with their local epilepsy agency.

Prior to coming to Epilepsy Ontario, Nurse was actively involved in epilepsy education and support while a staff member with the Epilepsy Support Centre, a grassroots community-based agency in London, Ont. between 2008 and 2012. She also served as executive director of the Canadian League Against Epilepsy and has been a member of the Canadian Epilepsy Alliance (CEA) Education Committee.

Nurse also has a strong background in neuroscience research, having worked on studies examining brain function. She has a PhD in medicine from Memorial University in Newfoundland and Labrador and post-doctorate studies in brain function at the University of Montreal and the University of Western Ontario.

Epilepsy Ontario executive director Rozalyn Werner-Arcé says Nurse’s expertise will greatly benefit Epilepsy Ontario.

“I’m very excited to have such a knowledgeable person on staff at Epilepsy Ontario,” she says of Nurse.

“The role of epilepsy information specialist is a positive step towards Epilepsy Ontario achieving its strategic goal of being an information resource to the epilepsy community.”

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Writer: Deron Hamel