George Ojemann, professor of neurological surgery, is being honored by the Epilepsy Foundation of Washington (EFW) for his work in treating epilepsy in the Pacific Northwest. The foundation will give Ojemann the Exceptional Service Award, its highest honor, at the EFW Awards and Arts Brunch ceremony on Sunday, March 28.

Ojemann is an attending neurosurgeon at UW Medical Center. He has treated and researched epilepsy for more than 40 years, and served as director of the Washington Regional Epilepsy Center at Harborview from 1986 to 1996. He is a consultant for the VA Puget Sound Health Care System, and is listed in the Who's Who in America and Best Doctors in America.

Ojemann focuses on the surgical treatment of refractory epilepsy and brain tumors in functionally important cortical areas. He also studies the neurobiology of human cognition, especially cortical organization for language and memory, which he investigates during conscious neurosurgery under local anesthesia. Such studies have brought about methods for reducing the risk of cortical resections for epilepsy and tumors.