Free public forum on pediatric epilepsy focuses on the latest research

A free public forum on pediatric epilepsy next week will be sponsored by the UW Pediatric Epilepsy Research Center.

It takes place from 4 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 4, at the Center for Urban Horticulture, 3501 N.E. 41st. Parents of children with epilepsy are especially invited to attend.

The featured speaker is Dr. Gregory L. Holmes, professor of neurology and director of clinical neurophysiology at Harvard Children’s Hospital in Boston. A leader in the study of how seizures affect the immature organism, he has developed a number of models to analyze factors that may lead to seizures, and has studied the effects of repeated early seizures on brain structure and function, as well as on behavioral and cognitive capabilities.

The forum schedule includes:

3 p.m. - Registration, reception and exhibits

4 p.m. - What is Pediatric Epilepsy? by Holmes

4:30 p.m. - Insights into Pediatric Epilepsy and its Treatments by Dr. Jong Rho, UW assistant professor of neurology and pediatrics, and Children’s.

5 p.m. - Key Problems in Pediatric Epilepsy: What Research is Being Done? by Dr. Philip Schwartzkroin, professor of neurological surgery, UW

5:30 p.m. - Workshop 1: Alternative Medical Approaches by Dr. Marcio Sotero, Kathy Adamski and Renee Williams, Children’s

Workshop 2: Psychosocial Issues in Childhood Epilepsy with Dr. Molly Warner, Dr. Hillary Shurtleff, Tim Humes and Patti Murphy, Children’s

Workshop 3: New Anticonvulsant Medications with Rho, Dr. Joseph Pinter and Dr. John Kuratani, UW Department of Neurology and Children’s

Workshop 4: Pediatric Epilepsy Research Center (PERC): Who We Are, What We Do with Schwartzkroin; Linda Jaech and Rhoda Altom, parents and co-chairs, PERC External Relations Board; Shari Ireton, program assistant

For more information, call (206) 221-5364 or e-mail perc@u.washington.edu