
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — April 2, 2012. A new report released today from the Institute of Medicine highlights numerous gaps in the knowledge and management of epilepsy and recommends actions for improving the lives of those with epilepsy and their families and promoting better understanding of the disorder.
Effective treatments for epilepsy are available but access to treatment and timely referrals to specialized care are often lacking, the report's expert committee found.
Joseph Sirven, M.D., chair of Neurology at Mayo Clinic in Arizona was one of the 16 members of the committee which met for more than a year to create the report.
Among the key highlights of the more than 400-page report:
Dr. Sirven has published extensively on epilepsy and its treatment. His interests in epilepsy include status epilepticus, surgical therapy, epilepsy in older adults and psychosocial issues particularly those involving Hispanic populations and transportation. His articles have appeared in Neurology, Epilepsia, Lancet, Archives of Neurology, Annals of Neurology, Epilepsy & Behavior and Mayo Clinic Proceedings. He is editor of four textbooks: "Clinical Neurology of the Older Adult," the American Epilepsy Society's "Introduction to Epilepsy," "Clinical Epilepsy," and "An Atlas of Video EEG Monitoring." He is also editor-in-chief of epilepsy.com.
He is currently chair of the Professional Advisory Board of the National Epilepsy Foundation, education chair for the Epilepsy Section of the American Academy of Neurology, Chair of the Annual Course Committee for the American Epilepsy Society and Chair of the Quality of Life Committee for the Epilepsy Foundation. At Mayo Clinic, he is currently co-Director of the Epilepsy Program in Arizona, and previously, he served as Director of Education.
For more information about the report visit the National Academies or the Institute of Medicine.
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About Mayo Clinic:
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Media Contact: Jim McVeigh, Public Affairs, 480-301-4222
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