As a pediatric epileptologist, I specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy (seizures). I primarily work in outpatient clinics, but I also work in the hospital on the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, where we do electroencephalograms (EEG) and state-of-the-art neuroimaging to better understand a child’s brain and seizure activity in detail. These tests help us to provide the best care possible for our patients with epilepsy.

Medicine was not my first career choice; I studied physics, worked at the National Aeronautics Space Association (NASA), and started toward a physics PhD with a career in a science laboratory. However, something was missing from my life, and after much reflection, I realized the missing piece was service and caring for those in need. Once I decided on medicine, choosing child neurology was easy. We get to care for unique, fun and vibrant children. And we get to use cutting-edge science and technology to do it (all made possible by advances in neuroscience and physics — my first love)!

In the epilepsy clinic, we discuss what epilepsy is (and isn’t), what tests we use to make the diagnosis, what treatments are available — ranging from medication to ketogenic diet to surgery — and most importantly, how to live a full life with epilepsy. For some, epilepsy is limited to childhood; in others, it can be a life-long challenge. As a neurologist, I strive to not only fill the doctor role but also be a teacher and advocate for our courageous patients to help them live their best lives.

In addition to seeing patients with seizures and epilepsy, I also see patients in the General Neurology Clinic, which is often the starting point to get an evaluation for several neurologic symptoms, such as difficult headaches, nerve and muscle problems, movement problems, developmental problems and much more.

My PhD focused on MRI technology development for neuroimaging. As I have become a clinical epileptologist, my research shifted to developing technology to help us better understand and treat seizures and epilepsy. I’m collaborating with others to discover the neurophysiology behind coma and seizures in children with cerebral malaria (an infectious disease primarily affecting children in sub-Saharan Africa), develop technology to detect non-clinical seizures and understand how this infectious illness leads to epilepsy. Another collaboration studies neuromodulation (electrical stimulation) as a treatment for seizures.

Outside of work, one can find me playing music, enjoying the outdoors and spending time with my family, which includes a furiously energetic husky/retriever mix named Blue and two cats named after two of my favorite science heroes (ask me who they are if we meet in clinic!).