Epilepsy conference aimed at meeting a need

Sanjay Singh, M.D.

In the Midwest, about 40 percent of patients with epilepsy are treated by primary care physicians whereas 90 percent of such patients on the coasts are treated by neurologists.

Helping Midwestern primary care health professionals and neurologists access the most current information on the disease will be one of the main goals of an upcoming conference in Omaha.

“The reality is that a significant portion of epilepsy care in this region is handled at a primary care level,” said Sanjay Singh, M.D., director of The Nebraska Epilepsy Center at UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, and associate professor in the department of neurological sciences. “That being the case, it’s important that we help these health professionals and our neurologists have access to the best and most recent information about epilepsy.”

The conference, titled “Recent Advances in the Management of Epilepsy: Adult and Pediatric,” will be held Friday, Sept. 14 at the Qwest Center.

The conference — the first of its kind in the region — is being organized by the Heartland Epilepsy Alliance, a coalition of six university epilepsy centers that have come together to further research, education and clinical care of epilepsy in the region.

In addition to UNMC, the other universities involved in the alliance are:

• The University of Kansas School of Medicine in Wichita;
  
• The University of Kentucky-Louisville;
  
• The University of Wisconsin-Madison;
  
• The Medical College of Wisconsin; and
  
• The University of Iowa.

All six institutions are home to level 4 epilepsy centers — the highest designation such centers can achieve.

The alliance is the first of its kind in the United States, said Dr. Singh, who originated the idea for the conference and will serve as its director.

“Most of the advances in epilepsy treatment have occurred in the past 10 years,” Dr. Singh said. “By combining efforts with other high-level epilepsy centers, we stand to significantly improve care and help the region’s physicians keep up with the changes in this fast-moving field.”

The registration deadline for the conference is Sept. 7. Click here to see more about the conference or contact Diane Frost at 559-5145 for more information including registration details.