Dr. Jerome Engel Jr., professor of neurology and neurobiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and director of the UCLA Seizure Disorder Center, has been named to the new Jonathan Sinay Chair in Epilepsy. Engel also is attending neurologist at UCLA Hospital & Clinics and chief of epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology.
Supported by a $1 million gift from the Resnick Family Foundation, the endowed chair helps ensure the future of epilepsy research at UCLA by providing an ongoing source of private income. The chair is named after the son of Los Angeles entrepreneur and philanthropist Lynda Resnick. She and her husband, Stewart Resnick, provide financial support to several UCLA Center for the Health Sciences programs.
Epilepsy is a brain disorder that produces sudden and repeated seizures that last from a few seconds to several minutes. Seizures are brief attacks of altered consciousness, muscle control or sensory perception. During a seizure, some of the brain cells behave abnormally, showing repeated activity. This usually begins with a small group of cells and spreads to involve a larger area of the brain. Abnormal cell function can be traced to brain injuries, tumors, infections and genetic tendencies.
Anticonvulsant drugs control epileptic seizures in some patients, and surgery is often used to successfully eliminate seizures. The UCLA Seizure Disorder Center specializes in identifying and treating people who would benefit from modern surgical techniques. In addition, the UCLA Seizure Disorder Program provides comprehensive medical and social services for people with many other seizure-related problems.
Engel's many research projects include the long-running UCLA Clinical Neurophysiology Program, which coordinates multidisciplinary investigations into the cause and treatment of epilepsy. The project, which is entering its 41st year of National Institutes of Health funding, seeks new approaches to diagnosis, therapy and prevention of epilepsy.
Outside of UCLA, Engel is co-chair of the International League Against Epilepsy/International Bureau for Epilepsy/World Health Organization Global Campaign Against Epilepsy and past president of the International League Against Epilepsy.
In addition, he is past president of the American EEG Society (1992--93) and the American Epilepsy Society (1984--85).
Other honors and awards include the William G. Lennox Award from the American Epilepsy Society (1999), the Pierre Gloor Award from the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society (1999), the American Epilepsy Society Clinical Investigator Award (1996), the Ambassador for Epilepsy Award from the International Bureau for Epilepsy and International League Against Epilepsy (1991), John Simon Guggenheim Fellow (1983--84), the Stiftung Michael Prize (1982), the NIH Career Development Award (1972--76), and Fulbright Scholar (1971--72).
Engel received his B.A. from Cornell University in 1960, and his M.D. and Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1965 and 1966, respectively.
Online resources:
* UCLA Department of Neurology: http://neurology.medsch.ucla.edu/* UCLA Seizure Disorder Center: http://neurology.medsch.ucla.edu/seizure.htm
RSS