UPDATE: This event has been rescheduled to March 7th.

AGENDA

7:30-8:00 Breakfast and Registration

8:00-8:10 Opening Remarks

Nicole Villemarette-Pittman, PhD
Director of Clinical Research, Ochsner Health, New Orleans, LA

Jeremiah Stone
Executive Director, Epilepsy Foundation

8:10-8:30 Insular Epilepsy – Clinical Presentations and Management

Malak Albattah, MD
Epileptologist, LSU Health, New Orleans, LA

8:30-8:50 Autoimmune Encephalitis and Seizures

Mostafa Hotait, M.D., M.Sci.
Assistant Professor, Co-Director, Adult Epilepsy
Department of Neurology, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA

8:50-9:00 Break/Q&A

9:00-10:00 Keynote Session – Bridging Basics and Innovation: A Full-Spectrum Journey
from Essential Epilepsy Surgeries to ESI, 3D Models, and VR Glasses

Muhammad Zafar, MD
Pediatric Epileptologist
Associate Professor in Neurology, Epilepsy, and Sleep
Duke Children's Health Center Neurology Clinic - Durham, NC

10:00-10:20 Surgical Management of Multifocal Epilepsy

Jerome M. Volk, MD
Functional Neurosurgeon, Ochsner Health, New Orleans, LA

10:20-10:40 Psychosocial Needs in Epilepsy/SDOH Considerations in Rural Settings

Beth C. Arredondo, PhD
Clinical Neuropsychologist, Ochsner Health, New Orleans, LA

10:40-11:00 Break/Q&A

11:00-12:00 Updates in Epilepsy Care and Seizure Emergency Management

John B. Ingram, MD
Chair of Neurology, School of Medicine, University of Mississippi
Medical Center, Jackson, MS

12:00-1:00 Lunch

1:00-1:40 Parallel Breakout Groups:

(A) PNEE/Conversion Disorder – Deeper dive

Moderator: Bern Lee, PhD, ABPP
Clinical Neuropsychologist, Ochsner Health

Panelists:

Lenny Burgos LCSW, Clinical Social Worker, Ochsner Health
Carlos Cevallos, MD, Neurologist, Ochsner Health
Beth C. Arredondo, PhD, Clinical Neuropsychologist, Ochsner Health

(B) Innovations in Diagnosis and Management in Epilepsy

Moderator: Yash Shah, MD
Pediatric Epileptologist, Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health, Baton Rouge, LA

Panelists and respective talks:
1. Updates and Highlights in Pediatric Epilepsy
Mac Manuel, MD, Pediatric Epileptologist, Our Lady of the Lake Children's Health, Baton Rouge, LA

2. EEG Source Imaging (ESI)
Muhammad Zafar, MD, Pediatric Epileptologist, Duke Children's Health, Durham, NC

3. Advanced Neuroimaging in Epilepsy: MR Optimization, Pathological Patterns, and Emerging AI Tools
Drew M. Ledet, MD, Neuroradiologist, Ochsner Health

4. Managing Treatment Resistany Epilepsy Through Clinical Research
Piotr W. Olejniczak, MD, LSU School of Medicine

1:40-2:00 Break/Q&A

Translational Research

2:00-2:20 Variability in EEG Use to Determine Treatment Success in Status Epilepticus: A Scoping Review

Anil Chimakurthy, MD
Decatur Morgan Neurology, Decatur, AL

2:20-2:40 Fenfluramine Treatment - Novel Use in Genetic, Developmental, and Epileptic Encephalopathies

Amy Urban Lopez, MD
Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA

2:40-3:00 Toward Safer Daily Functioning: A Neuro-Biomechanical Approach to Understanding Challenges in Children with Epilepsy and Autism

Wan-Chun Su, PT, MS, PhD
Assistant Professor, School of Kinesiology
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA

3:00-3:10 Closing Remarks: Sponsorship, Acknowledgements, Next Steps

Fawad Khan, MD
Adult Epileptologist, Ochsner Health, New Orleans, LA

Yash Shah, MD
Pediatric Epileptologist, Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health, Baton Rouge, LA

3:15-4:00 Reception

Fourth Annual Louisiana Epilepsy Care & Research Consortium

By Epilepsy Foundation of America

Fourth Annual Louisiana Epilepsy Care & Research Consortium