Consortium Officers
President: Jacqueline French MD
Vice-President: Dennis Dlugos MD MSCE
Vice-President: Michael Sperling MD
Treasurer: James Lintott Esq.
Jacqueline French MD
President, Director & Founder TESC
- Professor of Neurology
- Director of Translational Research and Clinical Trials
- Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, NYU Langone School of Medicine
- Member, American Epilepsy Society
- Chief Scientific Officer, Epilepsy Foundation
- Past President, American Epilepsy Society
- Chair, Regulatory Affairs Task Force of the International League Against Epilepsy
- ILAE Ambassador for Epilepsy
Residency
- Neurology, Mount Sinai Hospital
Fellowship
- EEG/Epilepsy, Mount Sinai Hospital/Bronx VAMC
- Epilepsy Surgery Program, Yale University/VAMC
Dr. French has focused her research efforts on development of new therapeutics for epilepsy, and new methodologies for clinical trials. She has been Principal Investigator on a number of trials for new epilepsy drugs. She is responsible for creation of a number of new trial designs that have been accepted by regulatory authorities for new drug approval. She is the recipient of the American Epilepsy Society Lennox Award (2017) and Service Award (2005), and the Epilepsy Foundation Hero award (2013).
Dennis Dlugos MD MSCE
Vice-President TESC (Pediatric Epileptologist)
- Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics
- Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
- Pediatric Regional Epilepsy Program at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)
- Member, American Epilepsy Society
- Chair, AES Education and Professional Development Committee
- Member, Regulatory Task Force of the ILAE Commission on Medical Therapy;
- Member, Scientific Review Board, EFA
Residency
- Pediatrics, Thomas Jefferson University & Alfred I. Dupont Institute
- Neurology/Child Neurology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center & The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Fellowship
- Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Dr. Dlugos’ clinical and research interests include clinical trials, epilepsy genetics and pharmacogenetics, epilepsy surgery, and intensive-care EEG monitoring. Articles authored or co-authored by Dr. Dlugos have been published in Neurology, Annals of Neurology, Lancet Neurology, Epilepsia, Lancet, Nature, the New England Journal of Medicine, and other journals. Dr. Dlugos has been NIH-funded since 2001, and has mentored 30 pediatric epilepsy fellows. He has lectured extensively throughout the US, Europe, South America and Asia.
Michael Sperling MD
Vice-President TESC (Adult Epileptologist)
- Baldwin Keyes Professor of Neurology
- Vice-Chair for Research Director, Jefferson Comprehensive Epilepsy Center
- Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University
- Member, American Epilepsy Society
- Editor-in-Chief of Epilepsia
- Member, ILAE executive committee
- Past President, American Clinical Neurophysiology Society
- Past President, Philadelphia Neurological Society.
Residency
- Neurology, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York
Fellowship
- Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology, UCLA School of Medicine
Dr. Sperling is an internationally known clinician scientist in the field of epilepsy, known particularly for his work in the field of epilepsy surgery and electrophysiology. He actively conducts research in investigational therapeutics, epilepsy surgery outcome, cognitive electrophysiology, and mortality in epilepsy. He has published over 275 peer-reviewed papers, 80 book chapters and reviews, and three books.
Daniel Friedman MD MS
Executive Committee TESC
- Associate Professor of Neurology
- Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, NYU Langone School of Medicine
- Member, American Epilepsy Society
- Executive Committee, Professional Advisory Board, Epilepsy Foundation
Residency
- Neurology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Fellowship
- Clinical Neurophysiology and Epilepsy, Columbia University/New York Presbyterian Hospital
Dr. Friedman is an adult epileptologist. Dr Friedman’s clinical interests include the treatment of patients with difficult to control epilepsy. He also has active research interests in understanding epilepsy-related mortality, including prevention strategies, and methods to improve trials of epilepsy therapy. His research is supported by the National Institutes of Health, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Epilepsy Foundation and other organizations.
Sudha Kessler MD MSCE
Executive Committee TESC
- Associate Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics
- Catherine D. Brown Chair of Pediatric Epilepsy
- Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
- Pediatric Epilepsy Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)
- Member, American Epilepsy Society
Residency
- General Pediatrics, Stanford University
- Child Neurology, University of Pennsylvania/Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Fellowship
- Epilepsy/Clinical Neurophysiology, Columbia Comprehensive Epilepsy Center/New York Presbyterian Hospital
Dr. Kessler is a pediatric epileptologist and the Program Director of the pediatric epilepsy fellowship at CHOP. She has a master’s degree in clinical epidemiology, with a focus on clinical trial design. Her clinical and research efforts focus on epilepsy surgery, clinical trial design, epilepsy genetics, magnetoencephalography, outcome measures for epilepsy and other pediatric disorders, as well as non-invasive brain stimulation and neuromodulation. Her research has been supported by the NIH, FDA, and private foundations.
Pavel Klein MD MA
Executive Committee TESC
- Clinical Professor, Department of Neurology
George Washington University
- Mid-Atlantic Epilepsy and Sleep Center, Bethesda, MD
- Clinical Neuropharmacology, University College Hospital, London
- Epilepsy, University of Virginia
- Neuroendocrinology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Sleep Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Residency
- Neurology, University of Virginia
Fellowship
- Clinical Neuropharmacology, University College Hospital, London
- European Exchange Fellowship in Clinical Medicine, University of Virginia
- Neuroendocrinology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Sleep Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Dr. Klein is the Founder & Director of the Mid-Atlantic Epilepsy and Sleep Centera, a private epilepsy center In Bethesda, MD. Dr. Klein’s clinical research includes novel treatments of epilepsy, dietary treatments of epilepsy in adults, prevention of epilepsy after traumatic brain injury, the effect of sex and stress hormones on epilepsy, and women with epilepsy.
Gregory Krauss MD
Executive Committee TESC
- Professor of Neurology
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
- Member, American Epilepsy Society
- Past President, Maryland Neurological Society
Residency
- Neurology, Johns Hopkins Hospital
Fellowship
- Epilepsy and Electrophysiology, Johns Hopkins Hospital
Dr. Krauss is involved in numerous studies of investigational AEDs, including evaluation of generic drug equivalence and has evaluated many issues related to epilepsy including driving risks, drug safety and is co-inventor of EpiWatch, a seizure detector research app.
John Pollard MD
Executive Committee TESC
- Adjunct Assistant Professor of Neurology
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania
- Christiana Care Health Services
- Member, American Epilepsy Society
Residency
- Neurology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Fellowship
- Epilepsy, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Pollard is an adult epileptologist. Dr. Pollard has focused his research efforts on developing new biomarkers for seizure detection, and implementing epilepsy clinical trials. He is active in designing epilepsy clinical trials.
Administrative Core
Executive Director:
Bree DiVentura, MBA
Co-Executive Director:
Meryl Lozano, MBE
TESC Administration:
Tracy DeVito, CCRC
Allison Petell
Maria Taveras
Zoё Zangrilli
Senior Data and Financial Analyst to the
Human Epilepsy Projects 1 & 2:
Cheryl Burke