About Epilepsy Surgery
The University of Florida Comprehensive Epilepsy Program (UFCEP) is a team of health care providers committed to delivering the best possible care to all people with epilepsy. The team is composed of professionals from different backgrounds all with special expertise in various aspects of diagnosing and treating epilepsy.
The “team” currently includes the following individuals:
Neurology – Stephan Eisenschenk, Jean E. Cibula, Maria Bruzzone Giraldez, Giridhar Kalamangalam, Yue Wang
Pediatric Neurology – S Parris P. Winesett, Douglas J. Hyder, Mauro Lodolo, Edgard Andrade
Neuropsychology – Shelley C. Heaton, Erika M. Cascio
Neurosurgery – Steven N. Roper, Jason E. Blatt
Dr. Steven Roper performs all diagnostic and therapeutic epilepsy surgical procedures at UF on adults, and Dr. Blatt performs all such procedures on pediatric patients. UF is accredited by the NAEC as a Level 4 Adult and Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Center, the highest level that can be achieved.
Most of the activities of the UFCEP take place in Shands Hospital at the University of Florida and the Gainesville Veterans Administration Medical Center. In addition to state of the art medical, surgical, and imaging facilities, Shands Hospital houses an Epilepsy Monitoring Unit that includes four adult and two pediatric rooms specifically designed for long-term monitoring of seizures in patients with epilepsy and a dedicated Neuro-ICU that is also equipped for long-term monitoring.
In addition to these two excellent hospitals, the UFCEP also benefits from the intellectual and physical resources of the McKnight Brain Institute at the University of Florida. Current research projects include studies into the development of epilepsy (epileptogenesis), malformations of cortical development (including cortical dysplasia), neuroprosthetics (control of abnormal brain activity through electrical stimulation and computers), new imaging techniques in epilepsy, and outcomes from epilepsy surgery. Since 1992, the UFCEP has performed over 1,300 epilepsy surgeries, published over several hundred papers and chapters, and received numerous research grants.