In the nonfiction book entitled, ”Mountains beyond Mountains,” Tracy Kidder tells the amazing story of Dr. Paul Farmer the famed infectious disease specialist from Harvard Medical School and his work in caring for the poor of Haiti. In a memorable aphorism, Dr. Farmer states that “medicine is a social science and politics is nothing but medicine on a larger scale. Medical education does not exist to provide students with a way of making a living but to ensure the health of the community. Physicians are the natural attorneys of the sick and social problems should largely be solved by them.” In the spirit of this message, during the month of March, epilepsy.com Professionals will focus on the concept of how the physician can best help our patients with psychosocial issues which are such a significant burden of disease. In four separate interviews on Hallway Conversations we explore the theme of how best to support our patients in dealing with the obstacles that epilepsy has placed in front of them.

Beginning on March 4, Dr. Blanca Vazquez from New York University School of Medicine discusses how we can best help our Spanish speaking patients with epilepsy. Encountering Spanish speaking patients is now commonplace. Yet there are cultural and language hurdles that must be overcome in order to provide good care. Physicians often ask, “What is the best way to deal with an ever increasing population of Spanish speaking individuals with chronic seizures? What are the do's and don’t's?” Dr. Vazquez provides some answers.

Status epilepticus, one of the most feared of medical emergencies, is important to understand as a patient’s life is at risk and knowing how we can best manage these cases is essential. Because patients in status epilepticus are often not conscious, they cannot participate in the decision making process. In essence, the physician becomes the ultimate patient advocate in this circumstance. On March 13, Dr. Brian Alldredge, PharmD, from the University of California San Francisco discusses the pros and cons of status epilepticus therapy and the latest clinical research on the topic.

On March 18, we start the first of two interviews pertaining to epilepsy and social issues. Dr. David Labiner from the University of Arizona in Tucson joins us to discuss the American with Disabilities Act and how to best inform our patients with regards to this law and its impact. Employment and social issues such as driving will be explored in this particular interview. The second interview on social issues coincides with the second annual Purple Day. Founded in 2008, by nine-year-old Cassidy Megan of Nova Scotia, Canada, Purple Day is an international grassroots effort dedicated to increasing awareness about epilepsy worldwide. On March 26, people from around the globe are asked to wear purple and spread the word about epilepsy. For more information, please click the link www.purpleday.org. On this day, Dr. Brian Smith from Henry Ford Medical Center in Detroit, Michigan, joins us to discuss how we can best advise patients on medications, generic substitutions and available resources.

Don't Forget New Grant Opportunities – Proposals Due March 7

New grant opportunities are being made available through the Epilepsy Research Foundation’s New Therapy Grants Program. These will be awarded to scientific and clinical investigators pursuing innovative projects that demonstrate a clear path to commercialization. To view the request for proposals and to apply, please visit www.epilepsy.com/etp/grant_application.

We hope that you find all of our content, our updates, and the four hallway conversations during the month of March are helpful to both you, your practice, and most importantly, to the patients that we ultimately serve.

Sincerely,

Joseph I. Sirven, MD

Epilepsy.com Board members and contributors cannot give medical advice by email. Only a doctor who has examined the patient and reviewed the medical records can comment on individual patient issues.

We welcome suggestions for additional types of material, but we do not have the capacity to respond to individual requests for information.

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