Physician Investigator (Cl) Neurology, Mass General Research Institute

Assistant Professor of Neurology Harvard Medical School

Neurologist Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital

MD University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 1986

PhD University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 1986

consumer health information; epilepsy; internet; mind-body therapies; patient education as topic; patient-centered care; self-help groups; vocabulary controlled

I have exchanged email with patients since the early 1990s and have observed patient activities in health-related discussion groups since about 1995. As a consequence of those observations, my colleagues and I developed and are studying patient-centered applications on the web.

Over the last 7 years, we’ve used interviews, focus groups and other qualitative methods to understand how patients use these resources and how best to serve them in our own practice. I've received funding from the National Library of Medicine and the Research Council of Partners Healthcare to further these studies.

My research into the evaluation and management of epilepsy has included being site PI on a large NIH-funded multicenter study of early surgery for epilepsy related to mesial temporal sclerosis. I’ve also been involved in several randomized control trials of anticonvulsant drugs and new devices.

In the latter category, we are presently preparing to take part in a trial of an implantable device that performs seizure detection and brain stimulation to prevent seizures.

Finally, I am collaborating with the behavioral medicine group at Mass General to examine the impact of cognitive behavioral therapy on seizures and the severity of epilepsy. We are currently seeking funding for that effort.