The second annual conference of the Louisiana Epilepsy Care and Research Consortium was held on January 20 at the Higgins Hotel in New Orleans. The program, in collaboration with the Epilepsy Foundation of Louisiana, was structured to engage professionals about public health challenges related to epilepsy care, innovations and developments in the field, and promote research collaborations.
Fawad A. Khan, MD, CPPS, section head of the International Center for Epilepsy at Ochsner and Nicole Villemarette-Pittman, PhD, director of clinical research for the Neuroscience Research Center of Excellence, started a nonprofit organization in 2023 to build a society of professionals within the state of Louisiana that focuses on clinical care and research in the epilepsy community.
Presentations, networking sessions, and moderated discussions focused on common challenges and new advances in care. Nearly 50 providers and professionals from community practices, Tulane, LSUHSC-NO, Ochsner, LSUHS, OLG, Our Lady of the Lake, Thibodaux Regional Health System, and Children’s Hospital New Orleans attended. Participants connected to build a shared vision for improving clinical care, access to care within the state, and patient safety and outcomes. The consortium aims to foster innovative research that will set the future standard of care for epilepsy.
The conference keynote speaker was Swaroop Aradhya, MD, chief of global medical affairs and chief scientific officer for rare diseases, Invitae Corporation. He shared insights into the future of precision medicine in epilepsy.