AES President
John M. Pellock, M.D.
Elected President of the American Epilepsy Society
San Antonio, Dec. 6, 2010 – John M. Pellock, M.D., Chairman, Division of Child Neurology, and Professor of Neurology, Pediatrics and Pharmacy and Pharmaceutics, Virginia Commonwealth University, was named president of the American Epilepsy Society (AES) over the weekend during the organization’s 64th annual meeting at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center. He replaces Jaideep Kapur, M.D., whose term has expired.
The 3,000 member society is the world’s largest organization of professionals dedicated to the prevention, treatment, and cure of epilepsy.
Dr. Pellock is an internationally recognized expert in epilepsy drug therapy and a frequent lecturer and presenter at professional symposia around the world. He served earlier this year as leader of The Infantile Spasms Working Group which produced the U.S. Consensus Report on Infantile Spasms for the guidance of pediatricians in treating this rare but serious condition.
The new AES president is widely published in books, chapters and articles on epilepsy and its medical treatment, and serves on the editorial boards of a number of journals concerned with epilepsy in children. His research interests are childhood epilepsy, anticonvulsant effects on the fetus, and the clinical development of new antiepileptic drugs in children and adults.
Dr. Pellock received his medical degree from St. Louis University, St. Louis. He completed a fellowship in pediatric neurology at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, New York, and residency in pediatrics at Medical College of Virginia, Richmond. He holds board certifications in pediatrics and in psychiatry and neurology with special competence in child neurology.
Epilepsy affects 50 million people worldwide, including three million in the United States. The disorder can have a single specific, well-defined cause, such as a head injury, or manifest as a syndrome with a complex of signs and symptoms. It is the third most common neurological disorder after Alzheimer’s disease and stroke.
About the American Epilepsy Society (AES)
The American Epilepsy Society, based in West Hartford, CT, seeks to advance and improve the treatment of epilepsy through the promotion of epilepsy research and education for healthcare professionals. Society membership includes physicians and scientists who study and treatment of epilepsy (epileptologists) and allied professionals who care for people with seizure disorders.
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Information contact:
Peter Van Haverbeke
AES Media Relations
703-927-9639