2018 Award Recipients

Congratulations to the 2018 Early Career Fellowship Awardees! 

The American Epilepsy Society (AES) is one of the largest non-governmental funders for those starting their careers in epilepsy research, with 85% of our grants budget dedicated to the next generation. AES has an explicit, long-term commitment to developing talented researchers who will advance the understanding and treatment of epilepsy over the next generation. 

With support from generous philanthropic donations, the Lennox & Lombroso Fund for Research and Training, and non-profit partners, AES provides grants to research fellows in training and newly independent investigators working across the full spectrum of epilepsy research, from basic science to translational and clinical research. To help support the next generation of epilepsy researchers, click here.  

The American Epilepsy Society would like to thank our funding partners for joining us to support the next generation of epilepsy researchers. Two awards are supported in full by the Epilepsy Foundation (EF), one award in part by Wishes for Elliott. The American Epilepsy Socieyt would also like to thank LivaNova, PLC for their education grant in support of two predoctoral fellowships.  

   

 

Junior Investigator Awards
$50,000 for newly independent investigators to support the direct costs of research, along with one year of AES membership.

  • David Auerbach, PhD, University of Rochester, Mechanisms for Seizures in Long QT Syndrome Type 2 – This award is fully funded by the Epilepsy Foundation and administered by AES
  • MacKenzie Howard, PhD, The University of Texas, Austin, Mechanisms of altered dendritic excitability and plasticity in Dravet syndrome
  • Tristan Shuman, PhD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Mechanisms of epilepsy rescue with transplantation of interneuron precursor
  • Jacy Wagnon, PhD, University of Michigan, Role of microRNA-mediated regulation of gene expression in epilepsy – This award is partially funded by Wishes for Elliott and administered by AES
  • Shennan Weiss, MD, PhD, Thomas Jefferson University, Utilizing High-Frequency Oscillation Properties to Identify Epileptogenic Brain
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Research Training Fellowship for Clinicians
Mentored support for clinical fellows or junior clinical faculty with up to $50,000 for stipend and travel support, along with one year of AES membership.

  • Anteneh Feyissa, MD, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, mentored by Dr. Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa and R. Gregory Worrell, Evaluating Glutamatergic Alterations using HFOs in Glioma-Related Seizures
  • Angelica Lee, DO, University of Pennsylvania, mentored by Dr. Brian Litt, Use of non-linear information transfer on stereo-EEG
  • Garnett Smith, MD, University of Michigan, mentored by Dr. William Stacey, Using Biomarkers to Construct Spatial Models of the Epileptic Network – This award is fully funded by the Epilepsy Foundation and administered by AES
     

Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
Mentored research fellowships with up to $50,000 for stipend and travel support, along with one year of AES membership.

  • Subhrajit Bhattacharya, PhD, Emory University, mentored by Dr. Stephen Traynelis and Dr. Raymond Dingledine, Role of GRIN2A mutations in epileptic encephalopathy
  • Fikri Birey, PhD, Stanford University, mentored by Dr. Sergiu Pasca, In vitro assembly of forebrain spheroids to study excitation/inhibition
  • Rabab Charafeddine, PhD, University of California, San Francisco, mentored by Dr. Torsten Wittmann, Doublecortin and Microtubule + Tip Complexes in Human Neuromorphogenesis
  • Xiao-Song He, PhD, Thomas Jefferson University, mentored by Dr. Joseph Tracy and Dr. Danielle Bassett, Track Down Surgical Prognosis with Network Neuroscience: A Multimodal Study – This award is fully funded by the AES Lennox and Lombroso Trust for Research and Training.
  • Bryan Higashikubo, PhD, The J. David Gladstone Institutes, mentored by Dr. Jeanne Paz and Dr. Daniel Lowenstein, Gamma rhythms as a predictor and treatment target in Dravet Syndrome
  • Lalitha Kurada, PhD, The George Washington University, mentored by Dr. Mohamad Koubeissi, Low Frequency Stimulation of the Anterior Piriform Cortex in Epilepsy – This award is fully funded by the AES Lennox and Lombroso Trust for Research and Training.
  • Lena Nguyen, PhD, Yale University, mentored by Dr. Angelique Bordey, mTORC1-dependent translational control in developmental epilepsy
  • Parul Varma, PhD, University of Texas at San Antonio, mentored by Jenny Hsieh, Chronic ablation of aberrant hippocampal neurogenesis to prevent epilepsy – This award is partially funded by the AES Lennox and Lombroso Trust for Research and Training


Predoctoral Fellowships
Mentored research fellowships with up to $30,000 for stipend and travel support, along with one year of AES membership.

  • Kristin Gunnarsdottir, MSE, Johns Hopkins University, mentored by Dr. Sridevi Sarma and Dr. Jorge Gonzalez-Martinez, A Novel Tool for Localizing the Epileptogenic Zone
  • Sung-Soo Jang, MS, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, mentored by Dr. Hee Jung Chung, STEP as a Novel Regulator of Neuronal Excitability in Seizures
  • Seok Kyu Kang, MS, Northwestern University, mentored by Dr. Jennifer Kearney, Characterization of KCNB1 variants associated with infantile epilepsy
  • Allison Kirchner, University of Illinois at Chicago, mentored by Dr. Jeffrey Loeb, DUSP4: endogenous MAPK inhibitor and potential target for epilepsy therapy
 

View past recipients of early career awards here.

The American Epilepsy Society would also like to thank the following members and colleagues who volunteered their time and expertise to thoroughly review all grant applications:

Review Chairs:

  • Ed Cooper, MD, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine
  • Jenny Hsieh, PhD, The University of Texas, San Antonio
  • Karen Wilcox, PhD, University of Utah


Reviewers:

  • Omar Ahmed, PhD, University of Michigan
  • Julia Bailey, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles
  • Helen Bateup, PhD, University of California, Berkeley
  • Mark Beenhakker, PhD, University of Virginia
  • Greg Bergey, MD, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
  • Amy Brewster, PhD, Purdue University
  • Gordon Buchanan, MD, PhD, University of Iowa
  • Paul Buckmaster, DVM, PhD, Stanford University
  • Gemma Carvill, PhD, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
  • Peter Crino, MD, PhD, University of Maryland School of Medicine
  • Kate Davis, MD, University of Pennsylvania
  • Scott Demarest, MD, Children's Hospital Colorado
  • Annaelle Devergnas, PhD, Emory University
  • Chris Dulla, PhD, Tufts University School of Medicine
  • Dario Englot, MD, PhD, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
  • Patrick Forcelli, PhD, Georgetown University School of Medicine
  • Heidi Grabenstatter, PhD, University of Colorado
  • Ingo Helbig, MD, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
  • Bruce Hermann, PhD, University of Wisconsin
  • Carolyn Houser, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles
  • John Huguenard, PhD, Stanford University
  • Philip Iffland, PhD, University of Maryland School of Medicine
  • Kimberle Jacobs, PhD, Virginia Commonwealth University
  • Mathew Jones, PhD, University of Wisconsin
  • Frank Kalume, PhD, Seattle Children's Hospital
  • Jaideep Kapur, MD, PhD, University of Virginia
  • Juaquin Lugo, PhD, Baylor University
  • Jamie Maguire, PhD, Tufts University School of Medicine
  • Eric Marsh, MD, PhD, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
  • Heather Mefford, MD, PhD, University of Washington
  • Daniel Mulkey, PhD, University of Connecticut
  • Geoffrey Murphy, PhD, University of Michigan
  • Jack Parent, MD, University of Michigan
  • Kristen Park, MD, Children's Hospital Colorado
  • Manoj Patel, PhD, University of Virginia
  • Phillip Pearl, MD, Boston Children's Hospital
  • Annapurna Poduri, MD, Boston Children's Hospital
  • Brenda Porter, MD, PhD, Stanford University
  • Paul Rutecki, MD, University of Wisconsin
  • Ivan Soltesz, PhD, Stanford University
  • Kevin Staley, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Qian-Quan Sun, PhD, University of Wyoming
  • John Swann, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine
  • Melanie Tallent, PhD, LifeSplice Pharma
  • Anastasios Tzingounis, PhD, University of Connecticut
  • Janelle Wagner, PhD, Medical University of South Carolina
  • Mingxuan Xue, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine