Overview

The Partners Against Mortality in Epilepsy (PAME) conference occurred virtually during AES’s annual conference on December 7, 2020. During the PAME session, stakeholders came together with a common goal of improving our understanding of and working to prevent epilepsy-related forms of mortality, including suicide, accidents, and status epilepticus, and with a strong focus on Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP). Thanks to the Dravet Syndrome Foundation, the National Association of Epilepsy Centers, the Child Neurology Foundation, and Jenna Robinson Charities for their financial support. A video of the session is available on YouTube.

 

Family Perspective

Speakers: Libby and Victor Boyce

 

Mortality in Epilepsy: Focus on Prevention

Speaker: Dr. Elizabeth Donner, MD, MSc, FRCPC, Director, Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Michael Bahen Chair in Epilepsy Research, Associate Professor, Paediatrics, University of Toronto

Q&A Host: Dr. Jeff Buchhalter, MD, PhD, FAAN, FAES, Epilepsy Learning Healthcare System, Pediatric Epilepsy Learning Healthcare System

 

Epilepsy-related Mortality Risk: Health Disparity Due to Socioeconomic Status

Speaker: Dr. Dan Friedman, MD, MSc, Department of Neurology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Q&A Host: Dr. Jeff Buchhalter, MD, PhD, FAAN, FAES, Epilepsy Learning Healthcare System, Pediatric Epilepsy Learning Healthcare System

 

Why is SUDEP more common at night?

Speaker: Dr. Torbjörn Tomson, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

 

What has basic science taught us about sleep and SUDEP?

Speaker: Dr. Kristina Simeone, PhD Associate Professor, Dept Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Creighton University School of Medicine

Q&A Host: Dr. Jeff Buchhalter, MD, PhD, FAAN, FAES, Epilepsy Learning Healthcare System, Pediatric Epilepsy Learning Healthcare System

 

Is Sleep Apnea a Biomarker for SUDEP?

Speakers:

  • Dr. Nuria Lacuey, Assistant professor of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, Department of Neurology, Epilepsy, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
  • Dr. George Richerson, Professor and Chairman, Neurology, Professor, Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, The Roy J Carver Chair in Neuroscience, The University of Iowa

Q&A Host: Dr. Jeff Buchhalter, MD, PhD, FAAN, FAES, Epilepsy Learning Healthcare System, Pediatric Epilepsy Learning Healthcare System

 

SUDEP Summit Update

Speakers:

  • Sally Schaeffer, Senior Director, SUDEP Institute Epilepsy Foundation
  • Dr. Lori Isom, Maurice H. Seevers Professor and Chair of Pharmacology, University of Michigan Medical School

 

Q&A and Closing Remarks

Speakers:

  • Dr. Jeff Buchhalter, MD, PhD, FAAN, FAES, Epilepsy Learning Healthcare System, Pediatric Epilepsy Learning Healthcare System
  • Gardiner Lapham, RN, MPH, BAND Foundation