
Seeing the Whole Patient: Suicide, Screening, and Mental Health in Epilepsy
09/26/2025 | 1:00 pm EST - 2:00 pm EST
Join us live on September 26th at 1pm ET (10am PT/11am MT/12pm CT) for this webinar, presented in collaboration with AANN (American Association of Neuroscience Nurses). This webinar will discuss the personal and emotional impact of epilepsy-related suicide, evaluate the role of healthcare professionals in conducting mental health screenings, identify mental health screening tools appropriate for individuals with epilepsy, and discuss resources and treatment options for individuals with epilepsy who screen high for depression.
Join Madona Plueger, MSN RN CNRN, and Crystal Epley, MSN APRN-CNP as they discuss resources, screening tools, and background information and data on mental health and epilepsy. Attendees will also hear from Kelly Sweeney-Widman about her son, Reese, who lost his life to suicide due to his epilepsy. They started a Foundation, Widdy's Work, in his honor.
Learning Outcomes:
- Describe the personal and emotional impact of epilepsy-related suicide through the story of Reese, as shared by his mother.
- Summarize key data and professional insights on the intersection of epilepsy, mental health, and suicide.
- Identify recommended mental health screening tools appropriate for individuals with epilepsy.
- Discuss available resources and treatment options for individuals with epilepsy who screen high for depression.
- Evaluate the role of healthcare professionals, including epileptologists, in conducting mental health screenings and making appropriate referrals.
Product Details
Participants can receive 1 CE contact hour for attending the webinar or viewing the recording and completing the evaluation. Credit for this activity will be awarded through September 25th 2028 for joining this webinar or watching the recording and completing a post-course evaluation.
AANN is accredited as a provider with distinction of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.
The American Association of Neuroscience Nurses is accredited as a provider of continuing education by the California Board of Registered Nursing (CEP:13331)

Becoming an Advocate: Personal Stories and Practical Tools for Impact
08/25/2025 | 12:00 pm EST - 1:00 pm EST
- Lou Brossard, Epilepsy Advocate
- Katie Collins, Vice President, G2G Consulting
- Dominique Brown, MPA, Director, State Relations & Policy, Epilepsy Foundation of America
- Alison Kukla, MPH, Senior Advisor for Outreach & Eduation, PAME

Turning Insight Into Impact: Using Evidence to Expand Access to Seizure Alerting Devices
07/17/2025 | 12:00 pm EST - 1:00 pm EST
- Tom Nugent, Epilepsy Advocate
- Caitlin Grzeskowiak, PhD, Chief Research and Innovation Officer of the Epilepsy Foundation of America
- Teresa Prego, Chief Executive Officer of EpiWatch
- Tom Stanton, President of the Danny Did Foundation

Virtual PAME Congressional Briefing
07/16/2025 | 12:00 pm EST - 1:00 pm EST
- Libby Boyce, Founder, The Cameron Boyce Foundation
- Dr. Dan Atherton, MD, Associate Professor, The University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Gardiner Lapham, MPH, RN, Co-Chair, Partners Against Mortality in Epilepsy (PAME)
- Tom Stanton, President, The Danny Did Foundation

Pioneering Research in Epilepsy Mortality: 2024 Abstract Award Winners
04/30/2025 | 1:00 pm EST - 2:00 pm EST
- Gordon Buchanan, MD, PhD, Moderator
- Haley Pysick, Abnormal Breathing Patterns after Generalized Convulsive Seizures
- Benjamin Kreitlow, Time-of-Day Variability in Serotonin Influences the Timing of Seizure Death and Post-Ictal Arousal
- Hateef Pourmotabbed, Impaired Functional Connectivity of the Central Autonomic Network Relates to Interictal Cardiorespiratory Dysfunction in Epilepsy

Breaking the Silence: Epilepsy Stigma in Africa - Its Impact on Outcomes and Pathways to Change
02/25/2025 | 12:00 pm EST - 1:00 pm EST
Please join PAME for a powerful screening of The Curse of Stigma, a short documentary film exploring the deep rooted stigma surrounding epilepsy in Africa and its impact on morbidity and mortality. We will host a dynamic discussion with leading global epilepsy expert, Professor Ley Sander, and a non-profit leader, Patrick Ngechu, who are pioneering efforts to challenge stigma, drive societal change and improve outcomes for those affected by epilepsy.
Panelists:
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State Interventions to Prevent SUDEP and Other Epilepsy Related Deaths
11/18/2024 | 3:00 pm EST - 4:00 pm EST
- Laura Lubbers, CURE Epilepsy
- Liz Collins, G2G Consulting
- Hannah Whitten, Whitten Newman Foundation

What to do after a sudden death in a person with epilepsy?
10/17/2024 | 1:00 pm EST - 2:00 pm EST
Navigating genetic testing, research opportunities, and support services
After a sudden death due to epilepsy, individuals are often left with many unanswered questions. During this webinar, we’ll discuss the death investigation process and provide information on autopsies and brain banking after a death. We’ll learn about genetic testing and the recommendations from the Sudden Death in the Young Registry. We’ll also share resources about bereavement services. Join PAME and our moderator Alison Kukla for a conversation about what to do after a death due to epilepsy. Our three guest speakers are Edana Perry, a mom who will share her personal story of loss and turning her grief into action, Dr. Daniel Atherton a medical examiner who will share his experience with the death investigation process, and Heather MacLeod, a genetic researcher who will share her expertise on genetic testing and the Sudden Death in the Young Registry. This webinar is generously sponsored by LivaNova.
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Global Attitudes and Practices in SUDEP Counseling
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- Dr Orrin Devinsky, Professor of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry – New York University School of Medicine
- Lou Brossard, Bereaved Parent

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SUDEP Biomarker Challenge: What Did We Learn?
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Speaking About SUDEP: Arming the Rare Epilepsy Community with the Latest Research
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Devices for Epilepsy: Current Options and the Future Pipeline
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SUDEP Biomarkers: How Close Are We?
03/29/2022 | 4:00 pm EST - 5:00 pm EST

Key Learnings and Next Steps From the NIH funded Center for SUDEP Research
10/25/2021

Sleep, Night, and SUDEP
07/16/2021

Understanding Disparities in Epilepsy Mortality: Global and National Perspectives
05/18/2021

Grief and Death in Epilepsy: Learning From Loss
05/18/2021