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Columbia University Medical Center NewsroomCUMC Expert Resources
| ![[picture of Frank Gilliam, M.D., MPH ]](http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/news/pics/gilliam_frank_90.jpg) Frank Gilliam, M.D., MPH ,
Epilepsy accounts for more outpatient visits to neurologists than any other disorder of the nervous system. Yet a considerable number of epilepsy patients—4 out of every 10—continue to experience the seizures that are the hallmark of the disease even after they are treated with medication. Many of these individuals could be helped with surgery, but neurologists in the United States are frequently reluctant to prescribe this approach—leading in some cases to a great deal of unnecessary and prolonged suffering.Dr. Frank Gilliam, Caitlin Tynan Doyle Professor of Neurology at Columbia University Medical Center and director of Columbia's Comprehensive Epilepsy Center since November 2004, is leading the charge to improve standards of care for people with epilepsy—strongly urging neurologists who are reluctant to refer even the most treatment-resistant patients for surgery to reconsider their position. Dr. Gilliam can talk about uncontrolled epilepsy, why drug therapy seems to fail patients with this form of the disease, and what kinds of surgical interventions are available to them. He is an award-winning clinical researcher with multiple areas of expertise to his credit, including the history of epilepsy treatment, novel therapeutic strategies and drug approaches to epilepsy, treatment outcomes for epilepsy surgery, and co-existing mental health conditions in epilepsy. For press inquiries, please contact Elizabeth Streich (eas2125@columbia.edu or 212-305-6535) or Alex Lyda (mal2133@columbia.edu or 212-305-0820).
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