Research:

Many of today’s educators, senior investigators, and thought leaders in epilepsy were encouraged in their early careers with financial assistance from the Epilepsy Foundation. Training and assistance grants and fellowships for young investigators remain the core of the Foundation’s research support. But the program focus has expanded and now serves the following objectives:

• Arousing the interest of medical students in neuroscience and epilepsy research.
• Training young investigators in the conduct of advanced epilepsy research.
• Seeding new concepts and ideas, thus allowing for their development to attract grant support from government and other sources.
• Promoting a global research agenda through support of international research training.
• Stimulating scientific interest in vital target areas in which there is little current research.
• Speeding work on promising new discoveries that have high potential for breakthrough results in the treatment, prevention and management of epilepsy.

Spring 2011 Epilepsy Research Grants & Fellowship Opportunities

Proposals due March 22, 2011
Funding to begin July 1, 2011

Health Sciences Student Fellowship
$3,000 stipend

Behavioral Sciences Student Fellowship
$3,000 stipend

Behavioral Sciences Post-Doctoral Fellowship
$40,000/1 year

Targeted Research Initiative for Cognitive and Psychiatric Aspects of Epilepsy $50,000/1 year

Targeted Research Initiative for Morbidity and Mortality
$50,000/1 year

Targeted Research Initiative for Severe Symptomatic Epilepsies
$50,000/1 year

Targeted Research Initiative for Youth
$50,000/1 year

Targeted Research Initiative for Women with Epilepsy
$50,000/1 year

Targeted Research Initiative for Health Outcomes
$50,000/1 year

For more information and application procedures, visit:

http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/research/grants.cfm

The Epilepsy Phenome Genome Project (www.epgp.org) is the largest research study ever created to identify genes that influence epilepsy and genes that affect an individual’s response to seizure medications. The National Institutes of Health is partnering with major epilepsy centers around the country to collect detailed information on 5,250 individuals over five years. The goal is to understand what causes epilepsy, which treatment will be effective, and why some families have multiple relatives with seizures.

Participation involves a blood draw and interviews.  Numerous safeguards are in place to protect the privacy of participants.  Participants will receive a small compensation for their time, and can participate through the phone and mail from anywhere in the U.S. 

EPGP is looking for two types of participants:

1. People who have been diagnosed with epilepsy, and also have a brother, sister, parent, or child with epilepsy. 
2. People who have been diagnosed with one of several types of rare epilepsy and both biological parents are willing to participate.  These types of epilepsies include seizures due to: Infantile Spasms, Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, Polymicrogyria, or Periventricular Nodular Heterotopia.

If you would like more information about the project please contact:
Website: www.epgp.org
E-mail: info@epgp.org

Toll-free Phone: 1-888-279-3747