Speakers

Dr Erik Andersen (Ngāti Raukawa) completed his paediatric neurology training at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne. He currently works as a general neurologist at Wellington Hospital, and as a senior clinical lecturer at the University of Otago. He has an interest in Māori health and health equity issues, and sits on a number of national boards, including as the secretary of the New Zealand chapter of the International League Against Epilepsy

Dr Annie Bye is a Conjoint Professor, University of New South Wales and a Senior Paediatric Neurologist Sydney Children’s Hospital.
Her major interest is Childhood Epilepsy and she has contributed to the areas clinically and through teaching and research.
She is a Member of the Organizing Committee for this meeting.

Dr Linda Dalic is an epileptologist at the Bladin-Berkovic Comprehensive Epilepsy program at Austin Health, where she leads the Neuromodulation clinic and co-leads the stereo-EEG program. Her recently completed PhD through the University of Melbourne investigated Neuromodulation in Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, completing the ESTEL trial of deep brain stimulation.

Dr Emma Foster is a Consultant Neurologist at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, and an Early Career Researcher at Monash University. She specialises in first seizure care, and is developing research expertise in health economics, epidemiology, and outcomes research.

Dr Ngaire Keenan is a Māori (Te Ātiawa ki Taranaki) paediatric advanced trainee within the Wellington region. Ngaire graduated with an MBChB from the University of Otago in 2011 and is currently completing her PhD titled "Epilepsy in Māori Children". She is the New Zealand representative for the Young Epilepsy Section of the International League Against Epilepsy and plans to become an academic Paediatric Neurologist with research interests in epilepsy and Māori health.

Professor Lakshmi Nagarajan is a senior child neurologist / epileptologist from Perth, WA. Lakshmi is the Australian National Delegate to the AOCNA and the Secretary of the International Child Neurology Association. Lakshmi's clinical practice is centered on diagnosis and management of infants, children and adolescents with epilepsy, but also encompasses all aspects of Child Neurology. Neonatal Seizures is an area of expertise and research focus for Dr Nagarajan. Lakshmi has edited a book on Neonatal Seizures (IRCN series), has several publications in this area, and is on the ILAE task force for development of guidelines and consensus based recommendations for treatment of Seizures in the Neonate.

Emilio Perucca trained as a clinical pharmacologist and as a neurologist at the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases in London, UK. He spent much of his academic career in Italy and he is currently Clinical Professor, Department of Medicine (Austin Health), The University of Melbourne, and Adjunct Professor, Department of Neuroscience, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.

He served as President of ILAE for the 2013-2017 term. He received several awards, including the ILAE-IBE Ambassador for Epilepsy Award in 1997, the European Epileptology Award in 2018, and the Lifetime Accelerator Award from the U.S. Epilepsy Foundation in 2021.

His research activities have focused on the treatment of seizure disorders and outcome assessment in epilepsy. He has authored over 500 Pubmed-listed publications, with an H-Index of 103 and a Citation Index over 46,000.

Professor Lynette Sadleir did her paediatric neurology and epilepsy fellowships at British Columbia’s Children’s Hospital. She is presently a physician-scientist and paediatric epileptologist at the University of Otago, Wellington. She is actively involved in epilepsy teaching to all levels of both medical and allied health clinicians. Her research focus is on epilepsy genetics and epidemiology. She is the present treasurer of the New Zealand League Against Epilepsy, the chair of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) SNOMED task force, and a member of the ILAE Big Data Commission and Climate Change Commission. She co-led the development and updates of the New Zealand Paediatric Epilepsy Guidelines. She is part of the curriculum update team for the International Paediatric Epilepsy Training (PET) Courses and on the New Zealand PET faculty.

Cia Sharpe is a paediatric neurologist at Starship Hospital. She was a lead investigator for the NEOLEV2 randomized controlled trial of phenobarbital compared with levetiracetam for the treatment of neonatal seizures, and is now a PI for NEOLEV3, in which very high dose levetiracetam is being trialled in neonatal seizures

Senior lecturer James Cook University, Cairns
Director of Neurology, Cairns Hospital, Queensland

Ian trained across Queensland and Victoria and completed a general neurology fellowship at St Vincent’s Melbourne with a special interest in Epilepsy, Neuro-ophthalmology and Multiple Sclerosis.
He returned to North Queensland where he has been working as a general neurologist and epileptologist at Cairns Hospital for the last 8 years.
He has a strong interest in the development of neurology in regional and remote settings to ensure that all patients have access to high quality neurology services.