Overview: The Epilepsy Center was established in July of 1994 in order to accommodate an increasing number of seizure patients seen by neurologists of the Department of Neurosciences. 

Patients will receive a full evaluation, and a treatment plan will be initiated. 


Expertise: The Center is staffed by two board-certified neurologists with additional fellowship training in epilepsy and neurophysiology: 
 

David Marks, MD, adult neurologist and epileptologist, with fellowship training in intensive seizure monitoring, as well as the medical and surgical treatment of epilepsy. Dr. Marks completed a neurophysiology fellowship at Tufts Medical School and an epilepsy fellowship at Yale University Medical School.

Jayoung Pak, MD, pediatric neurologist and pediatric epileptologist with fellowship training in pediatric neurology from the UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, and postdoctoral fellowship training in epilepsy, epilepsy surgery, and neurophysiology from Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center.

The length of the admission for this service is determined by the patient's individual needs, and usually averages 3-5 days. Following monitoring, the referring physician is provided with a treatment and management outline. 

Neuro-Electro-Diagnostic Laboratory (NED):The Center is supported by New Jersey's leading NED Laboratory, under the direction of David Marks, MD, Jayoung Pak, MD and Elizabeth Pinkhasov, PhD. The NED Laboratories, staffed by four neurophysiology technicians, are responsible for all EEG and Vide/EEG services. The NED Laboratories conduct more than 3,000 procedures annually. 

Epilepsy Surgery: The Center offers epilepsy surgery to selected patients with intractable seizures. Presurgical workup will include EEG monitoring, neuropsychological evaluation, and coronal MRI using a special epilepsy protocol. 

Patient Environment: Initial patient evaluations are conducted in the New Jersey Medical School Doctor's Office Center. This $55 million outpatient facility combines university-level expertise, resources, and consultation with the comfort and convenience of a private practice environment. Located next to UMDNJ-University Hospital, the DOC has its own 1,000 car parking garage. 

An Epilepsy Support Group for family members and friends of pediatric epilepsy patients has been established. The purpose of this group is to facilitate interaction among parents as well as provide information about different types of treatment (medications, special diet and surgery), social implications, school choice and occupational training. This will help to ensure better services to children with epilepsy and the improve quality of their life. The Epilepsy Support Group meets every other month on the third Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. Please call 973-972-3174 for information.