Epilepsy Comprehensive Update and Board Review

Epilepsy Board Review: Sept 25-26, 2026

Comprehensive Update: Sept 26-27, 2026

Houston Marriott Uptown | 1750 W Loop S | Houston, Texas 77027

The Epilepsy Board Review & Comprehensive Updates Course is a 3-day educational symposium designed to educate neurologists, APPs, neurology residents, and epilepsy fellows involved in the care of patients with epilepsy.

This year’s in-person course will take place from Friday, September 25 through Sunday, September 27, 2026. Friday and Saturday will feature an epilepsy board review tailored to neurology residents, epilepsy fellows, general neurologists, and APPs looking to refine their EEG reading skills and prepare for the 2026 ABPN Epilepsy Boards. Saturday and Sunday will focus on practical, cutting-edge topics for neurologists and epileptologists caring for patients with epilepsy. The course will expand attendees’ knowledge and understanding of epilepsy and demonstrate how to deliver high-quality, evidence-based care.

📅 See Final Program Agenda⬇️

Some of the many exciting highlights include:

Focused lectures on all aspects of epilepsy care, including pharmacologic therapies, diagnostic testing, and surgical therapies.
Discussion of etiology and electroclinical syndromes in both adult and pediatric patients.
A lecture and discussion around SUDEP.
Expert-led lectures on novel anti-seizure medications and evolving pharmacologic strategies.
Insights into genetics and precision medicine and their growing role in epilepsy care.
Updates on advances in surgical epilepsy and neuromodulation techniques.
Exploration of the integration of artificial intelligence into clinical practice.

For more information, email [email protected].

Jay Gavvala, MD, MSCI
Course Co-Director
Associate Professor
Department of Neurology
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth

Elli Allen , MD
Course Co-Director
Assistant Professor
Department of Neurology
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth

Samden Lhatoo, MD
Director, Texas Comprehensive Epilepsy Program
Co-Director, Texas Institute for Restorative Neurotechnologies
Professor and Executive Vice Chair, Department of Neurology
John P. and Kathrine G. McGovern Distinguished Chair
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston

Learning Objectives

Identify clinical features that support a diagnosis of epilepsy and specific epilepsy syndromes.
Recognize normal, abnormal and epileptiform EEG patterns.
Appropriately choose antiseizure medications for patients with epilepsy based on clinical history, comorbidities and epilepsy subtype.
Identify appropriate diagnostic testing in persons with epilepsy including testing in drug resistant epilepsy patients.

Accreditation Statement/Credit Designation

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of Antidote Education Company and UTHealth Houston Neurosciences. Antidote is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Antidote designates this live activity for a maximum of 16.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston Faculty Speakers

Abdulrahman Alwaki, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
Jay Gavvala, MD, MSCI, Associate Professor, Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
Katherine Harris, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
Kent Alan Heck, MD, Professor, Director Neuropathology, Vice Chair, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
Shirin Jamal-Omidi, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
Nuria Lacuey Lecumberri, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
Samden Lhatoo, MD, FRCP, Professor and John P. and Katherine G. McGovern Distinguished Chair and Executive Vice Chair, Director, Texas Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, Co-Director, Texas Institute of Restorative Neurotechnologies, Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
Yosefa A. Modiano, PhD, Assistant Professor, Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
Nitin Tandon, MD, FAANS, Professor, Vice President, Strategy and Development, Co-Director, Texas Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, Co-Director, Texas Institute for Restorative Neurotechnologies, Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
Shelley Varnado, MD, Assistant Professor, Child & Adolescent Neurology, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston

Invited Faculty Speakers

Barbara Dworetzky, MD, Chief of Epilepsy and EEG, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Roohi Katyal, MD, Co-Director, Adult Epilepsy, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, LSU Health Shreveport
Dennis Lal, PhD, Professor, Assistant VP of Precision Health, Executive Scientist, Executive Director, Center for Innovation in Health Informatics & Professor of Research,
The University of Texas Arlington and Cook Children’s Health Care System.
Lu Lin, MD, PhD, Associate Professor Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine
Brandy Ma, MD, MPH, Neurologist and Epileptologist Assistant Professor, Clinical Neurology, Stanley H. Appel Department of Neurology, Houston Methodist and Weill Cornell Medical College
Shilpa Reddy, MD, MMHC, Associate Program Director, Clinical Neurophysiology and Epilepsy Fellowships, Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatric Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Sarah Schmitt, MD, Associate Professor Department of Neurology, Medical University of South Carolina
Stephan Schuele, MD, MPH, Chief of Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology Professor, Department of Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Elaine Seto, MD, PhD, Medical Director, EEG, Texas Children’s Hospital Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics-Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine

Accommodations

Guests can stay at the Houston Marriott Uptown by the Galleria for $169.00 per night.

Book your group rate for the UTHealth Houston Epilepsy Board Review (external link)

Last day to book to get the event group rate is Thursday, Sept 03, 2026.

Parking at the Houston Marriott Uptown by the Galleria includes on-site garage parking and valet services with 24/7 access at the 1750 West Loop S.

Hourly rate: $7
Self-parking daily rate ~$32
Valet daily rate ~$44

Educational Program

Epilepsy Board Review – Day 1

Friday, September 25, 2026 | 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

7:00 AM Registration & Breakfast
8:00 AM Welcome Remarks – Drs. Jay Gavvala, Samden Lhatoo, and Eli Allen
8:10 AM Electrophysiologic Basics of EEG and Normal EEG – Brandy Ma, MD (Houston Methodist)
8:30 AM Normal Variants –Katherine Harris, MD (UTHealth)
8:50 AM Interictal EEG – Nuria Lacuey, MD (UTHealth)
9:10 AM Ictal EEG – Jay Gavvala, MD (UTHealth)
9:30 AM ICU EEG – Sarah Schmitt, MD (MUSC)
9:50 AM Q&A
10:00 AM Break
10:10 AM Neonatal EEG – Elaine Seto, MD (Texas Children’s Hospital)
10:40 AM Pediatric EEG – Shelley Varnado, MD (UTHealth)
11:00 AM Q&A
11:10 AM Classification of Seizures and Epilepsy – Stephan Schuele, MD (Northwestern University)
11:45 AM Semiological Case Studies – Stephan Schuele, MD (Northwestern University)
12:05 PM Q&A
12:15 PM Lunch
1:15 PM Pediatric/Neonatal Etiology and Electroclinical Syndromes – Shilpa Reddy, MD (Vanderbilt)
1:50 PM Adult Etiology and Electroclinical Syndromes – Brandy Ma, MD (Houston Methodist)
2:15 PM Organic and Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Events – Deepa Sirsi, MD (UT Southwestern)
2:40 PM Q&A
2:50 PM Break
3:00 PM Genetics in Clinical Practice – Ingo Helbig, MD (CHOP)
3:30 PM Gender Issues in Epilepsy – Lu Lin, MD (Baylor College of Medicine)
4:00 PM Comorbidities and Adverse Outcomes of Epilepsy – Pedro Balaguera, MD (UTHealth)
4:25 PM Neuropsychiatry of Epilepsy – Yosefa Modiano, MD (UTHealth)
4:50 PM Q&A
5:00 PM Board Review Questions – Katherine Harris, MD and Eli Allen, MD (UTHealth)
5:30 PM Adjourn

Epilepsy Board Review – Day 2

Saturday, September 26, 2026 | 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

7:30 AM Breakfast & Registration
8:00 AM Status Epilepticus: Semiology and Treatment Update – Sarah Schmitt, MD (MUSC)
8:30 AM Updates in Dietary Therapies – Josh Cousin, MD (Texas Children’s Hospital)
8:50 AM Antiseizure Medication Properties and Role in Therapy – Part 1 – Hina Dave, MD (Baylor College of Medicine)
10:00 AM Q&A
10:15 AM Break
10:30 AM Antiseizure Medication Properties and Role in Therapy – Part 2 – Hina Dave, MD (Baylor College of Medicine)
11:15 AM Special Considerations in Pediatric Drug Therapy – Dave Clarke, MD (Dell Medical School)
11:35 AM ASM Use in Systemic Illnesses – Roohi Katyal, MD (LSU Shreveport)
11:55 AM Medically Refractory Epilepsy & Surgical Evaluation – Jay Gavvala, MD (UTHealth)
12:15 PM Q&A
12:30 PM Lunch
1:30 PM Neuroimaging in Epilepsy – Rohan Samant, MD (UTHealth)
2:00 PM Intracranial EEG and Cortical Mapping – Abed Alwaki, MD (UTHealth)
2:40 PM Neuromodulation – Shruti Agashe, MD (Duke University)
3:15 PM Q&A
3:30 PM Break
3:45 PM Epilepsy Surgery and Outcomes – Nitin Tandon, MD (UTHealth)
4:30 PM Neuropathology of Epilepsy – Kent Heck, MD (UTHealth)
4:50 PM Q&A
5:00 PM Board Review Questions – Katherine Harris, MD and Eli Allen, MD (UTHealth)
5:30 PM Adjourn

Updates in Epilepsy – Day 1

Saturday, September 26, 2026 | 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

7:30 AM Breakfast
8:00 AM Gender Issues in Epilepsy – Lu Lin, MD (Baylor College of Medicine)
8:45 AM Autoimmune Epilepsies – Shirin Omidi, MD (UTHealth)
9:30 AM Functional Seizures – Barbara Dworetzky, MD (Harvard University)
10:15 AM Q&A
10:30 AM Break
10:45 AM Challenges in Pediatric-to-Adult Transition of Care – Andres Jimenez Gomez, MD (Baylor College of Medicine)
11:30 AM Dietary and Non-Pharmacologic Therapies – Josh Cousin, MD (Texas Children’s Hospital)
12:15 PM Q&A
12:30 PM Lunch
1:30 PM Novel Antiseizure Medications in Clinical Trials – Steve Chung, MD (Barrow Neurological Institute)
2:15 PM Rational Polytherapy in Epilepsy – Pavel Klein, MD (Mid-Atlantic Epilepsy)
3:00 PM Q&A
3:15 PM Break
3:30 PM Genetics in Clinical Practice –Dennis Lal, MD (Cook Children’s)
4:00 PM Integration of Genetics in Clinical Practice –Alica Goldman, MD (Baylor College of Medicine)
4:30 PM Precision Medicine & Gene-Targeted Therapies –Ingo Helbig, MD (CHOP)
5:00 PM Genetics Panel Discussion –Dennis Lal, MD • Alica Goldman, MD • Ingo Helbig, MD
5:30 PM Adjourn

Updates in Epilepsy – Day 2

Sunday, September 27, 2026 | 8:00 AM – 12:30 PM

7:30 AM Breakfast
8:00 AM Minimally Invasive Surgical Approaches & Outcomes – Nitin Tandon, MD (UTHealth)
8:30 AM Advances in Neuromodulation – Jay Gavvala, MD and Shruti Agashe, MD
9:15 AM AI / Quantitative EEG in Long-Term Monitoring – Birgit Frauscher, MD (Duke University)
10:00 AM Q&A
10:15 AM Break
10:30 AM Advancing Clinical Care in the Age of AI – Tobias Loddenkemper, MD (Boston Children’s Hospital)
11:00 AM Wearables and Long-Term Ambulatory EEG – Samden Lhatoo, MD (UTHealth)
11:45 AM Establishing a Mobile Epilepsy Clinic – Chris Justl and Patrick Rocha (Epilepsy Foundation)
12:15 PM Q&A
12:30 PM Adjourn