Dr. Jerome Engel is a world-renowned neurologist and distinguished leader in epilepsy research and treatment. He currently serves as Director of the UCLA Seizure Disorder Center and holds the prestigious Jonathan Sinay Distinguished Professorship in Neurology, Neurobiology, and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. A graduate of Cornell University with undergraduate studies, he earned his MD and PhD from Stanford University before completing neurology training at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Throughout his illustrious career, Dr. Engel has established himself as a transformative figure in understanding and treating seizure disorders, with his leadership extending to multiple national and international organizations.
Dr. Engel's groundbreaking research has fundamentally reshaped the understanding and treatment of epilepsy, with his bibliography encompassing over 1,000 publications and more than 30 influential books including the definitive Epilepsy: A Comprehensive Textbook and Surgical Treatment of the Epilepsies. His pioneering work on the surgical treatment of epilepsy has established new standards of care that have improved outcomes for countless patients worldwide, as evidenced by his extensive citation record of over 86,000 citations according to Google Scholar. He has received continuous research funding from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, serving as principal investigator on multiple significant grants that have advanced the field of epilepsy research. His development of innovative diagnostic procedures and therapeutic approaches represents one of the most comprehensive and influential bodies of work in modern neurology.
Beyond his research achievements, Dr. Engel has profoundly shaped the global epilepsy community through his leadership roles as past president of the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society, the American Epilepsy Society, and the International League against Epilepsy, as well as his co-chairmanship of the World Health Organization Global Campaign against Epilepsy. His mentorship has cultivated generations of epilepsy specialists, and his editorial leadership has guided the field's scholarly discourse through major publications. Currently, Dr. Engel continues to drive innovation in epilepsy research with a focus on identifying reliable biomarkers for epilepsy development and optimizing surgical treatments to achieve his vision of no seizures and no side effects as soon as possible for every patient. His ongoing research promises to revolutionize epilepsy diagnosis and treatment through the development of more precise, individualized therapeutic approaches that could ultimately prevent and cure epilepsy.
