Biography
Assistant Professor, Epilepsy Division (Adult)
Epilepsy Fellowship Program Director
Epilepsy Surgery Director
Personal Statement
My primary focus during delivering patient care is compassion. I prioritize the education of my patients and their families to make them comfortable understanding the disease process, our management plan and managing epilepsy at home.
Every day, I take care of complex epilepsy referrals from all over New Mexico and some parts of the southern USA. I have the expertise in taking care of refractory epilepsy patients including drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE), autoimmune epilepsy, both lesional and non-lesional epilepsy, women with epilepsy including catamenial epilepsy, and the time when they are pregnant, genetic epilepsy. Often time, complex epilepsy care requires multiple drug management or even epilepsy surgery, including neuromodulation devices (VNS/RNS/DBS etc.), which requires epilepsy pre-surgical evaluation and monitoring for proper planning.
Each of my patients and their families’ needs are unique. When I see a new patient, I take my time to listen to the patient and his/her family, to have a complete understanding of their journey. My job is to make sure that patients and families are being heard, their unique needs are being addressed and they are offered the best possible epilepsy care at our level-IV (highest level) epilepsy care center at UNM. I work with the patient and their family to achieve the goal “To live a seizure-free life, with zero/minimum side effects of epilepsy management (drugs/surgery).
Areas of Specialty
Special Interest:
Drug Resistance Epilepsy (DRE)Epilepsy Surgery and Neuromodulation Devices (VNS, RNS, DBS)Autoimmune Epilepsy Women with Epilepsy (Pregnancy and epilepsy, Catamenial Epilepsy, Reproductive age and Epilepsy)Epilepsy and EEG Education/Training
Related link-
What to Expect in a One-Year Epilepsy Fellowship
https://unmhealth.org/stories/2023/07/one-year-epilepsy-fellowship.html
Education
Training:
Neurology Residency: UT Health San Antonio, TX
Epilepsy Fellowship: Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Other Training:
Harvard women physician leadership course 2020
J. Kiffin Penry Epilepsy Mini Fellow Network, May 2018
Certifications
ABPN Board Certified Epileptologist
ABPN Board Certified Neurologist
Languages
- English
- Bengali
- Hindi
- Urdu
Research and Scholarship
Research, QI project and Case Report:
1. Clinical Significance of Bilateral Failures on Wada Memory Testing.
2. Electroclinical and Historical Features Related to Response to AEDs in Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy.
3. Impact of Persistent Primitive Trigeminal Artery (PTA) on Wada testing & Secondary Stroke Prevention.
4. Does CLIPPERS Really Exist or Not?
5. Sixth Nerve Palsy from Metastatic Colon Cancer.
6. A Case of Gelastic Seizure from Hypothalamic Hamartoma.
7. Therapeutic Response and Adverse Effects of Perampanel (Fycompa) As Adjunctive Anti-Epileptic Therapy
8. Characteristics of Interventional Epilepsy Clinical Trials During the Last Decade.
9. Do SUDEP biomarkers change over time?
10. Bupropion overdose induced reversible burst suppression and myoclonic seizures.
11. A case of successful treatment of intractable focal epilepsy with transcranial magnetic stimulation.
12. EEG E-module: A More Effective Tool for Neurology Resident Education
Other QI Projects:
1. Neurology Resident Essential (Pocket Book)
2. Smart Set - Closing the Loop for New Neurology Trainees.
3. Development of EEG e-module/online course.