For the Media:

Columbia University Epilepsy Expert Elected to National Epilepsy Foundation Advisory Board

Washington, D.C., December 15, 2005 -- At its annual meeting held here over the weekend, the Epilepsy Foundation professional advisory board elected Frank Gilliam, M.D., M/P.H., an expert in epilepsy as a major national health problem, as a member of the national advisory group. Gilliam is professor, Columbia University, Department of Neurology, and Director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Columbia University/New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

The Epilepsy Foundation's professional advisory board is comprised of leading experts in the scientific, medical and social aspects of epilepsy. Its members advise the national organization on a broad range of advocacy issues, educational programs and special projects. The board also provides professional peer review of applications for the Foundation's extensive annual research grant and fellowship program.

Epilepsy, which affects nearly three million people in the United States, is the most common neurological condition in children and the third most common in adults. There are many forms of epilepsy and many available therapies, but none of them are cures. The condition can strike anyone at any age, and with today's aging population it is a growing problem in the elderly.

The Epilepsy Foundation (http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org), a national, charitable organization, founded in 1968, is dedicated to supporting children and adults affected by seizures through research, education, advocacy and service. The national office, in Landover, Md., supports nearly 60 affiliated Epilepsy Foundations throughout the nation including the Epilepsy Foundations of Greater New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Long Island.

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