Innovative Minds: Pediatric Research in Epilepsy Surgery (IMPRES) Conference

Date

Friday, June 26, 6:00 p.m. – Sunday, June 28, 12:00 p.m.

Location

Hotel Van Zandt
605 Davis St., Austin, TX 78701

About the Event

The Dell Children's Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Center at UT Health Austin Pediatric Neurosciences at Dell Children’s presents the third annual IMPRES Conference in collaboration with the Lurie Children’s Epilepsy Center.

IMPRES 2026 features new topics, new speakers, and an interactive neurosurgery breakout session. The conference is designed to provide evidence-based research on pediatric epilepsy surgery as well as highlight collaboration between pediatric epilepsy centers and programs. Workup and process of identifying surgical patients will be discussed, including medical and dietary management.

Scan or click on the QR code to register.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Student Giveaway

Agenda

Friday, June 26, 2026

6:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Welcome Reception

Saturday, June 27, 2026

7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.

Breakfast (Ladybird Studio II)

8:30 a.m. - 8:35 a.m.

Welcome, Dave Clarke, MD, Dell Children’s Medical Center, University of Texas at Austin

8:35 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.

History of Epilepsy: Introduction & Importance of Opening Session, Monika Jones, JD, CNP, Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

8:45 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.

Keynote: History of Epilepsy Surgery: The Evolution of the Epileptologist in Epilepsy Surgery from Jasper to Present, Carter Snead III, MD, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto; Scientist Emeritus, SickKids

9:15 a.m. - 9:35 a.m.

Present Medical and Nonmedical Barriers to Epilepsy Management, Rana Said, MD, Children's Health/UT Southwestern

9:35 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Moderated Panel Discussion: Solving the World’s Problems in Epilepsy Management
Carter Snead III, MD, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto; Scientist Emeritus, SickKids
Steven Wolf, MD, Boston Children's Health Physicians
Gabrielle Conecker, MPH, SCN8A Alliance, DEE-P Connections, and The Inchstone Project
Alison Kukla, MPH, CURE Epilepsy
Sandi Lam, MD, MBA, Lurie Children’s Hospital (moderator)
Dave Clarke, MD, Dell Children’s Medical Center, University of Texas at Austin

10:10 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.

Intro to Session: Medication Management: From Neonate Through Transition of Care, Daniel Arndt, MD, Specialists in Pediatric Neurology PLLC

10:15 a.m. - 10:35 a.m.

Management of Neonatal Seizures and When to Entertain Surgical Intervention, Jim Riviello, MD, Texas Children's Hospital

10:35 a.m. - 10:55 a.m.

Out with the Old, In with the New: Using Newer Anti-Seizure Medications as First-Line Agents, Steven Wolf, MD, Boston Children's Health Physicians

10:55 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.

Differentiating Epileptic Encephalopathy for a Targeted Approach to Care Delivery, Zachary Grinspan, MD, MS, NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center

11:15 a.m. - 11:35 a.m.

Surgical Considerations for PNEE / Functional Seizures, Daniel Freedman, DO, Dell Children’s Medical Center, University of Texas at Austin

11:35 a.m. - 11:55 a.m.

Moderated Panel Discussion With Q&A (All Session Speakers), Dave Clarke, MD, Dell Children’s Medical Center, University of Texas at Austin (Moderator)

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Lunch

1:10 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.

Intro to Session: Presurgical Investigative Studies, Jorge A. Vidaurre, MD, Nationwide Children's

1:15 p.m. - 1:35 p.m.

The Importance of Bilingual Functional Testing: WADA, fMRI, MEG, Rosario DeLeon, PhD, Dell Children’s Medical Center, University of Texas at Austin

1:35 p.m. - 1:55 p.m.

Show Me the Money: Optimizing Investigative Studies with Minimal Cost, Ahmed Abdelmoity, MD, Children's Mercy

1:55 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.

Functional MRI, MEG, or Both … Who Makes the Call?, Elysa Widjaja, MD, Lurie Children's Hospital

2:15 p.m. - 2:35 p.m.

What Else Can We Learn from sEEG Functional Neurophysiology? Brain Neurophysiology to the Bedside, Liberty Hamilton, PhD, University of California, Berkeley

2:35 p.m. - 2:55 p.m.

Moderated Panel Discussion With Q&A (All Session Speakers)

3:05 p.m. - 3:10 p.m.

Intro to Session: Capturing Nontraditional Surgical Patients: Addressing the Access Issue, Bernice Martin Lee, CEO, Epilepsy Foundation of America

3:10 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

The Perception of “Rare Epilepsies”: Not in My Eyes!, Gabrielle Conecker, MPH, SCN8A Alliance, DEE-P Connections, and The Inchstone Project

3:30 p.m. - 3:50 p.m.

Always Searching for Better Management: The Importance of the SUDEP Discussion, Alison Kukla, MPH, CURE Epilepsy

3:50 p.m. - 4:10 p.m.

EAN: National Epilepsy Plan, Ilene Miller, JD, LLM, Rare Epilepsy Network

4:10 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Surgery in Regions with Limited Resources, Sandi Lam, MD, MBA, Lurie Children’s Hospital

4:30 p.m. - 4:50 p.m.

Moderated Panel Discussion With Q&A (All Session Speakers), Scott Perry, MD, Cook Children's Medical Center

Sunday, June 28, 2026

7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.

Breakfast (Ladybird Studio II)

8:30 a.m. - 8:35 a.m.

Welcome to Day 2 and Intro to Session: Palliative vs. Curative, Sookyong Koh, MD, PhD, Children’s Hospital & Medical Center Omaha

8:35 a.m. - 8:55 a.m.

History of sEEGs, Raheel Ahmed, MD, PhD, University of Wisconsin–Madison

8:55 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.

Ablative Surgery for Epilepsy, M. Omar Iqbal, MD, Dell Children’s Medical Center, University of Texas at Austin

9:15 a.m. - 9:35 a.m.

Transition to Adult Care in Neurosurgery Patients: Where, When, and How?, Jorge Gonzalez-Martinez, MD, PhD, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

9:35 a.m. - 9:55 a.m.

Battle of the Brains: Closed Loop vs. Open Loop, Dhruve Jeevan, MD, and Chelsey B. Ortman, MD, Dell Children’s Medical Center, University of Texas at Austin; Ammar Kheder, MD, Wellstar Health System (Moderator)

9:55 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.

Moderated Panel Discussion with Q & A (All Session Speakers)

10:35 a.m. - 10:40 a.m.

Intro to Session: Quality of Life and Psychosocial Outcomes, Karen Evankovich, PhD, Dell Children’s Medical Center, University of Texas at Austin

10:40 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.

What the World Needs Now: Addressing Global Access, Manuel Vides, MD, Instituto de Neurociencias, Hospital de Diagnostico

10:50 a.m. - 11:10 a.m.

Keto Talk, Janet Wilson, APRN, CPNP-PC, Dell Children’s Medical Center, University of Texas at Austin

11:10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Not Always Looking for a Cure: Lessons Learned from TSC Surgeries, Howard Weiner, MD, Texas Children's Hospital

11:30 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.

Remember Me: Drug-Resistant Epilepsy Through the Eyes of a Neurologist with Less Resources, Allie Melendez-Zaidi, MD, PhD, El Paso Children's Hospital

11:50 a.m. - 12:10 p.m.

It Is Worth Knowing: Genetic Testing as a QOL Construct, Emily Ramirez, DO, Dell Children’s Medical Center, University of Texas at Austin

12:10 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.