Clinic Care Team
The Baylor Comprehensive Epilepsy Center is staffed by a team of health care professionals with an interest and expertise in epilepsy and in Neurology, Neurosurgery, Neurophysiology, Neuropsychology, Neuroradiology, Neuropathology, Pediatric Neurology, Nursing and Electroneurodiagnostic Technology. In addition, consultations from Social Services, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Medicine, Internal Medicine and its medical subspecialties, and Psychiatry are available. The Core Team Members are:
Director
Richard A. Hrachovy, M.D.
Dr. Hrachovy is head of the Peter Kellaway Section of Neurophysiology, Department of Neurology and professor of neurology, Baylor College of Medicine. Also, he is a site director for the Veterans Hospital Administration's Southwest Epilepsy Center of Excellence and the director of the Seizure Clinic at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center. He received his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, and completed a residency in neurology at the same institution. He completed a fellowship in clinical neurophysiology at BCM. He is experienced in the tertiary care of adults with epilepsy and interprets routine EEGs as well as EEG/video monitoring studies. His primary research interest is epilepsy in the developing brain. Dr. Hrachovy oversees the center's activtities.
Epileptology and Neurophysiology
David K. Chen, M.D.
Dr. Chen, assistant professor of neurology, serves as director of the MEDVAMC Neurophysiology Laboratory. Dr. Chen earned his medical degree from the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va. He completed his internship in internal medicine at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, Calif., followed by a residency in neurology and a fellowship in clinical neurophysiology/epilepsy at Stanford University Medical Center in California. Dr. Chen specializes in the care of patients with seizures or seizure-like events. He evaluates both routine EEG studies as well as long term video-EEG monitoring studies both at the MEDVAMC (primarily) and St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital (part-time). His research interest is toward advancing the understanding of symptomatic, secondary epilepsy, particularly in terms of diagnostic neuroimaging methods and mechanisms of epileptogenesis.
David E. Friedman, M.D.
Dr. Friedman is the medical director of the BCM Epilepsy Clinic and Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital. He is an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology, BCM. Dr. Friedman received his medical degree at the Sackler School of Medicine in Tel Aviv, Israel. He completed
Alica M. Goldman, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Goldman is an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology, BCM. She received her medical degree at Jesenius Medical School, Comenius University in Slovakia. Dr. Goldman completed internship in internal medicine, residency in neurology, and fellowship in neurophysiology and epilepsy at The University of Texas-Health Science Center in Houston, Texas. She joined the faculty and medical staff in July 2004. Dr. Goldman evaluates and provides clinical management for patients with epilepsy.
Eli M. Mizrahi, M.D.
Dr. Mizrahi is a professor of neurology and pediatrics. Formerly the head of the Peter Kellaway Section of Neurophysiology, Department of Neurology, BCM, Dr. Mizrahi now serves as chair of neurology. He is immediate past chair of the Professional Advisory Board, Epilepsy Foundation of America, current member of Board of Directors, EFA and is president of the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society. He received training in pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, N.Y.; neurology at Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif.; and neurophysiology at BCM. He is experienced in the tertiary care of children and adults with complex epilepsy. Dr. Mizrahi interprets EEG/video monitoring studies and other epilepsy related clinical studies.
Vitor Hugo Pacheco, M.D.
Dr. Pacheco is an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology, BCM, and the neurology outpatient clinic director at the MEDVAMC. Dr. Pacheco received his medical degree at the Universidade Federal do Ceara, Brazil. He completed a residency in neurology at St. Louis University, Mo. and a
Ronnie Simsuangco Tobias, R.N., N.P.-C.
Mr. Tobias is the nurse practitioner for the BCM Epilepsy Clinic and Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital. He received his bachelor and Master of Science in nursing from Texas Woman’s University in Houston, Texas and post-masters certification from University of Southern Indiana in Evansville, Ind. He works closely with the center's lead physicians to evaluate and provides clinical management for patients with epilepsy. Ronnie's areas of responsibility include in-patient and outpatient assessment, evaluation, prescriptive therapy, and management of patients.
Neurogenetics of Epilepsy
Jeffrey L. Noebels, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Noebels is director of the Blue Bird Circle Developmental Neurogenetics Laboratory, Department of Neurology, BCM and professor of neurology, neurosciences, and human genetics. He received his Ph.D. in neurological science from Stanford University School of Medicine and his M.D. from Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Noebels did his internship and residency in neurology at Harvard Medical School, where he also held fellowships in neuroscience. Until 2001, he acted as director of the Neurobiology of Disease Program, BCM, and is currently vice chair of research in the Department of Neurology, BCM.
Neurosurgery
Daniel Yoshor, M.D.
Dr. Yoshor is the director of Epilepsy Surgery and an assistant professor of neurosurgery, BCM. Dr. Yoshor received his training in neurosurgery at BCM and University of California at San Francisco, Calif. Dr. Yoshor has developed an expertise in epilepsy surgery, with particular emphasis on so-called "eloquent" brain regions - those which require resection, but which also are necessary for specific brain functions. He joined the BCM faculty in December, 1999. Dr. Yoshor cares for patients requiring epilepsy surgery and implantable devices for epilepsy therapy.
Neuropsychology
Harvey S. Levin, Ph.D.
Dr. Levin is professor neurosurgery, physical medicine and rehabilitation, pediatrics, and neurology. He received training in clinical neuropsychology at the University of Iowa where he earned a Ph.D. and completed a postdoctoral fellowship. He is past president of the International Neuropsychological Society. He joined the faculty at BCM in 1995. Dr. Levin has expertise in the clinical neuropsychological assessment of children and adults with complex epilepsy.
Michele K. York, Ph.D.
Dr. York is an assistant professor neurology and psychiatry, BCM and a licensed clinical neuropsychologist. Dr. York received her training in clinical psychology at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn. and completed her neuropsychology internship and postdoctoral fellowship at BCM, Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Neurology, and Neurosurgery. Dr. York joined the BCM faculty in November, 2000. She is experienced in the neuropsychological assessment of epilepsy patients prior to and following temporal lobectomy or lesionectomy. Dr. York conducts neuropsychological evaluations and provides counseling services for patients requiring epilepsy surgery.
Neuropathology
Meena Bhattacharjee, M.D.
Dr. Bhattacharjee is an assistant professor of pathology, BCM.