The Epilepsy Family Project at mount Sinai School of Medicine has been searching for the causes of epilepsy for over 14 years. Recently Dr's. David Greenberg and Martina Durner, two of the principal investigators of the project made a huge step forward, finding evidence that Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (JME) may be tied to several genes on the 6th and 18th human Chromosome.

Since making this exciting discovery Dr. Durner, who is both a neurologist and geneticist, has dedicated herself to the CAE Family Study, with a new goal of finding the genes associated with Childhood Absence Epilepsy.

For this research project we have assembled a number of individuals in many fields of expertise. A large network of pediatric neurologists and epilepsy organizations collaborates with Dr. Durner and the Epilepsy Study's staff of epidemiologists, molecular biologists, pediatricians, and geneticists at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

We work directly with hospitals around the New York, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Providence and Boston metropolitan areas. In addition, we referred patients through the Epilepsy Foundation of America, and the American Epilepsy Society.

Working closely with Dr. Durner is Study Site Coordinator Jillian Weinfeld, who has been with the team since winter 2011. She is studying nutrition and pre-medical sciences at New York University, hoping to one day become a physician scientist. Jillian has been actively involved with epilepsy research for three years, formerly at NYU Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, and is excited to be a part of our team.

Our previous site coordinators, Dana Politis and Sandra Wrigley, have left the study. Dana has obtained her Masters of Public Health and is currently working at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Sandra Wrigley received her RN license in the United States and is working as a nurse in New Jersey.

Please feel free to contact our team by e-mail at cae@mssm.edu or by phone at 212-659-5629.