The epilepsy program at Vancouver General Hospital is the only adult comprehensive epilepsy program in British Columbia. Our program also serves the Yukon. We provide several services to patients, including assessment of a wide range of epileptic disorders, diagnosis of spells, first seizure assessment, assessment of complex and refractory epilepsy, coordination of the surgical care pathway, ketogenic diet, and psychosocial supports. Through our focus on clinical services, academic activities, and research, our multidisciplinary team continually works to improve the lives of people living with epilepsy in British Columbia and the Yukon.
Faculty
- Dr. Yahya Agha Khani – Director of the Epilepsy Program, Director of the Neurophysiology Lab at Vancouver
- Dr. Laura Gill (Fellowship Supervisor)
- Dr. Chantelle Hrazdil
- Dr. Farzad Moien Afshari
- Dr. Jennifer Percy
- Dr. Mostafa Fatehi (neurosurgeon)
Clinical Activities
Epilepsy Clinic
We have a comprehensive team in our clinic, and we continue to work on expanding our team to satisfy the needs of our patients. Our team comprises:
- Five epileptologists.
- Epilepsy fellows
- Two neuropsychologists
- Two neuropsychometrists
- A pharmacist
- A social worker
- A psychiatrist
- Three nurse clinicians
- A clinical nurse specialist
Seizure Investigation Unit (SIU)
This unit is located on T5B at Vancouver General Hospital. It is the only adult epilepsy surgery program in British Columbia. We also serve patients from the Yukon. The SIU is a 4-bed unit. Each year there is an average of 110 phase I video EEG admissions, 12 SPECT admissions, and 15 intracranial EEG admissions. The investigations in the SIU are part of a comprehensive epilepsy surgery care pathway. The information gathered during the admission are combined with PET scans, fMRIs, and neuropsychology assessments to determine if the patients are candidates for epilepsy surgery.
EEG Laboratory
The EEG lab an EEG laboratory has 10 technologists and the daily capacity to record more than 20 outpatient and inpatient EEGs.
Surgical Program
The epileptologists collaborate with neurosurgeon Dr. Mostafa Fatehi to provide resective and/or disconnective epilepsy surgeries, stereo-EEG with depth electrode placement using the ROSA robotic platform, subdural grids and strips, electrocorticography and cortical mapping, and Vagal Nerve Stimulator (VNS) implantation. In addition, there are a variety of brain imaging modalities available for surgical work up of drug-resistant epilepsy, including 3T MRI of brain, interictal PET scan and ictal SPECT scan.
Research Activities
Our epilepsy specialists are constantly looking for innovative and effective ways to treat seizures and epilepsy in adults. Various epileptologists are involved in clinical research and are familiar with the current epilepsy research available and who is eligible to participate.
For epilepsy fellows, there are ample opportunities for participation in clinical or basic research protocols involving patients on the Epilepsy Service. Engagement in at least one clinical research project related to the field of epilepsy for fellows engaged in one-year fellowship is encouraged.
Teaching Activities
The Epilepsy Program plays a key role in the education of Neurology residents and Epilepsy fellows. The one-year epilepsy fellowship provides a solid foundation in clinical epileptology as well as in technical aspects and interpretation skills of electroencephalography (EEG) and evoked potentials so that by the end of this training, the graduating fellow will be able to manage complex epilepsy cases, interpret scalp and intracranial EEG and perform epilepsy surgery work up.
Our fellowship program, which is fully funded, offers training to Canadian and International board-certified adult neurologists. All international board-certified neurologist applicants must have an IELTS Academic English Proficiency Test Score of 7.0 or higher in each of the 4 components to qualify for application, unless both the primary language of medical education and the primary language of patient care was in English during their medical school training. The alternative acceptable English proficiency tests are available at: (https://www.cpsbc.ca/files/pdf/REG-ELP.pdf).
The clinical fellowship program provides education via case-based learning to achieve its learning objectives. The knowledge foundation is consolidated through daily staff-guided interpretation of inpatient and outpatient EEGs, guided interpretation of video-EEG monitoring in the epilepsy monitoring unit and intensive care unit, as well as regular presentation of epilepsy surgical cases in our weekly multidisciplinary rounds. In addition, the fellows present at epilepsy journal club, providing opportunity to enhance their teaching experience.
After one year of fellowship training in our program, fellowship candidates will qualify to sit for the Canadian Society of Clinical Neurophysiologists (CSCN-EEG) Board Examination. Depending on the circumstances at the time, extension for a second year of fellowship may be possible for suitable candidates.
Neurology residents spend at least 3 months of their residency on the EEG/Epilepsy rotation where they interpret outpatient and inpatient EEGs, admit and are directly involved with the care of the patients in SIU and those seen in the Epilepsy Clinic, all under direct supervision.
Applicants should send a curriculum vitae, a letter of intent with description of their long-term goals and objectives as well as three letters of reference to Dr. Laura Gill (Laura.Gill@vch.ca). Find more information about the epilepsy fellowship here.