Epilepsy Canada Announces Board of Directors Changes

New Board Members:

We are very pleased to announce that Epilepsy Canada has elected two new directors to complement our dynamic leadership team. Joining the Epilepsy Canada Board are AnneMarie Ryan and Jacques Brunelle.

AnneMarie Ryan is President of AMR Associates and Chair of WCM (Women in Capital Markets). AnneMarie consults to Canadian Financial services firms on market structure and how technology is transforming the investment business. AnneMarie has over 25 years consulting in the Financial Services industry working with ITG Canada, Ontario Securities Commission, Canaccord Capital, Perimeter Financial, and eTrade Canada to name a few. In addition AnneMarie sits on the boards of Benefaction and TriAct Canada Marketplace LLP.

AnneMarie holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and MBA from the University of Toronto.

Jacques Brunelle is Vice President, Business Development at INFORMAT Software Inc. in Montreal, Quebec. Jacques has over 30 year’s business experience in business having worked with IBM Canada, Canada Post, Van Houtte, McKesson Canada, and Uniprix Pharmacies. Jacques has been involved with various foundations such as Ressources Jeunesse, The Terry Fox Foundation, and the F.I.N.L.B. (for the visually impaired).

Jacques holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from McGill. Jacques also coaches a children’s ski racing program at Mount Tremblant and is involved in organizing two National Tennis Championship tournaments (under 12, under 14).

Changes to Existing Board Member Status:

Dr. W. McIntyre (Mac) Burnham, Department of Pharmacology at the University of Toronto, has been elected President and Gary Collins, Managing Partner of 4Growth Inc., Vice President of Epilepsy Canada.

Dr. Donald Weaver becomes Past- President, Board Member.

Epilepsy Canada is stronger than ever with this new leadership team in place.

We look forward to being the most formative body in Canada to lead RESEARCH in this field.

Battle of the Blades and Epilepsy Research

Former NHL'er and Stanley Cup winner Boyd Devereaux and award winning figure skater Tanith Belbin have reached the finale of the spectacular "Battle of the Blades" reality TV show http://www.cbc.ca/battle/. Each contestant is allowed to donate their "Battle" winnings to the charity of their choice. The Devereaux family has chosen to donate their winnings to the Epilepsy Huron-Bruce-Perth foundation which funds Epilepsy Research in Canada. Epilepsy Canada is thrilled that the Devereaux's have designated their donations go to funding Epilepsy research.

We wish them well this weekend as they "go for the gold". This is reality TV so let's get all Epilepsy supporters we can to vote for Boyd and Tanith in the finale on Sunday night (November 13 at 7:00 P.M. EST.)

Skating for Charity - definitely Canadian.

Epilepsy Canada Funds $134,000 Towards Research in 2011

For Immediate Release

Epilepsy is neurological disorder that affects one in every hundred Canadians. While great strides have been made in Epilepsy research, more needs to be done. Epilepsy Canada’s research grants competition hopes to encourage this important work. After a thorough review of numerous applications, Epilepsy Canada is proud to announce the winners of this year’s postdoctoral research awards and summer studentships, which are worth a total of $134,000. Epilepsy Canada would like to thank the donors whose generous support made this program possible.

Award Winners

There were many impressive applications and Epilepsy Canada commends all who applied. The winners were chosen because their research will most benefit those afflicted with epilepsy. The postdoctoral award will give three people the opportunity to pursue one year of research and training in the area of epilepsy. The summer studentships will give four promising students the chance to train in a lab and research over the summer period.

Postdoctoral Award

• Dr. Sebastien Desgent of Montreal, QC - $38,000
• Dr. Ali R. Khan of Surrey, BC - $38,000
• Dr. Lois Miraucourt of Montreal, QC - $38,000

Summer Studentship Award

• Danielle Weber-Adrian of Richmond Hill, ON - $5,000
• Youssef Soliman of Mississauga, ON - $5,000
• Josiane Mapplebeck of Montreal, QC - $5,000
• Yayi Huang of Toronto, ON - $5,000

The Goal

The goal of Epilepsy Canada’s research grants competition is to invest in the next generation of experts who may one day leave a milestone in epilepsy treatment. Epilepsy Canada’s mission is to enhance the quality of life for persons affected by epilepsy through promotion of research, education, and awareness initiatives that build understanding and acceptance of epilepsy. Epilepsy Canada relies entirely on private and corporate donations to achieve these goals.

Researcher supported by Epilepsy Canada makes important discovery

Dr. Miles Thompson, a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Toronto, and funded by Epilepsy Canada, is part of a team of researchers who discovered the gene linked to childhood epilepsy known as Mabry Syndrome.

Read more about the discovery at The Bulletin here, the University of Toronto's faculty news source.

Elementary school raises over $1000 for Epilepsy Canada

Class 8-4 of Hodgson Senior Public School presented Epilepsy Canada with $1,276.72 on June 8. Danielle Kerr, a grade 8 student, who had surgery in February, 2010 and is now ‘seizure-free’, raised the money with her classmates by organizing a school fundraiser called The Purple Palooza. Kerr was recently featured in Epilepsy Canada’s spring direct mail campaign.

Students were encouraged to wear purple, took part in a Lip Sync competition, made popcorn, sold tickets for a chance to throw pies in the face of teachers, and held numerous raffles. Donations reps also collected money daily from the student body.

The Purple Palooza event was organized as part of the school’s Entrepreneurial Adventure Program, which brings volunteers to Canadian schools to work with students on business projects.

Kerr convinced her classmates to devote their business project to raising money for epilepsy research. Kerr’s personal experience with epilepsy motivated her to help make a difference in the lives of epileptics across Canada.

Epilepsy Canada board member Gary Collins and administrative officer Chow Dindayal accepted the cheque. CTV’s Bill Hutchison, Honorary Spokesperson for Epilepsy Canada, attended and reported on the event a for his daily news program on the 11:30pm CTV Toronto newscast.

New Approaches to Intractable Epilepsy’ Workshop – Integrated Discovery System

Ontario Brian Institute (OBI) is holding an Epilepsy workshop in London, Ontario on June 24-26, 2011.

Launched in November 2010, the Ontario Brain Institute has been established to become an internationally recognized centre of excellence in brain research, translation and innovation. It will achieve its vision by initiating, funding, promoting and stimulating brain research, education and training.

As part of its inaugural phase, the OBI is sponsoring a series of workshops centered around the major CNS disorders. This letter is to invite you to participate in an “in depth” Workshop entitled “New Approaches to Intractable Epilepsy”, which will be held in London, Ontario on June 24-26, 2011.

The workshop will consist of researchers, clinicians, non-profit groups and representatives from industry. It is intended to result in the development of a collaborative grant application for an Integrated Discovery System, to be submitted to the OBI by August 5, 2011.

The workshop will be held at the Ivey Spencer Leadership Center (551 Windermere Rd, London, ON, N5X2T1). The sessions will commence on June 25, 2011 at 9 am, and wrap up on June 26, 2011 at 1pm. In the coming days, we will be sending you a more detailed agenda.

A welcome reception will also be hosted by Dr. Donald Stuss, President of the OBI, on June 24 at 7pm.

Topics for the Workshop will include drug and diet therapies for epilepsy, seizure surgery, clinical electrophysiology, brain stimulation for epilepsy, epileptic co-morbidities, epidemiology, pediatric issues and genetics. Breakout groups will attempt to identify research needs in each area, to evolve basic research protocols for use in the application, and to identify promising areas for collaborative research.

Investing in Research

Epilepsy Canada channels your support towards research into medication, treatments, procedures and surgeries and specific research in dozens of important projects like these, annually:

Lois Miraucourt, Post doctoral fellowship, Ruthazer Laboratory, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University began research in 2010 that “should provide critical new insights about seizure generation that will allow us to more accurately understand the actions of antiepileptic drugs, and to ultimately design better therapeutic strategies.”

Andrew Moeller from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, concluded in a 2010 study funded by Epilepsy Canada, “TV medical dramas inaccurately depict seizure first aid management and may contribute to misinformation to the general public.”

Alexander Dolan, working under a summer studentship grant at Sick Kids at University of Toronto, studied “how uncontrolled epilepsy could be brought under control. Possibilities included: better application of seizure surgery, better use of anticonvulsant medications, and better use of dietary therapies.”

Through perseverance and determination one mother of a five year-old girl discovered a natural analogue treatment for her daughter because no drug was available in North America to help manage her seizures. Could Epilepsy Canada research into this discovery unlock a new path to success?

Spotlight on the Need for More Research

Ann Marie Gillie, a 43 year-old mother of 3 boys, is a published author and had lived with epilepsy for half of her life. A second opinion by a neurosurgeon changed her life. In December 2002, she underwent Left Selective Amygdalohippocampectomy surgery at the University of Alberta Hospital. Ann has been 100% seizure-free since. She travels to the U.S. and across Canada to speak about her experiences and motivates others to stay positive.

If you would like to engage with Ann, you can visit her website at http://www.anngillieepilepsyspeaker.com/ . Learn more about her experiences in her book called ‘If Walls Could Talk – Don’t Let Epilepsy Control You’.

Brett Newman, 25 years old, from Campobello Island, New Brunswick started a walkathon to raise awareness for epilepsy research. In 2002 he lost his cousin Michael to an epileptic seizure, and suffered more tragedy last year when his brother was paralyzed from the waist down in an auto accident. A few months later he met Chanse Anderson, an epileptic from St. Stephen, whose spirit was so positive it inspired Brett to begin his trek.

Raising Funds for Research

Did you know 57¢* out of every dollar raised by Epilepsy Canada, a non-profit organization, goes to fund epilepsy research? Only 43¢* is used for administration and fundraising efforts like this mailing.

Recently, in a cost-savings move designed to keep 2011 operating costs as low as possible in order to channel more funds into research, we moved our national office from Montreal to Toronto to share space with Epilepsy Ontario.

Our new website was developed and donated by Glacier Digital, of Burlington Ontario. One look at www.epilepsy.ca and you will see an easy to use site packed with stories and information about Canadians afflicted with epilepsy, and the important research being done across Canada to help them.
Donating on-line allows you to make secure one-time or monthly donations from the site. This alone reduces the costs of printing, mailing and return mail envelopes.

Cost efficient measures are also being taken to print and mail letters such as this one. Epilepsy Canada continues to look for ways to make your support dollars stretch even further. Every dollar really does make a difference.

Call For Submissions 2011

Deadline – April 15, 2011

Epilepsy Canada is pleased to announce that it is again accepting submissions to support research trainees in any area of research pertaining to epilepsy. Epilepsy Canada’s mission is to support research (in the biomedical, clinical or social sciences) that is focused on improving the lives of people with seizure disorders. In particular, we are seeking to fund post-doctoral researchers and summer studentships associated with a Canadian university or hospital (research activities must be conducted within Canada).

Postdoctoral Research Award

Epilepsy Canada will award three (3) postdoctoral research awards (each valued at $38,000 CDN) for the time period July 1, 2011 – June 30, 2012. This award is for one year only; requests for renewal must be done in the form of a complete new application and are dependent upon availability of funds. Applications are invited from qualified applicants who are within three years of the completion of their PhD at the time of application submission. Applications are invited from all areas of epilepsy research including the biomedical, clinical and social sciences. A complete application will consist of the following:

• a description of the proposed research (including Research Hypothesis, Research Goals, Background, Methods, Proposed Work, Relevance to Epilepsy; 5 pages maximum, 12 pt font, Arial or Times New Roman, single spaced, 0.75 inch borders)
• [2] curriculum vitae of the applicant (common CV, CIHR format)
• [3] curriculum vitae of the proposed supervisor (common CV, CIHR format).

Please submit the original plus four (4) copies (total 5 copies) to Epilepsy Canada postmarked or courier-stamped on or before April 15, 2011. Results will be announced on May 1, 2011. The award is to be held at a Canadian university or hospital.

Summer Studentships

Epilepsy Canada will award four (4) summer studentships (each valued at $5,000 CDN) for the time period June 01, 2011 – August 30, 2011. Applications are invited from students enrolled at a Canadian university or college at the time of application submission. Applications are invited from all areas of epilepsy research including the biomedical, clinical and social sciences. A complete application will consist of the following:

• [1] a description of the proposed research (including Research Goals, Background, Methods, Pro¬posed Work, Relevance to Epilepsy; 2 pages maximum, 12 pt font, Arial or Times New Roman, single spaced, 0.75 inch borders)
• [2] curriculum vitae of the applicant (free format, 3 pages maximum) and [3] curriculum vitae of the proposed supervisor (common CV, CIHR format).

Please submit the original plus four (4) copies (total 5 copies) to Epilepsy Canada postmarked or courier-stamped on or before April 15th, 2011. Results will be announced on May 1st, 2011. The award is to be held at a Canadian university, college or hospital.

Giving Epilepsy Canada a Stronger Voice

During 2010 three volunteer directors were added to the Epilesy Canada Board, each bringing their important areas of expertise to help our mission.

Dr. W McIntyre Burnham
Dept of Pharmacology, University of Toronto, ON

Gary N. Collins
Managing Partner, 4Growth Inc. Management Consultants Markham, ON.
Responsible for Marketing and Fundraising, Epilepsy Canada.

Howard Fletcher, LLB
Lawyer, Richmond Hill, ON

Bill Hutchison, News Anchor/Producer CTV News at 11:30 p.m. was named Epilepsy Canada’s honourary 2011 Spokesperson. His March 27, 2011 Webmania feature helped raise awareness for our fundraising efforts.