Members of EpiCARE
The network was initially (2017-2019) coordinated by Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) for Children NHS Trust, London, UK, and led by Professor Helen Cross. In March 2019, as a consequence of “Brexit”, the coordination of EpiCARE has been transferred from GOSH to the University Hospitals of Lyon (HCL), and is led by Professor Alexis Arzimanoglou. A close collaboration between Professors Cross and Arzimanoglou, and all the members of the Steering Committee guarantees the continuity of all missions undertaken since the creation of EpiCARE.
Get to know the members of EpiCARE:
Coordination team
Professor Alexis Arzimanoglou
Professor Alexis Arzimanoglou is heading the Department of Paediatric Clinical Epileptology, Sleep Disorders and Functional Neurology at the Hospices Civils de Lyon, France. He is the Epilepsy Research coordinator for the Sant Joan de Déu Childrens’ Hospital in Barcelona, Spain.
His clinical and research activities mainly focus on the pharmacological and surgical management and genetics of childhood epilepsies and topics related to cognitive function and dysfunction in children with focal epilepsies. He has served as President of the French chapter of the ILAE, Chair of the Scientific Committee of the European Paediatric Neurology Society (EPNS) and visiting Professor at the Universitat de Barcelona. He is Editor-in-chief of the educational journal of the International League Against Epilepsy, Epileptic Disorders and Associate Editor of the European Journal of Paediatric Neurology.
Pr Arzimanoglou was awarded ILAE/IBE Ambassador for Epilepsy in 2007, and received by the EPNS the Aicardi Award for excellence in Paediatric Neurology in 2017.
Professor J. Helen Cross
OBE, MB, ChB, PhD, FRCP, FRCPCH
Professor Helen Cross is The Prince of Wales’s Chair of Childhood Epilepsy, Head of Developmental Neurosciences Programme of the UCL Institute of Child Health. She is also Honorary Consultant in Paediatric Neurology at Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust, London and Young Epilepsy, Lingfield.
Her research has been targeted at improving outcomes in early-onset epilepsy, specifically in assessing the role of surgery and ketogenic diet. She is elected Treasurer of the International League Against Epilepsy 2017-2021, Clinical Advisor to the National Children’s Epilepsy Surgery Service, Chair of the BPNA Research Committee, and Chair of the Neurosciences Clinical Study Group of the Clinical Research Network (Children).
She holds NIHR Senior Investigator status 2016-2020. She was awarded ILAE/IBE Ambassador for Epilepsy in 2007, and an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2015. Professor Cross was recently elected President of the International League Against Epilepsy for 4 years (2021-2024).
Vilnius, March 10th, 2017 – Launching the ERN EpiCARE
ERN EpiCARE Executive Committee
Arzimanoglou Alexis (ERN Coordinator)
Beniczky Sandor
Blumcke Ingmar
Braun Kees
Cross Helen
Guerrini Renzo
Helmstaedter Christoph
Kalviainen Reetta
Lagae Lieven
Lossius Morten Ingvar
Malenica Maša
Marusič Petr
Nabbout Rima
Pressler Ronit
Rubboli Guido
Ryvlin Philippe
Specchio Nicola
Surges Rainer
Trinka Eugen
Vigevano Federico
Patient representatives:
Brambilla Isabella
Watson Allison
Project management team
Carolina Ciumas, PhD
Research and Surgery WG liaison
Martin Geroldinger
Guidelines project manager
Clotilde Guérineau
Helpdesk
ANT Congrès
Nicola Openshaw-Lawrence
E-learning and data manager – CPMS coordinator
Anne Robert
Communication manager
Sébile Tchaicha
Research projects manager
Johanna Van Hulle
Registry and data manager
Terms of Reference & Terms of Engagement
ERN EpiCARE Terms of Reference and Terms of Engagement, presented at the General Assembly of members (February 18th, 2022) and voted in their final version by the Executive Committee on March 9th, 2022
Full members
Affiliated members
| Centre | Country | City | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| University Hospital Centre SestreMilosrdnice - KliničkibolničkicentarSestremilosrdnice | Croatia | Zagreb | Pr. Maša Malenica |
| Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, University Hospital Centre Zagreb | Croatia | Zagreb | Assoc. Prof. Željka Petelin Gadže |
| The Cyprus Foundation For Muscular Dystrophy Research / Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics | Cyprus | Nicosia | Pr. Savvas Papacostas |
| Epilepsiklinikken, Rigshospitalet-Blegdamsvej and Danish Epilepsy Center Filadelfia | Denmark | Copenhagen | Pr. Anna Sabers and Pr. Guido Rubboli |
| Aarhus Universitets hospital | Denmark | Aarhus | Assoc. Prof Jakob Christensen |
| Tartu University Hospital | Estonia | Tartu | Dr. Ulvi Vaher |
| Tallin Children’s Hospital | Estonia | Tallin | Dr. Inga Talvik |
| University Children’s Clinical Hospital - Bērnu klīniskā universitātes slimnīca | Latvia | Riga | Dr. Jurģis Strautmanis |
| Hospital of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kaunoklinikos | Lithuania | Kaunas | Giedre Gelziniene |
| Department of Neurology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University | Lithuania | Vilnius | Pr. Ruta Mameniskiene |
| Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg | Luxembourg | Luxembourg | Dr. Martine Goergen |
| MALTA Mater Dei Hospital | Malta | Msida | Dr. James Clark |
Collaborating partners
| Centre | Country | City | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Epileptology and Epilepsy Surgery CHU Grenoble | France | Grenoble | Pr. Philippe Kahane |
| Clinical Investigation Centre (CIC), University Hospitals of Lyon (HCL) | France | Lyon | Pr. Behrouz Kassaï-Koupaï |
| Network for Therapy in Rare Epilepsies (NETRE) | Germany | Vogtareuth | Pr. Gerhard Kluger |
| Greek Rare Epilepsies Consortium (GREC), Attikon, Athens and St. Luke’s, Thessaloniki Hospitals | Greece | Athens | Pr. A. Dinopoulos and Dr. K. Garganis |
| Infant Research Centre | Ireland | Cork | Pr. Geraldine Boylan |
| Beaumont Hospital | Ireland | Dublin | Dr Norman Delanty |
| Epilepsy Alliance Europe | Ireland | Dublin | Eugen Trinka, Norman Delanty,, Francesca Sofia, Helen Cross |
| International Bureau for Epilepsy | Ireland | Dublin | Francesca Sophia |
| Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois | Switzerland | Lausanne | Pr. Philippe Ryvlin |
| Queen Elizabeth University Hospital | United Kingdom | Glasgow | Pr. Sameer Zuberi |
| Matthew's Friends Clinics for Ketogenic Dietary Therapies | United Kingdom | Lingfield | Emma Williams, MBE |
| Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust | United Kingdom | London | Pr. J. Helen Cross |
| University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | United Kingdom | London | Pr. Matthew Walker |
| Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | United Kingdom | Oxford | Dr. Arjune Sen |
