October 7, 2025, Filed Under: carouselUT Health Austin Pediatric Neurosciences at Dell Children’s Ranked 25 by U.S. News & World Report Only six years after the program’s founding, UT Health Austin Pediatric Neurosciences at Dell Children’s was ranked 25 on U.S. News & World Report’s 2025–2026 list of best U.S. pediatric neurology and neurosurgery programs. “The external validation of this ranking mirrors the rapid progress we have made since the program’s founding and underscores our commitment to providing exceptional care for the children who are entrusted to us,” commented neurology chief Dr. Steve Roach. “This milestone reflects the relentless dedication of our team and its leadership,” said neurosurgery chief Dr. Elias Rizk. “I’m deeply honored to now be part of this journey, and I’m immensely grateful for everyone’s hard work in making UT Health Austin Pediatric Neurosciences at Dell Children’s a national leader in pediatric neuroscience care.”
August 1, 2025, Filed Under: carousel, NewsMultidisciplinary Providers Contribute to Scholarly Literature Our program contributes scholarly articles on a variety of topics, and we encourage publications from all members of the team. The featured articles below, for example, include contributions from child neurologists, child neurology residents, a nurse practitioner, and a pediatric neurosurgeon. Kevin Kumar, MD, PhD, assistant professor of neurosurgery at Dell Medical School, was the lead author of a recent Frontiers in Surgery article that analyzed the effectiveness of deep brain stimulation (DBS) and responsive neurostimulation (RNS) in children with drug-resistant epilepsy. DBS was used primarily for palliation of generalized or mixed drug-resistant epilepsy after other therapies failed, and 71% of these patients experienced a 50% or greater seizure reduction. RNS was used for patients with a better-defined seizure focus and no prior epilepsy surgery. Eighty percent of the RNS patients achieved clinical seizure freedom, and 20% had a 90% reduction in seizure burden. RNS also provided valuable data for future interventions. Both DBS and RNS are useful options for children with drug-resistant epilepsy. Child neurology residents Catherine Kronfol, MD, PGY-4, and Aaron Hocher, MD, PGY-3, described a newborn who was transferred from another hospital because of metabolic acidosis, respiratory distress, and suspected seizures. Abnormal facial movements and posturing were initially suspected to represent seizures, but continuous electroencephalography showed no epileptiform discharges during the movements. His initial serum ammonia level was dramatically elevated (1284 μg/dL). Urine organic acids, plasma amino acids, serum pyruvate, and carnitine were normal, but next-generation DNA sequencing of serum confirmed evidence of Ureaplasma urealyticum, an organism that produces copious amounts of ammonia. After treatment with azithromycin, his ammonia level normalized, and when seen at 13 months of age he was developmentally normal. Severe hyperammonemia does not always result from genetic metabolic disorders. Samantha Irwin, MSc, MB BCh BAO, an associate professor of neurology, and Sara Pavitt, MD, an assistant professor of neurology, reviewed the assessment and management of headache in children in the American Academy of Pediatrics’ education journal Pediatrics in Review. The far-reaching review includes typical clinical manifestations, common headache triggers, red flags that could indicate more serious conditions, the epidemiology of headaches in children, symptomatic and preventive medications, and neuromodulation devices for headache. Janet Wilson, MSN, CPNP-PC, has years of experience treating children with drug-resistant epilepsy with the ketogenic diet. She frequently volunteers in Kenya and the Caribbean islands, where the use of the ketogenic diet is often hindered by the cost of nutritional supplements and extensive laboratory monitoring and by the limited availability of the ingredients commonly used to make diet recipes. She has identified locally available ingredients that are suitable for maintaining ketosis and taught people how to implement the diet. In a recent issue of Epilepsy Currents, Wilson teamed with colleagues from the United States, Jamaica, India, and Kenya to discuss optimization of refractory epilepsy care in resource-limited settings, including implementation of dietary therapies. Uchitel J, Lui A, Knowles J, Parker JJ, Phillips HW, Halpern CH, Grant GA, Buch VP, Hyslop A, Kumar KK. Intracranial neuromodulation for pediatric drug-resistant epilepsy: early institutional experience. Front Surg. 2025 Apr 8; 12:1569360. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsurg.2025.1569360 Pavitt S, Irwin SL. Headache care. Pediatr Rev. 46(3):129-138. https://doi.org/10.1542/pir.2024-006402 Kronfol C, Hocher A, Roach ES. Neonatal hyperammonemia due to Ureaplasma sepsis. Ann Child Neurol Soc. 2025;3:57-58. https://doi.org/10.1002/cns3.20107 Yardi R, Radhakrishnan K, Samia P, Wilson J, Ali A. Managing refractory epilepsy in a resource-limited setting—doing more with less. Epilepsy Curr. Published 2025 May 27. https://doi.org/10.1177/15357597251318562
July 23, 2025, Filed Under: NewsPavitt Named Clinician of the Year in Pediatric Leadership Our program recently hosted an awards luncheon for Sara Pavitt, MD, associate chief of pediatric neurology and chief of the Dell Children’s Pediatric Headache Center, who was selected as Clinician of the Year in the category of pediatric leadership by Ascension Medical Group. The award recognizes innovative, servant, and transformational leaders who inspire others, foster success, and cultivate an open, trusting culture. Congratulations, Dr. Pavitt, for an award well deserved!
July 17, 2025, Filed Under: NewsDell Children’s Medical Center Adds Portable MRI In the last few years, MRI technology has advanced sufficiently to allow small, safe, portable machines that can be brought to a patient’s bedside. Dell Children’s Medical Center’s new portable MRI circumvents the need to transport patients away from their care unit, making MRI more feasible for critically ill patients requiring ventilation, ECMO, or other vital support measures. For these patients, being moved from the intensive care setting for the 60–90 minutes that is typically needed for an MRI represents a substantial risk; the portable MRI, however, provides diagnostic-quality images in less than 30 minutes without requiring the patient to leave the room. Our portable MRI’s open design also allows a caregiver to remain with the child during the study, in some instances eliminating the need for sedation. “The portable MRI helps us rapidly identify and treat an array of neurological conditions in children who are too ill to safely transport for neuroimaging,” said Chelsey Ortman, MD, an assistant professor of neurology who was instrumental in acquiring the technology. “For many of these children, earlier diagnosis will translate into a better outcome.”
July 10, 2025, Filed Under: NewsClarke Elected Chair of ILAE-North America Dave Clarke, MD, professor of neurology at Dell Medical School and Kozmetsky Family Foundation Endowed Chair in Pediatric Epilepsy, has been elected as chair of the International League Against Epilepsy’s North American branch, representing the United States, Canadian, and Caribbean chapters. Clarke, who has served as a board member of ILAE-North America since 2013, will begin his four-year term as chair in August.
July 3, 2025, Filed Under: NewsKeith Selected to Pediatric Neurology Editorial Board Join us in congratulating Louisa Keith, MD, assistant professor of neurology and director of the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Follow-Up Clinic, who was recently appointed to the editorial board of Pediatric Neurology. This appointment reflects Dr. Keith’s growing reputation as an expert for formal follow-up of children at high risk for neurological impairment. Keith serves alongside several of our pediatric neurosciences colleagues, including senior associate editor Stephen Deputy, MD, statistician Yingchao Yuan, MA, and editorial board members Audrey Brumback, MD, PhD, Duriel Hardy, MD, Samantha Irwin, MSc, MB BCh BAO, and Kristina Julich, MD.
June 24, 2025, Filed Under: carousel, NewsProgram Co-Sponsors Second IMPRES Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Conference Watch the conference recap here! Save the date for IMPRES 2026 Session panelists (L to R) Ahmed T. Abdelmoity, MD, MBA, MS, Jorge Vidaurre, MD, Alison Kukla, MPH, Sandi Lam, MD, MBA, and Dave Clarke, MD The Dell Children’s Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Center in collaboration with the Lurie Children’s Epilepsy Center presented the second annual Innovative Minds: Pediatric Research in Epilepsy Surgery (IMPRES) Conference on the Northwestern University campus in downtown Chicago, Illinois, from June 20–22. The conference kicked off on Friday evening with a reception cruise on Lake Michigan and featured two days of CME sessions, including a neurodiagnostic breakout session. The national IMPRES program focuses on evidence-based research in pediatric epilepsy surgery and highlights collaboration among pediatric epilepsy centers and programs. This year’s conference theme, improving access and health equity in epilepsy, featured prominently in each of the seven conference sessions and 25 presentations. Session topics included the anthropology and history of epilepsy, management of epilepsy, presurgical investigative studies, nontraditional surgical patients, surgical techniques, quality of life and psychosocial outcomes, and neurodiagnostics. Each session concluded with a moderated panel discussion and Q&A. IMPRES is an ongoing collaboration between Dell Children’s Medical Center and Lurie Children’s Hospital. This year’s conference organizers were Dell Children’s pediatric epilepsy chief Dave Clarke, MD, and Sandi Lam, MD, MBA, of Lurie Children’s and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “IMPRES 2025 was an inspiring gathering of innovative minds dedicated to advancing care for children with epilepsy and their families,” said Lam. “This unique interdisciplinary conference fostered remarkable collaboration among neurosurgeons, neurologists, neuropsychologists, social workers, researchers, advocates, and families. Together, we explored new frontiers in epilepsy care, neurosurgery, global health, and health equity to improve outcomes for children with epilepsy.” “Praise for this thought-provoking conference has been far-reaching,” said Clarke. “Planning is already underway for IMPRES 2026 here in Austin.”
June 23, 2025, Filed Under: News“Dr. Clarke Gave Us Our Daughter Back”: Clarke Featured in UT Health Austin Story on Laser Ablation for Young Girl UT Health Austin recently published an article on pediatric epilepsy program chief Dr. Dave Clarke and his role in helping a young girl achieve seizure freedom using laser ablation. Charli, who was having up to 20 seizures a day, was referred to the Dell Children’s Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Center after experiencing a severe decline in her condition that resulted in difficulties walking, speaking, and using her left hand—all of which did not respond to treatment. Read the full story.
June 4, 2025, Filed Under: carousel, NewsProgram Hosts Sixth Annual Practical Pediatric Neuroscience Symposium Pediatric neuroimmunologist Duriel Hardy, MD, speaking on pediatric multiple sclerosis Neurosurgery chief Elias Rizk, MD, PhD, presenting on pediatric neurosurgery for primary care providers Each spring our program hosts a practical pediatric neuroscience symposium designed to enhance knowledge of commonly encountered pediatric neurological conditions among general pediatric practitioners. The sixth annual symposium on May 17 featured presentations by nine pediatric neurosciences faculty members, with topics ranging from functional neurological disorders to updates in migraine treatment. Each interactive presentation provided techniques and evidence-based recommendations for diagnosis and management, including the roles of interprofessional teams in improving quality of life and treatment outcomes. The presentations are available to download and to watch online.
May 27, 2025, Filed Under: NewsMoodley Receives Resident Teaching Award Congratulations to Manikum Moodley, MD, winner of this year’s Excellence in Neurology Resident Teaching Award. Dr. Moodley was selected by the child and adult neurology residents who spent time in the Pediatric Neurosciences Program. He was also the recipient of the award in 2021 and of several teaching awards at Cleveland Clinic prior to joining Dell Med. Dr. Moodley recently retired as professor of neurology and is now an affiliate faculty member. He was chief of our program’s Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center and co-director of the Pediatric Autonomic Lab.
