Meet Our Team
Board of Directors
Brandy McFadden is a wife, mother, patient advocate, Executive Director/Founder of My Epilepsy Story, and a woman living with epilepsy. She is a member of the American Epilepsy Society and the American Epilepsy Society Epilepsy Leadership Council (ELC). Mrs. McFadden is a member of the AES ELC: Surveillance/Prevention Working Group and Membership Committee, a Consultant and Patient Advocate on the MONEAD Project, and COPE. Mrs. McFadden was named PCORI Ambassador in 2014. In addition, she is also a member of the American Academy of Neurology: Epilepsy Quality Measure Development Work Group and the American Academy of Neurology: Women with Epilepsy Guideline Work Group.
Mrs. McFadden testified before the Institute of Medicine (IOM) about her personal epilepsy story in 2011, which inspired her to found, My Epilepsy Story. She has presented at numerous hospitals and universities for Grand Rounds throughout the United States to help doctors understand the importance of Patient-Centered care as well as ways to incorporate this when caring for their patients. Mrs. McFadden also presents on the importance of Patient-Driven Research.
Mrs. McFadden’s passion is to advocate for cutting-edge clinical care and research for women living with epilepsy. She believes that we can “bridge the gap for women diagnosed with epilepsy” by having Women’s Epilepsy Clinics and Centers across the globe. Also, she believes that women’s health issues related to epilepsy needs to be addressed globally. Mrs. McFadden is also passionate about having a national pregnancy registry that is federally funded. In addition, she has an interest in finding out the FULL IMPACT that anti-seizure medications have on ALL people living with epilepsy.
Mrs. McFadden lives in Tennessee with her husband, James, and their three children, Samuel, Hannah-Kate, and David.
Emanuela Voinescu, MD, PhD, is a neurologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA, who focuses her clinical and research efforts on improving the care of women with epilepsy. She obtained her medical degree from University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Romania, and her doctoral degree from Harvard University, prior to completing the Partners Neurology Residency and a 2-year fellowship in clinical neurophysiology/epilepsy at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA.
Dr. Voinescu started doing research at Caltech, as a summer undergraduate fellow in Dr. Mary B Kennedy’s lab; she then pursued a PhD at Harvard University in Dr. Joshua R Sanes's lab and got solid training in the molecular underpinning of synaptic specificity and plasticity. Under the mentorship of Dr. Pennell since residency, her clinical research so far aimed to optimize the selection of the antiepileptic regimen in the preconception settings and fine-tune it to adequately compensate for the specific drug clearance changes during pregnancy. Dr. Voinescu plans to expand her clinical research into translational aspects of how sex hormones and genetic variability influence neuronal excitability and implicitly epilepsy pathophysiology, but also response to medications.
Sarita Maturu, DO is an Epileptologist at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center in Columbus OH. She obtained her medical degree at Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Athens, Ohio. She went up north to Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI, where she spent the next 4 years completing her Neurology residency. She then completed her fellowship at University Hospital Case Western Medical Center, where she was trained in Epilepsy.
Dr. Maturu became interested in Epilepsy quite early on in her training. She has a special interest in treating women with epilepsy and a passion for improving the quality of life in this specific patient population. In partnership with the Maternal Fetal Medicine department, she has developed the Epilepsy and High Risk OB Clinic, where she manages women that have epilepsy and are pregnant. She has also helped develop the Epilepsy Transition Clinic, which partners with Nationwide Children’s Hospital to provide more personalized care through this time.
Gregory Barnes, M.D., Ph.D., is the inaugural permanent director of the University of Louisville Autism Center. Dr. Barnes comes to UofL from Vanderbilt University. Barnes also holds the Spafford Ackerly Chair for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and faculty positions in the departments of Neurology and Pediatrics.
“Dr. Barnes is a national leader in providing care for people who are affected by autism,” said David L. Dunn, M.D., Ph.D., executive vice president for health affairs at UofL. “His emphasis on evidence-based treatment, teamed with his research into potential genetic influences into the development of the disorder, as well as the potential influence in epilepsy, make him a perfect fit for our program.”
In 2008, Barnes was appointed national neurology co-leader for the Autism Treatment Network. In 2012 he was appointed to the external scientific advisory committee for the Preclinical Autism Consortium for Therapeutics (PACT). He also has served as a reviewer for the Autism Speaks special grant program for preclinical translational research and the Autism Speaks translational postdoctoral fellowship grant program.
Barnes, who holds the academic title of associate professor of neurology and pediatrics, has held academic appointments at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Harvard Medical School, Duke University Medical School, the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, and Vanderbilt School of Medicine.
He earned his bachelor of science degree in molecular biology from Vanderbilt University before earning his PhD in biochemistry from the University of Kentucky. Dr. Barnes also earned his medical degree from UK. He served his pediatric residency at St. Louis Children’s Hospital in affiliation with Washington University School of Medicine. He served as a clinical fellow in pediatrics, neurology and epilepsy at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He completed an epilepsy research fellowship from the Duke University Center for the Advanced Study of Epilepsy.
Dr. Barnes is a native of Louisville and has two children. His wife Kay is a native of Owensboro, KY.
Dr. Caryn Dutton is the Division Director of Family Planning in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and on faculty at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA. She obtained her M.D. from the University of Connecticut, then completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Kaiser Permanente in Santa Clara, CA, and her fellowship in Family Planning at the Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center. Dr. Dutton has long-standing expertise in gynecologic and contraceptive care for patients with epilepsy, initially while she was at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, WI, and expanding this role in her collaborative care of patients with the Women’s Neurology Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA from 2010-2020. She has been named by her colleagues as a “Top Doctor” in Boston Magazine and has received numerous teaching awards for her work as a medical educator. Her research interests include evaluating the impact of anti-seizure medications on contraceptive hormones. As a board member for My Epilepsy Story, Dr. Dutton looks forward to continuing to advocate for and educate to advance provider awareness and patient access to high-quality reproductive health services for patients with epilepsy.
Jacquelin Argüello, B.Sc. is a Masters of Nursing student at Johns Hopkins University. She became interested in Epileptology in 2013 as a clinical research intern working on anti-seizure medication trials and epilepsy surgery projects. In 2015, she presented the poster presentation “Epilepsy surgery at a private Epilepsy center” at the OMICS International Epilepsy & Treatment Conference. In 2019, findings from her deep brain stimulation research were presented at the Neurosurgical Society of the Virginias Annual Meeting and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting. In 2017, she earned a Bachelor of Science in General Biology from the University of Maryland College. In 2018, she met Brandy McFadden and began working with My Epilepsy Story (MES). Her ultimate goal is to become a Nurse Practitioner in Neurology with plans to focus on women’s health and epilepsy, particularly within the Latino community. She hopes to continue working with MES for many years to come!
Dr. Mathews is a neurologist in Silver Spring, Maryland and he owns a practice specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy. In addition, he is the Medical Director of the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring. Dr. Mathews holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He earned his medical degree and Ph.D. from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. He completed his residency in Neurology and Fellowship in Clinical Neurophysiology and Epilepsy from Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.
Dr. Mathews was a Research Fellow with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Synaptic Physiology Unit. He is a Diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology with special qualification in Clinical Neurophysiology. Additionally, he has served on the faculty in the Department of Neurology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine from 2003 to 2010. Dr. Mathews’ research focused on the basic physiology and pharmacology of inhibition in the brain with funding from NINDS and CURE. He has published extensively on the role of GABA metabolism, particularly on the contribution of metabolic precursors, on the strength of inhibitory synaptic transmission in the brain. In his current practice, he works to offer his patients all possible options for the treatment of their epilepsy.
Dr. Meador is a Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at the Stanford University and Director of the SHC Epilepsy Monitoring Unit. Dr. Meador graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Applied Biology (with high honors) and received his MD from the Medical College of Georgia. After an internship at the University of Virginia and service as an officer in the Public Health Corps, he completed a residency in Neurology at the Medical College of Georgia and a fellowship in Behavioral Neurology at the University of Florida. Dr. Meador joined the faculty at the Medical College of Georgia (1984-2002), where he became the Charbonnier Professor of Neurology.
Dr. Meador was the Chair of Neurology at Georgetown University (2002-2004) and the Melvin Greer Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience at the University of Florida (2004-2008), where he served as Director of the Epilepsy Program and Director of the Clinical Alzheimer Research Program. He was a Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at Emory University (2008-2013), where he served as Director of Epilepsy and Director of Clinical Neuroscience Research. Dr. Meador joined the faculty of Stanford University in 2013, where he is a Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences and Director of the SHC Epilepsy Monitoring Unit.
He is currently the Multi-PI on two multicenter investigations: one on pregnancy outcomes in women with epilepsy, including neurodevelopmental effects of fetal antiepileptic drug exposure, and one on the cognitive effects of antiepileptic drugs in children with focal epilepsy. Dr. Meador has authored over 400 peer-reviewed publications. His research interests include cognitive mechanisms (e.g., memory and attention); cerebral lateralization; pharmacology and physiology of cognition; mechanisms of perception, consciousness and memory; EEG; epilepsy; preoperative evaluation for epilepsy surgery; intracarotid amobarbital procedure (i.e., Wada test); functional imaging; therapeutic drug trials; neurodevelopmental effects of antiepileptic drugs; psychoimmunology; behavioral disorders (e.g., aphasia, neglect, dementia); and neuropsychiatric disorders.
Dr. Meador has served on the editorial boards for Clinical Neurophysiology, Epilepsy and Behavior, Epilepsy Currents, Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology, Neurology, Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, and Epilepsy.com. His honors include the Resident Teaching Award Medical College of Georgia, Outstanding Young Faculty Award in Clinical Sciences Medical College of Georgia, Distinguished Faculty Award for Clinical Research Medical College of Georgia Lawrence C. McHenry History Award American Academy of Neurology, Dreifuss Abstract Award American Epilepsy Society, Fellow of the American Neurological Association, Diplomat of American Neurologic Association, past Chair of the Section of Behavioral Neurology of American Academy of Neurology, past President of Society for Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, past President of the Society for Behavioral & Cognitive Neurology, past President of the Southern EEG & Epilepsy Society, and American Epilepsy Society Clinical Research Award.
Dr. Bromley is a Paediatric Neuropsychologist at the University of Manchester and Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. Her interests surround exposure to medications in the womb and the possible impact on later child cognitive, motor, and social development. She completed her Ph.D. at the University of Liverpool, UK on the longer-term neurodevelopmental outcomes of children exposed to anti-seizure medications in the womb. Dr. Bromley later moved to the University of Manchester where she completed her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. She stayed in Manchester to continue her work with Professor Jill Clayton-Smith and later went on to develop a series of observational cohort studies aimed at further delineating the potential risks associated with in-utero exposure to medications, particularly antiseizure medications. She is on the committee for the UK and Ireland Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register and is leading their neurodevelopment work. Dr. Bromley is currently working with colleagues across Europe to improve the research and reporting of medication-exposed pregnancies. Her focus here is on improving the neurodevelopmental investigations within pregnancy pharmacovigilance, and as part of this, she is leading the Neurodevelopmental Pharmacovigilance Research Group at the University of Manchester.
Dr. Bromley has consulted on pregnancy pharmacovigilance topics for the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and she collaborates with several different Expert Experience Groups and UK epilepsy charities. Dr. Bromley has published over 40 academic articles and spoken at a number of international conferences.
Clinically Dr. Bromley works as part of the Complex Epilepsy Team at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and also the Manchester Rare Conditions Centre. She is involved in diagnosing and caring for children and young people with epilepsy, metabolic disorders, acquired brain injury, and other neurological conditions. She also provides Neuropsychological assessment and intervention for children and young people with Fetal Valproate Spectrum Disorder.
Laura Kirkpatrick, MD is a pediatric epileptologist and clinician-investigator at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where she is also the Associate Director of Child Neurology Research. She completed her undergraduate education at the University of Chicago (with Honors), medical school at Georgetown University (Cum Laude), and both residency training in child neurology and fellowship training in epilepsy at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research program focuses on improving comprehensive reproductive healthcare for adolescents and young adults with epilepsy, including individuals with both typical intellectual development and co-occurring intellectual disabilities. Her research program prioritizes community partnership strategies that center the perspectives of adolescents and young adults living with epilepsy and their families. Dr. Kirkpatrick’s work has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Child Neurology Foundation, the American Epilepsy Society, the Society of Family Planning, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Neurology. She also directs the Epilepsy Transition Clinic at the University of Pittsburgh, which optimizes care for adolescents and young adults who are transitioning from pediatric to adult healthcare.
(EEG Diplomate)
Neurology, Epilepsy & EEG
Since 2012, Dr. Esther Bui has worked as a neurologist and epilepsy specialist focusing on women's neurological health. She is an assistant professor and clinician educator within the Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. Bui's pregnancy and epilepsy clinic is dedicated to fertility, pre-conception counselling, pregnancy and postpartum care for women with epilepsy. As well, the women's epilepsy program has expanded to explore how menses, ageing, perimenopause and menopause can impact a woman's epilepsy. In 2015 Dr. Bui created an advanced training program for resident physicians to learn more about Women's Issues in Neurology. Physicians across Canada as well as the US and Europe come to learn Women's Neurology. In 2017, Dr. Bui founded Canada's first and only accredited Women's Neurology Fellowship at the University of Toronto. She is currently the co-Director of the Women's Neurology Fellowship Program and the Director of the Epilepsy Fellowship program. She has published 30+ scientific papers, a clinical handbook, "Women with Epilepsy: A Practical Management Handbook", and a children's book "Lost and Found: A Bunny's Story". Her children's book, inspired by the 900+ moms and babies graduates of the epilepsy & pregnancy clinic, was written to empower parents facing illness to create an authentic narrative of their lived
Advisory Board
Torbjörn Tomson is Professor of Neurology and Epileptology at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden and head of the Epilepsy Section at the Department of Neurology at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm.
Dr Tomson received his medical and neurology training at Karolinska Institutet where he gained his MD in 1974 and his PhD in 1983. He became Professor of Neurology in 2002 and Professor of Neurology and Epileptology in 2010 at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet.
Starting with studies of clinical pharmacology of antiepileptic drugs his research interest has developed to involve also epidemiological approaches with the overall aim to reduce risks in epilepsy and in association with its treatment. In the last decades his research has focused on two main areas: pregnancy outcomes in women with epilepsy and mortality in epilepsy, in particularly SUDEP. He was one of the initiators of EURAP, the international antiepileptic drugs and pregnancy registry, a collaboration between more than 40 countries, which he is currently leading. He has been engaged in national and international collaborative studies aiming at identifying risk factors for SUDEP as well improving our understanding of SUDEP mechanisms.
Dr Tomson has authored more than 200 papers related to epilepsy. He was awarded Ambassador of Epilepsy in 1999, the Golden Candle Award from the Swedish Epilepsy Association in 2011, the AES Research Recognition Award for Clinical Science in 2013, and is Honorary Professor of Hanoi Medical University since 2011.
Basil O. Dosunmu assumed the role of assistant commissioner of Finance and Administration for the Tennessee Department of Human Services on May 23, 2011. He was recently promoted to deputy commissioner of Finance and Administration.
Prior to joining DHS, Dosunmu was an auditor with the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority.
Dosunmu has more than 19 years of accounting and auditing experience with various industries including state and local government as well as a history as a global consultant, where he was focused on business processes improvement and exploring and evaluating new business opportunities.
A certified public accountant (CPA) as well as a certified internal auditor (CIA), Dosunmu held various positions such as assistant director of accounting for the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, assistant controller, senior financial analyst and staff accountant.
He is also a member of the Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA) and the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA).
Dosunmu has a bachelor of science degree in accounting from Rutgers University in Newark, N.J. Dosunmu is an active member of the board of TSCPA.
Kaitlyn Parratt is a Neurologist and Epileptologist at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney. Her areas of interest include anti-epileptic drug therapy, caring for women and young people with epilepsy and the psychological impacts of epilepsy in all patient populations. Kaitlyn is the current Vice President of the Epilepsy Society of Australia.
Dr. Thomas received his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Medicine from the University of Kerala before getting DM Neurology Degree from the prestigious Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Research in Trivandrum, India (1988). He joined the faculty of Neurology in the same Institute in 1990 and focussed on Epileptology. Dr. Thomas had fellowship training in epilepsy from the NIH, Bethesda, USA and University of Umea, Sweden in 1994.
His major research focus was on women with epilepsy. He initiated the Kerala Registry of Epilepsy and Pregnancy. This is the only registry from a developing country. He has over 150 publications to his credit. The data from this registry had provided several unique perspectives on challenges in managing epilepsy in women of reproductive age.
Dr. Thomas was awarded the Ambassador for Epilepsy by the ILAE and IBE in 2019. He was a Fulbright Professor in USA in 2011. He was a member of several task forces and commissions under the ILAE. Presently he is serving as the Director of the Institute of Communicative and Cognitive Neurosciences, Trivandrum, India.
Dr. Mathews is a neurologist in Silver Spring, Maryland and he owns a practice specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy. In addition, he is the Medical Director of the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring. Dr. Mathews holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He earned his medical degree and Ph.D. from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. He completed his residency in Neurology and Fellowship in Clinical Neurophysiology and Epilepsy from Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.
Dr. Mathews was a Research Fellow with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Synaptic Physiology Unit. He is a Diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology with special qualification in Clinical Neurophysiology. Additionally, he has served on the faculty in the Department of Neurology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine from 2003 to 2010. Dr. Mathews’ research focused on the basic physiology and pharmacology of inhibition in the brain with funding from NINDS and CURE. He has published extensively on the role of GABA metabolism, particularly on the contribution of metabolic precursors, on the strength of inhibitory synaptic transmission in the brain. In his current practice, he works to offer his patients all possible options for the treatment of their epilepsy.
Dr. McAuley received his BS Pharmacy (1987) and PhD in Clinical Pharmaceutical Science (1993) - both from the University of Pittsburgh. He started as an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Ohio State in March 1993 and has risen through the ranks to a Full Professor of Pharmacy Education & Innovation and Neurology. His research, teaching and practice revolve around patients with epilepsy. He has been recognized for his teaching and is a Fellow of the American Pharmacists Association. In 2014, he was appointed as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs where he continues his focus on enhancing the student experience.
Staff Members
Executive Director and Founder
Brandy McFadden
Education Director
James R. McFadden, II M.Ed.
Administrative Assistant
Jackie Arguello, B.S.
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Disclaimer: Education materials on our website offer general medical information based on up-to-date evidence and, when available, practice guidelines. They are not intended for individual medical advice. Please refer to your treating physician to understand how this information may be applied to your care.
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Disclaimer: Education materials on our website offer general medical information based on up-to-date evidence and, when available, practice guidelines. They are not intended for individual medical advice. Please refer to your treating physician to understand how this information may be applied to your care.
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