International Efforts

Global advocacy – With an increased life expectancy in India but little awareness about brain disorders and an absence of lobbying by scientists, there is a need for better advocacy by scientists in India. For this, I am part of IBRO India in collaboration and the National Brain Research Center (NBRC).

With Dr. Siddharth Shah at Pediatric Neurology Clinic, Ahmedabad, I was involved in two projects.

1. I designed a questionnaire-based study where I asked parents of children with epilepsy where they get information about their child’s condition. One of the gaps in care that emerged was that there was little information about epilepsy in local languages. I am working with local organizations to put together pamphlets on epilepsy and seizure first aid in Gujarati.
2. I wrote a proposal to investigate genes involved in benign non-familial seizures.

With Dr. Sanjeev Thomas, I am working on interviewing physicians and healthcare providers to identify gaps in care for epilepsy.

With Dr. Manjari Tripathi, I am designing a study to better understand the social pressures faced by adolescents with epilepsy in India.