Fellowships and Research

Fellowship opportunities

The Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) Comprehensive Epilepsy Program offers a 12-month full-time Epilepsy Fellowship position. This position is fully funded, and designed for a Neurology Advanced Trainee working towards a career in clinical epileptology and research.

The Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital is a 1000-bed tertiary referral centre located in the inner-city suburb of Herston.  The hospital provides general epilepsy services to Metro North Hospital and Health Service, and is the site of the state’s Comprehensive Epilepsy Program.

The service consists of a multi-disciplinary team including seven clinical epileptologists (all accredited level 3 advanced EEG supervisors), with support from epilepsy nursing and neurophysiology Scientists, as well as full-time neuropsychology and neuropsychiatry services. Neuroradiology and nuclear Medicine services provide both routine and advanced epilepsy imaging techniques.

The Epilepsy Service reviews approximately 700 new cases annually in subspecialty clinics including Epilepsy and First Seizure, Women and Epilepsy, Complex Epilepsy, and Paediatric Transition Clinics. The associated neurophysiology service performs over 2000 studies each year. There are three dedicated video-EEG beds, which provide long-term monitoring for over 100 patients annually.  A Multidisciplinary Epilepsy Meeting is held weekly.

Duties of the Epilepsy Fellow include:

• Epilepsy outpatient clinics (four rostered clinics each week)
• Management and reporting of all long-term video monitoring cases.
• Preparation and presentation of cases in weekly Multidisciplinary Epilepsy Meeting.
• Three rostered sessions for reading of routine inpatient, outpatient, and ICU EEGs.
• Subspecialty epilepsy consultation service.
• Participation in research and clinical trials.
• The fellow is included in a rotating Neurology weekend on-call roster. There are no General Medicine on-call duties.

The Fellowship has a strong emphasis on education. There are weekly consultant-led EEG teaching sessions, and all clinical duties are performed under supervision of Consultant Epileptologists.  Fellows also contribute on a rostered basis to weekly meetings in general neurology, neuroradiology, neurology research, and Grand Rounds. There are opportunities for formal teaching of medical students and junior medical staff.

The Fellow is expected to undertake a research project during their appointment, with the aim of peer-reviewed publication and/or presentation at national meetings. Enrolment in a higher degree is encouraged. The department has close ties to the University of Queensland with respect to both research and education.

Research

The RBWH Comprehensive Epilepsy Program team views research as a key priority for improving the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy.

Our team members collaborate with key local and national research groups.

Patients within the  Comprehensive Epilepsy Program may be able to participate in research studies whilst attending the service.

Patients are also given the opportunity to join the RBWH epilepsy research registry to register their interest in being contacted about future research studies and clinical trials.

Areas of research include:     

• Genetics and Epilepsy: Studies to improve our understanding of the cause of epilepsy and how to better treat epilepsy.
• Women and Epilepsy in conjunction with the Australian Pregnancy Register: Evaluation of the effects of epilepsy and its treatment on pregnancy and fetal outcomes.
• Neuroimaging of epilepsy: Studies on the structure and function of the brain in disease and health.
• Clinical Trials: Supervised clinical trials of new methods of treating epilepsy.
• Neuropsychology of Epilepsy: Studies of cognitive, emotional and psychosocial factors relevant to the diagnosis and management of epilepsy.