Seizing Hope: High Tech Journeys in Pediatric Epilepsy

EVENT TIMELINE

4:15PM Doors open

5:00PM Screening starts

5:45PM Panel and Audience Q&A

6:15PM Reception

7:00PM Adjourn

Can new technology bring hope to children who have drug-resistant epilepsy?

More than 500,000 children in Canada and the USA have epilepsy. About a third of those children continue to have seizures despite taking anti-seizure medications, also known as pediatric drug resistant epilepsy (DRE). Surgery may be one option for them, but what if there is another option that is less invasive or more effective? What if new technology can bring hope to children who have DRE?

Moderator:

Judy Illes, CM, PhD, FRSC, FCAHS

Professor and UBC Distinguished Scholar in Neuroethics

Director, Neuroethics Canada

University of British Columbia

Panelists:

Patrick J. McDonald MD, MHSc, FRCSC

Associate Professor and Head, Section of Neurosurgery

Section Head, Neurosurgery, Shared Health Manitoba

Department of Surgery

University of Manitoba

Johann Roduit, PhD

Science Communicator, Producer, and Founding Partner of Conexkt

RECEPTION

We would like to invite you to join the science and film team, together with the families featured in the film, for a short reception immediately following the screening. The reception will take place at the same venue as the screening.

Please note that seating is general admission and is first-come, first-served. Tickets obtained through registration at Eventbrite do not guarantee guests a seat at the theatre. Theatre is overbooked to ensure a full house.

ABOUT SEIZING HOPE

Families with children suffering from pediatric drug resistant epilepsy (DRE) face complex realities. In a world guided by the promises of technology, the goal of Seizing Hope is to raise awareness about the options offered by different technologies specifically for the brain in complement or as an alternative to treatment with medication. As the directors and producers of this mini-documentary, we want to empower and improve decision-making by exploring values and priorities through the lens of the families and doctors who care for them. We compiled the stories of four families with children who have pediatric DRE to shed light on their hope, trust, and empowerment journey.

The views and research presented in this documentary represent a multi-year neuroethics project funded by the National Institute of Mental Health of the USA National Institutes of Health, BRAIN Initiative.

CREDITS

Neuroethics Canada UBC, with funding from the NIH/NIMH BRAIN Initiative (#RF1MH117805-01) in association with Conexkt Innovation Studio And Cassiar Film CO. present Seizing Hope.

Featuring the Bagg, Chartrand, Thompson, and Cowin families.

Executive Producers Dr. Judy Illes and Dr. Patrick J. McDonald.

Produced by Dr. Johann Roduit. Directed by Adam Wormald

Learn more at https://www.seizinghopefilm.com/