Promotion and new appointment for epilepsy

Congratulations to Dr Andrew Neal, who has been appointed to succeed Professor Patrick Kwan as Director of Epilepsy, Alfred Health, and also promoted to Associate Professor.

Associate Professor Neal joined Alfred Health and Central Clinical School in 2019 as a consultant Neurologist and Epileptologist, lead for the Alfred Advanced Epilepsy Surgery Program and as a research fellow in CCS’s Department of Neuroscience. He also served as Deputy Director of Epilepsy at Alfred Health from 2020. 

A/Prof Neal is a national leader in advanced epilepsy surgery, in particular stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG). SEEG involves the surgical implantation of electrodes into the brain to understand the role of brain networks in the pathophysiology of drug-resistant epilepsy and its associated neurocognitive deficits.

Prior to joining CCS, he completed a 12 month stereo-EEG fellowship in Lyon, France where he gained expertise in SEEG and quantitative techniques for SEEG signal analysis. At the Alfred, he led the establishment of a multi-site SEEG and thermocoagulation clinical research program, which has now completed 50 cases and established itself as a leading program in Australia. It now receives referrals from across Victoria and Australia. 

He has established an innovative research program utilising SEEG, and other evaluations undertaken as part of the presurgical evaluation, with the aim to understand the role of brain networks in the pathophysiology of drug resistant epilepsy, and its associated neurocognitive deficits. He also has a research interest, and significant publications, in tumour-associated epilepsy, a form of epilepsy that is commonly drug resistant. His work is recognised nationally and internationally.

He successfully secured 10 separate grant awards totalling more than $1.5 million, including the highly competitive NHMRC Investigator Grant scheme. He has a strong commitment and passion for research and clinical training, currently supervising seven PhD students and six epilepsy fellows.

“Associate Professor Neal is an outstanding clinical neurologist and epileptologist who has done incredible things with the SEEG research program in just a few short years,” said Helmut Butzkueven, Head of the Department of Neuroscience. “We are delighted to have someone of his expertise, leadership skills and academic strengths to take over from Professor Kwan the leadership of our Epilepsy Unit at Alfred Health.”