The Epilepsy Family Project at mount Sinai School of Medicine has been searching for the causes of epilepsy for over 14 years. Recently Dr's. David Greenberg and Martina Durner, two of the principal investigators of the project made a huge step forward, finding evidence that Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (JME) may be tied to several genes on the 6th and 18th human Chromosome.

Since making this exciting discovery Dr. Durner, who is both a neurologist and geneticist, has dedicated herself to the CAE Family Study, with a new goal of finding the genes associated with Childhood Absence Epilepsy.

For this research project we have assembled a number of individuals in many fields of expertise. A large network of pediatric neurologists and epilepsy organizations collaborates with Dr. Durner and the Epilepsy Study's staff of epidemiologists, molecular biologists, pediatricians, and geneticists at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

We work directly with hospitals around the New York, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Providence and Boston metropolitan areas. In addition, we referred patients through the Epilepsy Foundation of America, and the American Epilepsy Society.

Working closely with Dr. Durner is Study Site Coordinator Dana Politis who has been with the team since spring 2005 and is studying for her Masters of Public Health in Health Management at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.

Sandy Wrigley recently joined the team as the medical liaison for physicians and study families. She is an experienced pediatric nurse and midwife from South Africa with a strong background as a research study site coordinator for major pharmaceutical companies.