Mentorship

The Surgical Education Task Force of the ILAE Surgical Therapies Commission is pleased to announce a new local mentorship program. The goal of this program is to introduce new epilepsy surgery centers around the globe and expand access to surgical care worldwide. Each mentorship experience will include a collaboration between 1) a volunteer epilepsy neurosurgeon and neurologist team from an experienced surgical center, and 2) the clinical team at the new surgical center receiving mentorship.

The mentorship program typically includes several months of preparation and conference discussions of potential surgical cases, which is performed virtually, as well as approximately two weeks of on-site, hands-on mentorship during which the mentors visit the site to oversee surgical cases.

The ideal candidate center for the program will be in a location where epilepsy surgery is not available or not common, but also a center that already has in place the key personnel, resources, facilities, and motivation to launch a new epilepsy surgery program.

If you would like to suggest a potential center for mentorship, or if you would like to volunteer as a mentor, please contact the chair of the Surgical Therapies Commission.

Mentorship Program Reports

2024

Mexico City, Mexico (2024)
National Medical Center of the ISSSTE
Neurosurgery local organizers: Lizbeth Itzel Sandoval Olivares and Cuauhtemoc Gil-Ortiz Mejía
Mentors: Arthur Cukiert and Cristine Cukiert

Tbilisi, Georgia (2024)
Iashvili Children’s Hospital
Neurosurgery local organizer: Lado Tsikarishvili
Mentors: Christian Dorfer and Ekaterina Pataraia

Surabaya, Indonesia (2024)
Soetorno General Hospital
Neurosurgery local organizer: Heri Subianto
Mentors: Sarat Chandra and Manjari Tripathi

2023

Assuncion, Paraguay (2023)
Hospital IPS
Neurosurgery local organizer: Oscar Servin
Mentors: Arthur Cukiert and Cristine Cukiert