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News and Announcements | July 27, 2023 | Cook Children's

Pediatric epilepsy leaders visit Cook Children's

Pediatric epilepsy leaders

The Jane and John Justin Institute for Mind Health was pleased to welcome the Pediatric Epilepsy Research Consortium (PERC) to Cook Children's May 3-5 for their annual strategic retreat. Nearly 50 leading epileptologists, neuropsychologists and researchers from across the U.S., convened to outline research priorities and develop collaborative multicenter protocols. PERC was founded in 2010 by physicians and scientists determined to find better treatments for their patients. Since then, PERC has grown to become the leader in pediatric epilepsy research by providing a network and infrastructure to facilitate collegial, collaborative, practice-changing research. Through 14 special interest groups, PERC works to improve the care of every child with epilepsy.

M. Scott Perry, M.D., Head of Neurosciences and Director of the Justin Institute, serves on the steering committee for PERC and will assume the role of chairperson at the end of 2023. "PERC has achieved so much in the last decade, addressing gaps in knowledge related to infantile spasms, early onset epilepsy, epilepsy surgery and more. As the organization prepares to become an independent 501(c)(3), I am most excited to see how over 60 institutions working together can revolutionize the way we study epilepsy - bringing better treatments and better outcomes to the kids we care for, faster."

To learn more about the Pediatric Epilepsy Research Consortium visit, www.pediatricerc.org.

Justin Institute psychiatrist presents at national meeting

Photo of Dr. Steve Chennankara, psychiatrist at Cook Children's

Steve Chennankara, D.O., psychiatrist at Cook Children's, was invited to speak at the 2023 American Psychiatric Association meeting in San Francisco, Calif. His presentation, titled “Treating evangelical Christians: Challenges and opportunities,” explored potential obstacles that arise when religious beliefs conflict with origins of mental struggles. Speakers explored resources to address these obstacles, along with opportunities for collaboration and education. Dr. Chennankara discussed his work with families of Southern Baptists and Charismatics, the largest and the fastest growing sub-groups of American Evangelicals, respectively.

Kia Carter, M.D., leads Grand Rounds

Photo of Dr. Kia Carter, medical director of Psychiatry at Cook Children's

Kia Carter, M.D., Medical Director of Psychiatry, presented Cook Children's Grand Rounds on “Managing psychiatric crisis in children with severe autism spectrum disorders in an inpatient setting.” In this presentation, she discussed the differential diagnosis of disruptive behaviors in children with autism. Her speech highlighted the need to search for medical causes when the child may not adequately be able to express the reasons for their behavioral changes. She reviewed evidence-based treatment options for children with autism spectrum disorder and identified important ways providers within the health care system can collaborate to improve care for this group.

Watch Dr. Carter's Video Grand Rounds

Inaugural Meeting of the Mind: A huge success!

Pictogram of brain

The Jane and John Justin Institute for Mind Health hosted the inaugural Meeting of the Mind, April 20-22 at the Fort Worth Hilton. More than 200 attendees listened to lectures covering a range of neuroscience topics including epilepsy, autism, mental health, disparities in care and more. “The goal of Meeting of the Mind is to highlight topics of interest from all the specialties within the Justin Institute. There is great overlap in both the conditions we treat and the patients we share – so exchanging knowledge from our respective areas of expertise helps everyone provide better care,” said Dr. Perry, Head of Neurosciences and Director of the Justin Institute. In addition, the conference included a special day-long meeting of the Texas Magnetoencephalography (MEG) Consortium hosted by Christos Papadelis, Ph.D., Director of the Neurosciences Research Center at Cook Children's. Meeting of the Mind will occur every two years with the next conference scheduled for April 16-18, 2025. Mark your calendars!

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