The Pediatric Epilepsy Research Foundation® (PERF) was established in 2004 as a not-for-profit foundation to support research in pediatric epilepsy and other pediatric neurologic conditions.
In 1994, Roy Elterman, MD (Dallas Pediatric Neurology Associates) and Don Shields, MD (UCLA) began an investigator initiated study of vigabatrin for the treatment of infantile spasms. A national collaborative group, the Vigabatrin Infantile Spasms Study Group (VISSG) was set up to allow child neurologists access to vigabatrin for patients with infantile spasms until it was approved by the FDA. Medication was obtained from Aventis Pharmaceuticals and a single-blind, high-dose/low-dose study was approved by the FDA. Aventis later decided not to seek approval for vigabatrin in the US. A start-up company, Ovation Pharmaceuticals, eventually purchased US rights for vigabatrin with the plan to seek FDA approval. The VISSG data proved to be essential for FDA approval. Because the VISSG pivotal study was not included in the purchase from Aventis, Ovation agreed to pay royalties for the data. It was decided that the highest and best use of that money would be to establish the Pediatric Epilepsy Research Foundation® as a not-for-profit foundation to support pediatric neurologic research.
PERF funded its first grant in 2010.
Enhance the quality of life of children (and their families) with epilepsy and/or other neurologic disorders. To accomplish this mission, the Foundation, in particular seeks to support:
Roy D. Elterman, MD, President
{"id":1,"name":"Roy D. Elterman, MD, President","exec":"1","seq":"0","desc":"Dr. Roy Elterman is President of the Pediatric Epilepsy Research Foundation. He is Board Certified in Neurology with special qualification in child neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. His pediatric training was at the University of California, San Francisco, adult neurology training at the University of Miami\/Jackson Memorial Hospital and pediatric neurology fellowship at the UT Health Science Center in San Antonio. He was the chief of pediatric neurology at USAF Wilford Hall Medical Center, San Antonio from 1979-1981. He engaged in the clinical practice of child neurology at Dallas Pediatric Neurology Associates for thirty years, retiring in 2011. During that time he was a founding member and active participant of the Neuro-Oncology Clinic at Children's Medical Center-Dallas. He has been active in the Child Neurology Society chairing both the Practice Committee and Legislative Affairs Committee and serving the on the Training Committee and Nominating Committee. He is a founding member of the Child Neurology Foundation and served as Chairman of the Capital Acquisition Committee. Dr. Elterman has been an examiner for the Part II examination of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and was on the committee to develop the Re-Certification Examination. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology and a member of both the Child Neurology Society and the American Epilepsy Society. His research interests and publications have been in pediatric neuro-oncology and pediatric epilepsy. He has been active in the development of several recently marketed antiepilepsy medications and played a key role in making vigabatrin available for the treatment of infantile spasms in the United States.","created_at":null,"updated_at":"2019-03-10 18:41:08"}
W. Donald Shields, MD, Vice-President
{"id":2,"name":"W. Donald Shields, MD, Vice-President","exec":"1","seq":"0","desc":"Dr. Shields is Emeritus Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles. He served as Division Chief of Neurology at UCLA for 25 years. His research and patient care focused on \"Improving the lives of the unfortunate children with catastrophic childhood epilepsy.\" He and the division developed a national and international reputation for epilepsy research and patient care, notably in the surgical approach to medically intractable epilepsy in very young children and the development of anticonvulsant medications. He has trained more than 40 child neurology residents and pediatric epilepsy fellows, several of whom are now national and international leaders in child neurology and pediatric epilepsy. He has received numerous teaching awards including two Pediatric and two Neurology teaching awards from residents. Other honors include the UCLA School of Medicine Sherman Mellinkoff Faculty Award given for \"Dedication to the Art of Medicine and to the Finest Doctor-Patient Relationships\" and \"The University of Utah School of Medicine Distinguished Alumnus Award\".","created_at":null,"updated_at":"2019-03-02 16:32:00"}