This story is part of a series published for UNITE to CURE Epilepsy 2025
I’ve always been fascinated by the brain, but working in epilepsy research wasn’t always part of my plan. But once I saw how many lives my work could impact, I was all in.
Working in the Neural Signal Processing and Modeling Lab under CURE Epilepsy grantee Dr. Rachel June Smith, I became interested in neurologic research because I was fascinated by the brain and wanted to help people. Dr. Smith’s cure-centered approach to epilepsy research isn’t just innovative – it’s personal, driven, and full of purpose. Knowing how many people are impacted by this condition motivates me to make and translate discoveries that improve the treatment of people with epilepsy.
My research uses novel technologies and techniques to more accurately locate where focal seizures start in people with drug-resistant epilepsy. I do that by stimulating areas of the brain and analyzing how they react using intracranial EEG. At the University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB), I work directly with patients to do my research. If the stimulations result in seizure activity, that information helps the doctor identify which regions of the brain are impacted and provide better care.
CURE Epilepsy supports researchers like me through funding grants for early-career investigators. That support helps move promising ideas from the lab towards real impact – and it’s only made possible by donors like you. With recent cuts to federal funding for epilepsy research, your support plays a critical role in helping innovative research flourish.
Thank you for helping move science forward.