The foundations of epilepsy patient care and scientific epileptology at the University of Florida were laid by BJ Wilder and RP Schmidt over half a century ago. Dr. Wilder (known to friends and colleagues the world over as ‘BJ’) was instrumental in several pivotal studies that led to the approval of many second-generation anticonvulsant medications. In 1992, the epilepsy surgery program was launched. In 2018, we moved to our current state-of-the-art facility at the UFHealth Neuromedicine hospital, where we are a National Association of Epilepsy Centers Level IV center providing compassionate, patient-centered and innovative care for epilepsy.

‘It takes a village’. Quality comprehensive care for epilepsy can only be provided by a multidisciplinary effort that is coordinated to serve the patient’s best interests. At UFHealth, direct patient care is provided by a vibrant team of physician and nurse practitioner providers that partners with an adult and pediatric neurosurgeon. The provider group is the tip of an iceberg that includes a large team of EEG technologists, administrators and administrator assistants, hospital nursing staff and clinic medical assistants. For complex patients, our team also includes neuropsychologists, neuropathologists, neuroradiologists and a dietary biochemist.

The Epilepsy Division is staffed by a multidisciplinary team of expert physicians and healthcare providers. As an NAEC Level IV program, we endeavor to provide the best care, and the most-up-to date information about all aspects of epilepsy to our patients. While there is an abundance of information about epilepsy available on the Internet, our team has compiled a list of websites that contain authentic and useful information about epilepsy. Please remember that the field is constantly evolving, and information gathered should always be discussed with your provider. We are always available for patients and their carers to contact us directly with questions.

Our outpatient program services over 5000 patients from north and central Florida, and we see referrals from all over the state of Florida and the southern United States. We offer expert evaluation of patients suspected to have seizures, new patients following their first suspected seizure, and patients with a longer history whose seizures remain difficult to manage. All outpatients are offered a detailed and unhurried evaluation of their seizure disorder. Patients always have access to our staff through our phone lines and the patient portal of our electronic medical record system.

Inpatient services essentially revolve around hospitalized patients undergoing continuous EEG monitoring of some type. The service is staffed by two faculty members and a variable number of residents and fellows. The Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) is a dedicated 8-bed unit on the 5th floor of the Neuromedicine Hospital (NMH) serving epilepsy patients specifically admitted for diagnosis or pre-surgical workup of refractory epilepsy. Patients undergoing invasive EEG monitoring are jointly managed by the epilepsy faculty, critical care faculty and the neurosurgery service in the Neurointensive Care Unit on the 4th floor of NMH. 

Neurodiagnostic services are fully integrated into our bright and airy workspace at the UFHealth Neuromedicine Hospital. The outpatient EEG lab performs routine EEG, multi-day ambulatory EEG, short (6-hour) video-EEG, evoked potentials and PET-EEG. A transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) service was inaugurated in July 2020. Magnetoencephalography (MEG), operating out of the Fixel Institute, was introduced in June 2023. Both TMS and MEG are specialized neurophysiological modalities for epilepsy surgery and brain tumor patients. The inpatient EEG service performs Long Term and Critical Care EEG Monitoring (LT/CCEM) across the entire UF Health hospital complex, in addition to serving the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU).

The epilepsy surgery program at the University of Florida was started in 1992 to expand treatment options for patients with seizures not controlled by medications alone. Since then we have performed over 1500 surgical procedures for epilepsy. Epilepsy surgery is a complex process supported by our entire interdisciplinary team of physicians, surgeons, radiologists, neuropsychologists and many other providers. We combine a substantial historical experience with adoption of the emerging technologies of stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) and minimally invasive approaches (laser ablation therapy) to offer a truly comprehensive treatment approach tailored to the individual patient.

While the traditional methods of treating epilepsy – with antiseizure drugs and with brain surgery – continue to advance, a further method of controlling seizures – neuromodulation – is rapidly evolving. ‘Neuromodulation’ is the process by which certain brain areas are activated electrically so that they may influence other brain areas to reduce the tendency for seizures. The first neuromodulatory treatment to be FDA-approved was vagal nerve stimulation (VNS), but in recent years RNS (responsive neurostimulation) and DBS (deep brain stimulation) have been approved for use in selected patient populations.

Treatments for epilepsy are under constant evolution, as the epilepsy community tries out new therapies to improve epilepsy care. Several of the major pharmaceuticals currently FDA-approved for the treatment of epilepsy underwent early trials at UF. Our team believes that complementary therapies – diet based, such as the Precision Ketogenic Diet, or hormone based for catemenial seizures – can have a strong therapeutic effect. We offer clinical trial participation for eligible patients, and alternative treatments are always available for those who have failed more conventional treatments in the past.

Resident training in epilepsy and EEG is integrated into the overall training scheme of the UF neurology residency program. Despite the breadth of the subject of clinical epileptology, our resident training mission is aimed at the future community general neurologist. We strive to impart knowledge that is clinically important about common presentations, yet reasonably complete in scope. A particular focus is the interpretation of EEG and continuous monitoring in hospitalized acute patients. In addition, we expose trainees to the challenges of complex and surgical epilepsy syndromes, so that they may glimpse the excitement of this neurological subspecialty and be inspired to dig deeper.

Our epilepsy fellowship was launched in 2021 as an ACGME-accredited, one-year program, with up to two positions available for applicants completing an adult or pediatric neurology residency in the United States. On completion, our fellows are eligible to take the epilepsy added qualification examination offered by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. We strive to provide a lively, challenging year of advanced training in epilepsy and EEG with a structured educational curriculum underscored by significant exposure to complex adult and pediatric epilepsy. Clinical, didactic and research experience are combined to create a comprehensive experience. Uniquely, our program offers fellows the opportunity for a fully funded one-month educational experience anywhere in the world that is relevant to their educational goals. (Note that our department supports separate clinical neurophysiology  and critical care EEG fellowships. Interested candidates may inquire about a 2-year program that combines these offerings).

We are proud to exist in the #1 university in the State of Florida and the #7 public university in the country (US News & World Report, 2025); UF’s combined neuroscience research program recently ranked #2 among public universities. Endowed in 2012 by the generosity of the BJ and Eve Wilder family foundation, the Wilder Center for Epilepsy Research houses the Division’s research efforts. Our members and affiliates pursue a wide variety of themes in the brain science around epilepsy. Interdisciplinary collaborations are particularly  encouraged.