Western Epilepsy Research Day 2026

Friday, February 6th, 2026 | Great Hall, Somerville House

Keynote Speakers:

  • Dr. Yemi Damisah – 8:10–9:10 a.m., in place of CNS Epilepsy Rounds (Microsoft Teams and in-person at the Great Hall)
  • Dr. Tugci Balci – session timing to be announced

 

  

Dr. Yemi Damisah, MD is a neurosurgeon specializing in the treatment of adults and children with drug-resistant epilepsy and movement disorders. She focuses on minimally invasive surgical approaches, advanced brain mapping technologies, and implantable devices such as DBS, RNS, and VNS to target seizures, movement disorders, and psychiatric conditions. Dr. Damisah serves as Division Chief of Epilepsy and Functional Neurosurgery at Yale School of Medicine and co-directs the Center for Brain and Mind Health, which integrates engineering, psychiatry, and neurosurgery to develop innovative treatments for neurological and functional disorders. Her research investigates the neural mechanisms of threat processing and the neuroanatomical substrates of higher-order cognition that can be modulated to treat anxiety, PTSD, and related conditions.
 

Dr. Tugce B. Balci, MD, PhD is a Clinical Geneticist and Clinician-Researcher specializing in rare genetic diseases, with a focus on neurological conditions. She serves as the London site lead for the Care4Rare SOLVE project, where her research focuses on identifying novel disease genes, interpreting gene variants, and developing animal models to advance personalized treatments. Dr. Balci completed her medical training in Turkey and a postdoctoral fellowship studying rare disease models in zebrafish, before finishing her Canadian residency at the University of Ottawa. Her work bridges clinical care and research, aiming to improve diagnosis and create new avenues for individualized therapies for children and adults with rare genetic conditions.