Team Members

During your evaluation and treatment in the Epilepsy Surgery Program, you will meet many health care professionals. Listed below are the members of our team and a description of their roles:

Admission/testing secretary

Upon completion of your paperwork by your doctor, an admission/testing secretary will contact you regarding insurance and general information and scheduling. If needed, we also schedule a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) test before admission or after Phase I. 

Note: Since we cannot predict when patients have seizures, your date for admission to the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) is tentative. It is common for delays in patient admission to range from two to three days, and it is possible to be delayed up to two weeks. However, if a bed is available, your admission date may be earlier than expected.

Certified EEG technologist

The certified EEG technologist familiarizes you and your family with the equipment. The technologist also explains, records, and performs your brain wave tests, your brain mapping, and your Wada testing (a test that examines language and memory function on each side of the brain, one side at a time).

Neurologist/Epileptologist

A Neurologist is a doctor that diagnoses and treats problems with the brain and nerves, explains new drugs and treatments for epilepsy, provides clinical care, and reads test findings. An Epileptologist is a neurologist who specializes in the care and treatment of patients with epilepsy.

Neuropsychologist

The Neuropsychologist tests for problems with memory, speech, language, and motor skills. Testing provides the neuropsychologist with insight into the parts of the brain where seizures begin and also indicates possible problems after epilepsy surgery.

Neurosurgeon

The Neurosurgeon plans and performs surgery. This may include surgical resection (removal of the part of the brain that causes seizures), brain wave measurement, and/or placement of a Vagus Nerve Stimulator (a special electrode placed in the neck and connected to a generator placed in the chest to help reduce the number of seizures).

Nurse Associate

The Nurse Associate takes care of your needs during your Epilepsy Surgery Program stay.

Psychiatrist

The Psychiatrist diagnoses and treats pre-and post-surgery issues if needed.

Psychologist

The Psychologist can help you and your family with counseling, support services (including groups), or financial aid.

Residents/Fellows

As part of our mission to train doctors of the future, Henry Ford Health provides supervised care by residents chosen to be part of our program.

Speech-Language Pathologist

The Speech-Language Pathologist tests your language before and after epilepsy surgery and may suggest more treatment post-surgery.