About us

Epilepsy is a common condition that causes people to have unpredictable and recurrent seizures, caused by sudden disruptions to the electrical activity in the brain.

Epilepsy can begin in childhood or adulthood.

We are the leading epilepsy centre in Australia. We treat patients from around Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia. We are recognised as an international leader in both clinical care and research. 

Depending on your needs, you may be referred for an appointment at one of our clinics, admitted into the ward, or a combination of both.

For up to 70% of people with epilepsy, seizures can be controlled with medication. For a very small number of people, treatment with surgery may be an option. We are one of a small number of centres that offers epilepsy video monitoring and surgery.

The exact treatment that you receive for epilepsy depends on a number of factors. You can discuss these with your doctor.

Our services

We provide the following services:

• Tests and scans to diagnose the type of epilepsy you have and the impact of epilepsy on your brain
• Video EEG monitoring, which involves staying in hospital to be monitored 24 hours a day
• Assessment from a neuropsychologist, to determine whether and how epilepsy has affected your learning or memory and how you may be affected by surgery
• Psychiatric assessment
• Epilepsy surgery
• Epilepsy treatments, including medication, the Ketogenic Diet and Vagal Nerve Stimulator (VNS)
• The opportunity to participate in clinical trials

Our clinics

We run the following clinics:

• First Seizure Clinic

Our epilepsy research

The directors of our adult and children's epilepsy programs, Professors Sam Berkovic and Ingrid Scheffer, also lead the Epilepsy Research Centre at The University of Melbourne, which is based here at Austin Health.

The integration of this research team into our Comprehensive Epilepsy Program has many benefits for patients, including access to the latest clinical trials, cutting-edge neuroimaging and other technologies, and the rapid translation of research findings into treatments.

This research team has discovered several types of epilepsy and numerous epilepsy genes - including the first gene linked to epilepsy, in 1995. Their impact on the global understanding of epilepsy saw them jointly awarded the 2014 Prime Minister's Prize for Science.

In addition, Prof Scheffer lead a major revision of the classification system for epilepsy, published in 2017, and was involved in pioneering research that showed that cannabidiol can reduce seizures in children with the rare epilepsy, Dravet syndrome.

Related services

• Children's epilepsy

  We assess, care for and treat children and adolescents with epilepsy.

• Nerve & brain conditions

  We care for and treat people for diseases of the brain, spinal cord, nerves and muscles.

• Diagnosing brain, nerve & muscle disorders

  We provide tests to help your doctor find problems related to your brain, your brain's blood supply, nerves and muscles.

• Brain surgery

  We care for and treat people who need brain surgery, including people with epilepsy, brain tumours or who have had a stroke.

• PET scans

  We take medical images of the inside of your body to show how your organs and tissues are working.

• Neuropsychology

  We specialise the relationship between brain function and behaviour.

Referrals

For patients

You need a referral from your GP or neurologist to access this service.

If someone is having a seizure for the first time, call 000 immediately and ask for an ambulance.

For health professionals

Find out how to refer your patient.

Contact us

Comprehensive Epilepsy Program

If you are a current parent or carer and need to contact us, please email:

Penny Kincade
Neuroscience Liaison Nurse

Email: penny.kincade@austin.org.au

Email is preferred, otherwise please call 03 9496 5000 and ask for your name and contact details to be sent to pager number 3030.

Head of Unit
Professor Piero Perucca

Location

Level 6 East
Austin Tower
Austin Hospital
145 Studley Road
Heidelberg, VIC

View location map

Postal address

Comprehensive Epilepsy Program
Austin Health
PO Box 5555
Heidelberg Victoria 3084