Inova Epilepsy Center

Helping You to Have the Quality of Life You Deserve

We provide individualized care with an integrated, multidisciplinary care team lead by a Medical Director who is an epileptologist. The focus of our entire care team to help each patient become seizure free when feasible. And, for those patients whose seizures are not yet under control, we provide a very comprehensive approach to care.

The Inova Epilepsy Center offers the latest diagnostics in order to pinpoint your diagnosis since seizure activity varies by person. We also can review pharmaceutical options based on your seizure activity and possible side effects as well as to assess whether or not surgical options are a consideration that can help to reduce or eliminate seizures. On our care team we have specialists to help you manage the social and emotional aspects of epilepsy. We also provide second opinions and seizure evaluations.

Specialized Care, Customized for Your Needs in a Nationally Accredited Epilepsy Center

Our location in Inova Fairfax Hospital is a nationally accredited Level 4 epilepsy center (indicating the highest level of epilepsy care) since 2014 as accredited by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers.

We can provide complex neurodiagnostic monitoring of the actual seizure activity in the brain as well as pharmaceutical treatment care approaches and neuropsychological and psychosocial evaluation and treatment all in one center. Our Level 4 epilepsy center designation also means we can offer advanced epilepsy surgery services, including evaluation with intracranial electrodes, DBS and laser ablation. Our specialized care team will work with you as a whole person to help you have a better path to health and life with full access to all that is available to offer in epilepsy diagnosis and treatment.

Should You Be Seen by a Specialist?

Delayed or denied referral may be detrimental to the patient’s health, safety and quality of life.

Listen to our Epilepsy Medical Program Director about when to see an epilepsy specialist and why it is important:

If your seizures have not been brought under control after three months of care by a primary care provider (family physician, pediatrician), further neurologic intervention by a neurologist, or an epilepsy center if locally available, is appropriate
If you are seeing a general neurologist, and your seizures have not been brought under control after 12 months, you should insist upon a referral to a specialized epilepsy center with an epileptologist
If the diagnosis of epilepsy is in question or if psychogenic nonepileptic events are suspected, a referral to an epilepsy center is appropriate early in the evaluation process for diagnostic purposes

Appointments

Epilepsy Monitoring Unit

If you have any questions about the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) contact: Anne M. Giles, FNP-BC, MSN, BSN, BA, Nurse Practioner, by phone, 571-472-4196 or email anne.giles@inova.org.

Outpatient Appointment Scheduling for New and Existing Patients

To make an outpatient appointment for seizure and epilepsy evaluation and/or monitoring contact: Michelle Harvey, Physician Practice Team Lead, by phone, 703-575-2185 or email michelle.harvey@inova.org.

Epilepsy Follow up Care

For epileptic seizure-related questions, please contact: Erinn O'Grady, BSN, RN, Epilepsy Patient Navigator, by phone, 571-472-4199 or email erinn.o'grady@inova.org.

Note: Epilepsy follow care includes arranging appointments for patients with new onset seizures and refractory (difficult to treat) epilepsy. Most new patient appointments are scheduled within 1-2 weeks of initial contact.

Inova Epilepsy Center - Patient Story Videos