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About Us

Location

Toronto Western Hospital
West Wing – 2​nd​ Floor


Contact

Phone: 416 603 5232​

Referral Fax: 416 603 5768


Hours

Clinic Hours

​Tuesday and Wednesday
9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Thursday
9:00 am – 4:00 pm

If you wish to contact us, we are available
Monday – Friday
8:00 am – 4:00 pm


Location

Contact

Hours

Location

Contact

Hours

Location

Contact

Hours


Referrals

Now accepting Ocean eReferrals

This clinic is now accepting referrals through Ocean eReferral to help everyone save time and increase efficiency.

Send an Ocean eReferral

For urgent referrals, please contact the neurologist's office directly. Please note: All Status Epilepticus referrals are considered urgent. This will be assessed accordingly by the neurologist accepting the patient.

Please note that only physicians may send a referral. Please send an Ocean eReferral or fax the following to 416 603 5768 when referring your patient to one of the neurologists.

  • A referral letter
  • Clinical notes from previous consultants
  • Imaging studies (CT, MRI)
  • Reports of any abnormal laboratory tests

Our office will call the referring physician with information about the patient's first appointment. The referring physician's office​e is responseble for providing the patient with the appointment information, including time and location, and important documents, test results and imaging that they must bring.

Project ECHO® – Epilepsy

Project ECHO® is a knowledge sharing network that links expert specialist teams at an academic hub with primary care clinicians in the community. Through online video conferencing, primary care clinicians receive mentoring and feedback from specialists so together, they can manage patient cases.

To learn more about and/or register for an Epilepsy session, please visit Project ECHO® Ontario: Epilepsy Across the Lifespan.

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Please note that clinic appointments may be virtual visits. The clinic team will let you know what type of appointment is appropriate for your care. Learn more about virtual visits at UHN »

What We Do

​​Epilepsy is a brain disorder that causes signals to be sent improperly from the brain. These confused signals cause seizures (involuntary sensations, movements or convulsions). Epilepsy can begin at any age and can be caused by brain damage or injury, abnormal development or an imbalance of chemicals in the brain.

Epilepsy is a disease where there is still a lot of misunderstanding. At the Krembil Brain Institute, we know about the physical and emotional hardships that can come with this disease, and we know about its social consequences. Our goal is to work with community organizations so that patients are able to bridge their medical care with the necessary support needed to live life to the fullest.

We're working on new treatments to lessen the effect of seizures and improve quality of life. Ensuring patients get better treatment, also means improving our ability to diagnose patients. Our Comprehensive Epilepsy Genetics Program can help us diagnose and treat patients with epilepsy who have a family history or when patients have multiple neurological conditions.

Treatments

Multiple treatment options are available at the Krembil Brain Institute. In addition to medication for epilepsy, we also offer surgical treatment for patients who are candidates. We also have Toronto's only adult Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (E​MU). The EMU plays an important role in diagnosing the type of seizures a patient has and the area of the brain where they occur. This information can help your health care team decide if surgery is a treatment option for you.

Our centre is home to the province's first Gamma Knife – a non-invasive treatment also known as radiosurgery. Our doctors are reviewing it as a possible way of dealing with inaccessible brain tumours which may cause seizures.

The Krembil Brain Institute has pioneering Deep Brain Stimulation to deal with conditions such as Parkinson's disease and depression. So far, the research shows this treatment could also be an effective way of cutting down the number of epileptic seizures a patient might have.

How to Prepare

Your first appointment can take one hour or more. Follow-up appointments usually take about 15 minutes to half an hour.

Learn more about what you can expect when you have a clinic appointment.​

Health Information

Materials and Resources to Help You

Resources from the Patient & Family Education Program PDF Icon

    Visit our health information section.​​

    Available services at UHN's Epilepsy Clinic

    The HOBSCOTCH program helps people living with Epilepsy to manage and cope with their memory challenges. Participants will receive one-on-one sessions with a certified memory/cognitive coach, for 8 weeks to talk about their memory challenges and improve their quality of life. See the patient brochure below for more details.

    Contact Carol La Fleur, Social Worker at the Epilepsy Clinic, or speak with your Neurologist at our clinic to access this program.


    Additional Resources


    Video Resources

     

    Introduction to the Passport program

     

    You've applied to DSO, now what?​


    Resources from our Epilepsy Education Series 

    Our Team

    Meet Our Team

    Our team is focused on treating the medical aspects of epilepsy, but we understand that this condition can affect many aspects of life, from employment to living independently. In addition to providing expert medical care, we also try to connect patients with the social resources they may need.

    Co-directors UHN Epilepsy Program: Dr. Taufik Valiante and Dr. Danielle Andrade

    Clinical Coordinator: Chari Anor, RN

    Neurologists

    Social Worker – Epilepsy Program

    Carol La Fleur, MSW RSW

    Community Support Liaison

    Rosie Smith Director of Adult Services, Epilepsy Toronto​

    Our Research

    Our Research Opportunities

    ​​​​​​​​​Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Mood for People Living with Epilepsy

    Principle Investigator: David Gold, PhD, CPsych
    Co-Investigators: Carol La Fleur, MSW RSW and Mary Pat McAndrews, PhD, CPsych
    For further information please call Carol La Fleur, MSW RSW at 416 603 7877 ext. 3191.

    We are conducting a group CBT research study to try to better understand how we can help mood for people living with epilepsy.

    In order to participate, we will need to conduct a brief interview. We will ask you some personal questions about your background, health and well-being.

    The group will include 10 weekly group CBT sessions that last 90 minutes each, followed by booster sessions 1 month and 3 months after.

    The study will take place at UHN – Toronto Western Hospital (399 Bathurst Street).

    Study Participants will receive complementary materials for the CBT (i.e., provided with a manual and relevant readings).

    Epilepsy Workshop Series

    Our Workshops & Events

    Free online patient and caregiver education workshops will be offered through Toronto Western Hospital – Epilepsy Clinic. These workshops will be offered by doctors, nurse practitioners, mental health professionals, and community health partners. Workshops are available to patients with a diagnosis of Epilepsy, and their caregivers. Complete a registration form for each workshop that you are interested in attending.

    Our workshops will be held using Microsoft Teams. Teams is a free software that is secure, private, and confidential. There is no cost to you for using this software. For more information on using Microsoft Teams, please download a printable version of our guide .

    Future Workshops

    I am Carol La Fleur, Social Worker, and program coordinator for the Epilepsy Education Series. Thank you for attending or viewing these workshops and reading materials.

    If you are interested in more information about a particular topic that has not been covered in this series, feel free to contact me via email at carol.lafleur@uhn.ca.

    Live recordings of our past patient education workshops

    Use this material for your information only. It does not replace advice from your doctor or other health care professional. Do not use this information for diagnosis or treatment. Ask your health care provider for advice about a specific medical condition.

     

    Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures (PNES)
    November 24, 2021

     

    Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS)
    November 10, 2021

     

    Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP)
    October 27, 2021

     

    Workplace Accommodations
    September 29, 2021

     

    Women and Epilepsy
    July 28, 2021

     

    ODSP Workshop
    July 7, 2021

     

    Role of Genes in Epilepsy
    April 28, 2021

     

    Medications for Epilepsy
    March 24, 2021

     

    Canadian Concussion Centre Webinar Series – Week 9: Dr. David Gold
    Neuropsychological Assessment in Persisting Concussion Symptoms

     

    Cognition in Epilepsy
    March 3, 2021

     

    The Epilepsy Monitoring Unit
    February 24, 2021

     

    Managing Caregiver Stress
    February 10, 2021

     

    Types of Seizures and Epilepsy
    January 27, 2021    ​
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