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Roger J. Porter MD to Receive Epilepsy Foundation’s 2015 Lifetime Accelerator Award

Epilepsy News From: Thursday, May 07, 2015

Dr. Porter Will Be Honored May 14 at Antiepileptic Drug and Device Trials Conference

LANDOVER, MD - The Epilepsy Foundation announced today that Roger J. Porter MD, academic and pharmaceutical industry consultant and past Chief Scientific Officer of the Foundation, has been named the 2015 recipient of the Lifetime Accelerator Award in recognition of his commitment and pioneering contributions to bringing new therapies to people living with seizures. Dr. Porter will be honored at the Antiepileptic Drug and Device Trials XIII (AED) conference on May 14, 2015, at the Turnberry Isle Resort in Aventura, Fla.

“The Epilepsy Foundation is proud to present Dr. Porter with the Lifetime Accelerator Award for his outstanding contributions to the field of epilepsy drug development,” said Warren Lammert, Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. “Dr. Porter has dedicated his career to finding new, more effective therapies, and we are very grateful for his service on behalf of people living with epilepsy.”

Dr. Porter has unparalleled experience and expertise in epilepsy drug development. He currently serves as a consultant to the pharmaceutical industry, primarily in the development of antiepileptic drugs, and he is also adjunct professor of neurology at the University of Pennsylvania and adjunct professor of pharmacology at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Dr. Porter spent 20 years at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in leadership positions including Chief of the Epilepsy Branch, Chief of the Medical Neurology Branch, and Deputy Director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). He left the NIH in 1992 to become Vice President, Clinical Pharmacology, at Wyeth and was promoted to Vice President and Deputy Head of Clinical Research at Wyeth Research in January 1998. Dr. Porter retired from Wyeth in 2002. He continues to serve as a member of the Epilepsy Foundation Scientific Advisory Board and served as the Chief Scientific Officer of the Foundation from 2012-2014.  

“It would be difficult to overstate the impact Dr. Porter has made on the lives of people with epilepsy and their families,” said Stephen Collins MD, PhD, Co-Chair of the Epilepsy Foundation Business Advisory Board and President, CEO, and Director of Insero Health, Inc. “There is no one else who has had such a wide ranging role in the field of epilepsy — as an epileptologist, the leader of the National Institutes of Health Epilepsy Branch research efforts, the President of the American Epilepsy Society, the leader of research in anticonvulsant efforts in a major pharmaceutical company, and a tireless champion at the Epilepsy Foundation and Epilepsy Therapy Project. Those who know Roger know he has had an unswerving, intense desire to make life-altering changes for people with epilepsy. This important award recognizes that lifelong commitment.”

Most of Dr. Porter's research has been in epilepsy and the study of antiepileptic drugs; he has published more than 200 articles/chapters and 13 books. Dr. Porter is the recipient of numerous awards including the U.S. Navy Commendation Medal, the Department of Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the USPHS Distinguished Service Medal, the Fulbright Distinguished Professor Award, the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Duke University Medical Center, and Doctor of Science (honorary) from Eckerd College.

The AED conference, the 13th such symposium focusing on antiepileptic drug development from preclinical discoveries through clinical evaluations, will be held May 13-15. This year’s conference will bring together representatives from academia, industry, the NIH, and the Food and Drug Administration to re-evaluate advancement strategies and AED development plans. To learn more about and register for the conference, click here. The conference also features the Epilepsy Foundation’s 4th Annual Shark Tank Competition, where six finalists will compete on May 14 for awards totaling $200,000 to support the development and commercialization of an important new product, technology, or therapeutic concept to help people with epilepsy.

Epilepsy Foundation's Lifetime Accelerator Award
The Lifetime Accelerator Award was established in 2012 to honor physicians, scientists, industry leaders, and other individuals who have demonstrated a lifelong commitment to bringing new therapies to people living with epilepsy. Lifetime Accelerator Award recipients are chosen by an independent committee of global thought leaders and clinical investigators in epilepsy and seizure therapy discovery and development. Harvey Kupferberg PhD, past Chief of the Preclinical Pharmacology Section, Epilepsy Branch, NINDS, NIH, was conferred the 2012 Lifetime Accelerator Award; Henrik Klitgaard PhD, Vice President, Head CNS Research, UCB, received the award in 2013; and H. Steven White PhD, Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Principal Investigator of the (NIH)-sponsored Anticonvulsant Drug Development Program at the University of Utah College of Pharmacy, won the award in 2014.

About Epilepsy
When a person has two or more unprovoked seizures, they are considered to have epilepsy. Epilepsy affects nearly 3 million people in the U.S. and 65 million worldwide. This year, another 150,000 people will be diagnosed with epilepsy.

About the Epilepsy Foundation
The Epilepsy Foundation, a national non-profit with nearly 50 affiliated organizations throughout the United States, has led the fight against seizures since 1968. The Foundation is an unwavering ally for individuals and families impacted by epilepsy and seizures. The mission of the Epilepsy Foundation is to stop seizures and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), find a cure, and overcome the challenges created by epilepsy through efforts including education, advocacy, and research to accelerate ideas into therapies. The Foundation works to ensure that people with seizures have the opportunity to live their lives to their fullest potential. 

“Like” the Epilepsy Foundation on Facebook at www.facebook.com/epilepsyfoundationofamerica and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/epilepsyfdn.

Contact Name

Kirsten Withrow | Manager of Program Communications and Media Relations

Contact Phone

(301) 918-3743

Contact Email

kwithrow@efa.org

Reviewed Date

Thursday, May 07, 2015

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