International Committee
The International Committee seeks to expand PERC´s collaborative research beyond U.S. borders by:
Establishing policies and procedures for researchers outside the US who wish to collaborate with PERC, including PERC members/SIGs who wish to establish international sites and epilepsy clinicians and organizations outside the US who wish to collaborate with PERC
Developing a registry of clinicians and organizations interested in collaborating with PERC outside the US, along with areas of expertise.
Generating best practice guidelines for international collaborations for PERC SIGs, including around authorship and data sharing.
Supporting one to two collaborative pediatric epilepsy research projects per calendar year.
Co-leader
Elaine Wirrell, MD
Director of Pediatric Epilepsy at Mayo Clinic
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Elaine C. Wirrell, M.D., is the director of Pediatric Epilepsy at Mayo Clinic. Her clinical focus includes:
Early-onset epilepsies and epileptic encephalopathies, including West syndrome, Dravet syndrome, myoclonic atonic epilepsy of Doose, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and CSWS
Medically intractable pediatric epilepsy
Ketogenic diet therapy
Surgical therapy for epilepsy
In addition to clinical activities, Dr. Wirrell is active in research and has authored expert content and published in high-impact journals. She is co-founder of the Pediatric Epilepsy Research Consortium, a multicenter group of pediatric epileptologists who collaborate on clinical research in early-life epilepsies. Her research focuses on the following areas:
Predictors of medical intractability in pediatric epilepsy
Optimizing early, accurate diagnosis and selection of best therapeutic options for children with epilepsy
Detection and management of common comorbidities in pediatric epilepsy
Dr. Wirrell provides mentorship to residents and fellows. She is the director of the Child and Adolescent Neurology Residency Training Program at Mayo Clinic.
Co-leader
Christina Briscoe, MD
Pediatric Epileptologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and Instructor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School
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Dr. Christina Briscoe is a pediatric epileptologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and Instructor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School whose work centers on pediatric epilepsy equity, family partnership, and global collaboration. She brings experience to her role having led qualitative and equity-focused research across multiple PERC sites. Her projects span from national initiatives addressing racial and linguistic inequities in infantile epileptic spasms syndrome (IESS), to participatory action research methodologies that engage caregivers directly in shaping clinical data tools and interventions. Dr. Briscoe also co-leads Proyecto Recaída, a ten-center international collaboration in North and South America that investigates relapse and prognosis in IESS, and retains a teaching role in the residency program at the Universidad de Valparaíso.
As an educator and advocate, Dr. Briscoe Abath integrates her training in anthropology, medicine, and education to foster transnational learning and clinical collaboration. She has established bilingual medical curricula, built family-led public education campaigns, and implemented hospital-based quality improvement programs focused on language accessibility and seizure care. A former Fulbright Fellow and recipient of the Zuckerman Fellowship at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, she has also worked extensively in Brazil, Peru, and Chile. Her leadership of the PERC International Committee reflects her commitment to elevating global perspectives in pediatric epilepsy care, building sustainable research partnerships, and ensuring that families and clinicians around the world are part of the solution to improving outcomes in epilepsy.
Connect With Us
This form is for pediatric epilepsy clinicians and academic researchers practicing outside the United States. We appreciate your time spent filling out this form for us to consider your participation as a PERC Collaborator. The International Committee will review your request and may have a few follow-up questions. Please contact us if you have not heard back from us within one month.