Tim Welty, professor of pharmacy practice, has been appointed chair of the newly formed International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) Crisis Response Task Force. Dr. J Helen Cross, President of the ILAE and The Prince of Wales’s Chair of Childhood Epilepsy at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, has formed the Task Force to address concerns and develop plans for responding to future crises and the impact on patients with epilepsy. She asked Welty to serve as chair following his involvement with the Emergency Response (Ukraine) Task Force.

Welty, who also serves as director of research, innovation, and global initiatives for the CPHS, engaged several second-year student pharmacists he instructed in the spring of 2022 to assist with the work of the Ukraine task force. Welty will continue to engage students in assisting with projects for the new task force to meet its charges.

“The work of this task force will help to raise awareness of the need to include people with epilepsy in planning for emergencies and crises,” said Welty. “Abrupt discontinuation of seizure medications due to an emergency or crisis can result in increased seizures that are dangerous to the person or others and could result in death from the seizures.”

Read more about the newly formed task force, its charges, and how students will be involved.