The Oxford Martin Programme on
Global Epilepsy
the challenge
One in 20 people will have a seizure in their lifetime and over 50 million people have epilepsy worldwide. Over 85% of people with epilepsy live in low- and middle-income countries, where the increased risk from seizures contributes to much higher mortality.
Underfunding, limited access to medical care, and stigma towards people with epilepsy means that in some places fewer than 20% of those who need anti-seizure medications receive them.
It is difficult to rapidly increase the number of doctors and access to medical care in low- and middle-income countries. However, we can use technological solutions to allow others, especially non-physician healthcare workers, to help advance patient care.
To achieve this we need to know why epilepsy is poorly understood and why these misconceptions are so widespread. With these insights, we can begin to develop culturally-sensitive technologies to make a significant difference in people’s lives.
This ground-breaking project brings together a new, carefully selected, multi-disciplinary team to deliver research-informed, culturally appropriate technologies that have the potential to significantly improve the quality of life in people with epilepsy across the world.
The Oxford Martin Programme on Global Epilepsy has three aims:
To understand the life experiences of people with epilepsy, the impact of epilepsy on communities, the nature of social stigma and perceptions of new healthcare technologies. This will be achieved through ethnographic work and the creation of local oral history projects and archives where people share their perceptions of, and experiences with, epilepsy.
To bring together engineers, medics and computer programmers to prototype and deploy portable high-density brainwave recording (EEG) to improve diagnostic accuracy. This prototype will seek to overcome challenges specific to low- and middle-income countries including electrode interfacing, the design of the sensors, and algorithms for rapid diagnosis.
To use the local understanding gained from oral histories to create a suite of apps that will help support healthcare workers throughout the epilepsy diagnosis, management and follow-up pathway. App-based teaching tools will provide epilepsy first aid and custom education platforms for people with epilepsy, their families and community.
Long Read - BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE FOR PEOPLE WITH EPILEPSY
Over 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, creating challenges throughout their lives, from education and job prospects to friendships and family. 80-85% of those people live in low- to middle-income countries, where there are many technological and social barriers to accessing effective diagnosis and treatment. However, today’s reality for people with epilepsy does not need to be their future.
The programme has a bold vision: a world where epilepsy is as manageable a disease as asthma, is as well supported and researched as heart attacks, and no longer has the damaging stigma that too often accompanies it today.
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Epilepsy Pathway is the newsletter of Epilepsy Pathway Innovation in Africa (EPInA) and the Oxford Martin Programme on Global Epilepsy. Subscribe to receive updates on our work, global epilpesy news, and recent epilepsy publications.
Oxford Team
Arjune Sen
Professor of Global Epilepsy
Sloan Mahone
Associate Professor of the History of Medicine at Oxford University
Timothy Denison
Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies
Gabriel Davis Jones
Medical Doctor, Computer Scientist and Clinical Researcher
Sonia Vallentin
Programme Manager
Ioana Duta
Data Scientist
TingTing Zhu
Associate Professor in AI for Digital Health
Mayela Zamora
Senior Biomedical Engineer
Raveen Kariyawasam
DPhil Student in Engineering Science
Kenya Team
Charles Newton
Pediatric Neurologist
Symon Kariuki
Postdoctoral Scientist and Neuroscience Research Programme co-lead
Mercy Atieno
Project Coordinator and Research Assistant - KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme
Clarah Khalayi
Isaac John Egesa
Research Assistant
Maria Mumbo
Clinical officer
Fredrick Nyalik
Clinical Officer
Gilbert Katana
Clinical Officer
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