ATLANTA―Michael Sperling, MD, FAES, will be presented with the 2025 Founders Award during the 2025 Annual Meeting of the American Epilepsy Society (AES). One of the most prestigious awards given by the Society, the Founders Award, established in 1966, recognizes members who have a record of lifetime contributions and accomplishments related to epilepsy. The award is funded by the AES Lennox and Lombroso Trust.
Dr. Sperling is Baldwin Keyes Professor of Neurology and vice chair for research at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. He founded and is director of the Jefferson Comprehensive Epilepsy Center.
He is an internationally recognized clinician-scientist in the field of epilepsy, known particularly for his work in epilepsy surgery, clinical neurophysiology, and investigational therapeutics. He has published more than 500 peer-reviewed papers, reviews, and book chapters, as well as several books.
Over the years, his research interests have been in epilepsy surgery, physiology of epilepsy, mortality in epilepsy, investigational therapeutics, cognitive electrophysiology, advanced neuroimaging, and epilepsy genetics.
He served as editor in chief of Epilepsia, and was president of the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society and president of the Philadelphia Neurological Society. He received the J. Kiffin Penry award from the American Epilepsy Society in 2018 and the Ambassador for Epilepsy award from the International League Against Epilepsy in 2021. He received the Herbert H. Jasper award from the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society in 2024.