EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE:
Monday, Dec. 7, 2020
6:30 p.m. EST
CHICAGO - Gregory L. Barkley, M.D. was awarded the J. Kiffin Penry Award for
Excellence in Epilepsy Care at the AES2020 event of the American Epilepsy Society
(AES). Dr. Barkley is Interim Chair of Neurology, Associate Professor of Neurology at
Wayne State University. He has devoted his career to care for people with epilepsy, with
compassion, altruism, and goodness. Dr. Barkley was the co-founder of the Henry Ford
Comprehensive Epilepsy program which has grown to be a major regional epilepsy
program. He has been involved with clinical drug and device trials and starting in the
early 1980’s, and has conducted pivotal work in research and clinical development of
magnetoencephalography (MEG).
Other research endeavors have included AED trials and responsive neurostimulation
(RNS). Dr. Barkley has been a local PI on the NIH Neurodevelopmental Effects of
Antiepileptic Drugs (NEAD) grant and the NIH Maternal Outcomes and
Neurodevelopmetal Effects of AEDS (MONEAD) grant and its extension. He also has
maintained a large clinical practice and for the past 12 years operated a support group
for women with PTSD.
Dr. Barkley has served on the board of the AES, the Epilepsy Foundation, and the
National Association of Epilepsy Centers, and on the medical economics and
management committee at the American Academy of Neurology.
The J. Kiffin Penry Award for Excellence in Epilepsy Care honors Dr. Penry’s lifelong
focus on and genuine concern for the patient with epilepsy. It recognizes individuals
whose work has had a major impact on patient care and has improved the quality of life
for persons with epilepsy. The award is funded through the AES J. Kiffin Penry Fund.