Skip Navigation
Return to All Schools

Lederer Professorship in Pediatric Epilepsy

School of Medicine

Established in 1991 by the Lewis J. and Harriet S. Lederer Fund

HARRIET S. LEDERER in 1939 established the LEWIS J. AND HARRIET S. LEDERER FUND at the hospital to be used for research into the cause and cure of epilepsy. The income from this endowment was for many years used to support research in the departments of Neurology, Neurologic Surgery, and Physiology at the School of Medicine. In 1991, the endowment was designated for support of this professorship, memorializing the Lederers.

Held by Carl E. Stafstrom

StafstromCarl

CARL E. STAFSTROM, MD, PhD, is the Haller Professor in Pediatric Neurologic Diseases and the Lederer Endowed Chair of Pediatric Epilepsy, and serves as the Director of Pediatric Neurology and Director of the John M. Freeman Pediatric Epilepsy Center.

Dr. Stafstrom received his BA from the University of Pennsylvania and his medical degree from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, with residencies at the University of Washington Medical Center and Tufts New England Medical Center, as well as fellowships at Harvard for neurology research and Boston Children’s Hospital in clinical neurophysiology, electroencephalography, and epilepsy.

Dr. Stafstrom previously served as Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health and Chief of Pediatric Neurology at American Family Children’s Hospital at UW Madison.

Dr. Stafstrom’s clinical and research interests include the mechanisms of epileptogenesis and neuronal excitability in the developing brain, the effects of seizures in the immature brain on subsequent cognitive function and seizure susceptibility, dietary approaches to epilepsy management, and children’s self-perceptions of neurologic disorders through art. Dr. Stafstrom is the author of more than 250 research articles, chapters, and commentaries, as well as editor of 2 books. He served as associate editor of Epilepsia and is currently chief editor of Epilepsy Currents. A dedicated educator who places high priority on the teaching and mentoring of medical students and residents, Dr. Stafstrom has won numerous teaching awards was the 2012 recipient of the American Neurological Association’s Distinguished Neurology Teacher Award.