Kristen Park, MD

Child neurology is simultaneously a challenging and rewarding field. The brain is a complex and unique organ and its organization and output are what make us each unique and human. Unfortunately, these same characteristics often make the consequences of neurologic disease devastating for patients and families, especially when it affects children. Trained as a pediatric epileptologist, I diagnose and treat patients with this common neurologic disorder every day. Seventy percent of my patients have intractable epilepsy (failure of 2-3 standard medications). In this situation, there are no right answers and the treatment of children becomes a team effort. Into the fight against this disease, parents bring their exquisite knowledge of their child, desire to obtain the best quality of life, and unfailing hope. I bring clinical knowledge, best practices, diagnostic tools, and an armamentarium of treatments. Unfortunately, the latter does not come without costs nor are the options always benign. There are a lot of tears in my clinic but each day I try to find something positive on which to focus. Sometimes the victories are small – a smile from a healthy baby and relieved parents who thought his twitching at night was seizure activity – and sometimes they are life changing – seizure freedom after an invasive operation. I remember that my job is to provide information and guidance for a situation that has too many unknowns for both sides. I try to practice medicine rationally, teaching families and patients as I go about why tests are ordered, how medications work, and the biologic basis of their disease. Ultimately, I respect the families with whom I work and strive to support them in whatever decisions we make together.