Aligned projects
The Oxford Martin Programme on Global Epilepsy
In partnership with EPInA, the Oxford Martin School Programme on Global Epilepsy seeks to improve the diagnosis of epilepsy in Brazil, India, Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe by developing culturally-specific portable electroencephalograms (EEGs) and a suite of mobile applications.
The Oxford Martin Programme on Global Epilepsy has three aims:
1. 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.
2. To bring together engineers, medics and computer scientists 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.
3. 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.
SUDEP Action & University of Oxford - Epilepsy and COVID-19
The current COVID-19 pandemic can be challenging for people with health conditions like epilepsy. SUDEP Action, a UK non-governmental organisation, has partnered with researchers, led by Professor Arjune Sen from the University of Oxford, to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on people with epilepsy regarding their wellbeing and management of their epilepsy risks.
The SUDEP Action and Oxford survey has reached over 60 countries and 2,000 people with epilepsy, healthcare workers and caregivers.
The survey aims to understand how people with epilepsy:
- Live with epilepsy during the current COVID-19 pandemic
- Manage different aspects of epilepsy during day to day life
- Take steps to reduce risks and live safely with epilepsy
- Engage with health professionals about improving epilepsy care.
Epilepsy and Relationships in Zimbabwe
The University of Oxford and the University of Zimbabwe have been awarded a grant from the World Federation of Neurology to study the impact of epilepsy on marriages in Zimbabwe. Led by Professors Arjune Sen, Gift Ngwende and Sloan Mahone, the study aims to collect survey data regarding epilepsy stigma, caregiving and treatment from the perspective of people with epilepsy and their spouses.
For more information, please contact the Principal Investigator, Professor Arjune Sen: arjune.sen@ndcn.ox.ac.uk
