The Division of Epilepsy within the UAB Department of Neurology will soon be relocating to a newly renovated 12,000-square-foot space on the sixth floor of the UAB Sparks Center.

Currently, members of the Division of Epilepsy are housed in several locations, including the Civitan International Research Center and other floors in the Sparks Center. However, with the division's continued growth, the need for additional space has become necessary.

“Since the division continues to grow, and there are plans to hire additional faculty in the next few years, there is a need for space that will accommodate the anticipated growth and allow all members of the division to be in the same location,” said Jerzy Szaflarski, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Division of Epilepsy and vice chair for Faculty Development.

The new space will house faculty, APPs, support and research staff, and the division’s graduate and undergraduate students. In addition, the division's new headquarters will feature a large meeting space that can accommodate approximately 40 people and that will help facilitate clinical and research interactions.

According to Szaflarski, the physical unification of the division's various initiatives is among the benefits of relocating to the new space.

“Being housed in the same location means facilitating interactions, clinical and research discussions, and further advancement of clinical, educational, and research missions of the division and the department,” he said.

In addition, the division’s new Epilepsy Monitoring Unit will be located in the Inpatient Rehabilitation Faculty (IRF), next door to the Sparks Center.

“The proximity between the Sparks and IRF buildings will facilitate ongoing and new clinical and translational research,” Szaflarski said.

David Standaert, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Neurology, added his thoughts on the impact the move will have on the division and department as a whole.

"Epilepsy is the largest division in the Department of Neurology and is very much involved in all of our missions: research, teaching, and patient care,” Standaert said. “This new space will allow us to continue to grow the scope of our epilepsy programs, and promote synergies, which will lead to new discoveries and innovations for people affected by epilepsy."