• Les comorbidités de l’épilepsie et les résultats chez le patient.
• La personne âgée et la personne fragile avec l’epilepsie, incluant l’étiologie et le traitement.
• La transition entre le milieu pédiatrique et adulte pour les jeunes avec épilepsie.
• La sclérose tubéreuse de Bourneville.

Le Dr Keezer a complété ses études de premier cycle de médecine et formation en neurologie adulte à l'Université McGill. Par la suite, il a obtenu une maîtrise en épidémiologie, appuyé par une bourse des Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé, et sous la supervision du Professeur Christina Wolfson. Plus récemment, Mark a terminé un fellowship mixte, recherche et clinique, avec un accent sur l'épidémiologie clinique de l'épilepsie, au «  National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery », Queen Square, sous la supervision du Professeur Josemir Sander, et sous les auspices du « International Sponsorship Scheme » du « Royal College of Physicians of London ». Il a complété son PhD en Neurosciences translationnelles à l’Université Leiden au Pays Bas.

•Mon programme de recherche se concentre sur l'étude des conditions chroniques associées à l'épilepsie. Ces "comorbidités" ont une influence importante sur le pronostic médical et la qualité de vie.

•Mes projets englobent à la fois des jeunes atteints d'épilepsie et des adultes plus âgés.

•Je collabore avec une équipe multidisciplinaire composée de cliniciens, de biostatisticiens, de chercheurs en sciences fondamentales, d'experts en imagerie, de généticiens et de patients partenaires.

•Les projets actifs comprennent:

• •TÉCUM (Transition en épilepsie complexe de l’Université de Montréal)
• •CaTS (Canadian TSC Cohort Study)
• •DAVE (Déterminants of atherosclerosis and vascular disease in people with epilepsy)
• •CLSA (Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging)
• •TSC Alliance Natural History Database and Biosample Repository

•Profil d’étudiants/intérêts recherchés : Ces projets ne requièrent pas de connaissance préalable en épilepsie mais plutôt un haut niveau d'enthousiasme, d'indépendance et une volonté d'apprendre.

•Financement : Mon groupe de recherche est très bien financé et prêt à offrir des salaires compétitifs aux étudiants. Mes étudiants participent à des congrès internationaux et je suis prêt à soutenir leurs déplacements.

•Procédure de candidature : Si mon programme de recherche suscite votre intérêt, je vous invite à m’envoyer votre CV et une lettre de motivation à : mark.keezer@umontreal.ca

1) PhD

18/09- 2023/09  Christian Wilfried Mendo, MSc

Co-supervisor (with Marie-Pierre Sylvetre) to Mr Mendo (PhD in Epidemiology at the Université de Montréal). Mr Mendo’s thesis centred on the relationship between frailty and cardiovascular disease, with a focus on grip strength but also considering other aspects of Fried’s frailty phenotype. Recipient of student bursaries from the CRCHUM ($25,000 in 2018-2019; $1000 in 2019-2020), the Office of International Affairs of the Université de Montreal ($4,334 in 2020-2021), the School of Public Health of the Université de Montréal ($10,000 in 2020-2021), and the Fonds de Recherche Québec Santé ($69,000 in 2021-2022).

2) MSc

22/09-present   Mame Fana Ndiaye, MD

Co-supervisor to Dr Ndiaye (MSc in public health at the Université de Montréal). Dr Ndiaye’s thesis will centre on predicting mortality in people with dementia from the general population.

22/09-present   Jimmy Li, MD

Principal Supervisor to Dr Li (MSc in epidemiology at the Université de Montréal). Dr Li’s thesis will centre on the investigation of frailty and vascular atherosclerosis in older adults with epilepsy. Dr Li was accepted into the Clinician-Scientist program of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada. Recipient of the Futures in Neurologic Research Scholarship (2023), the International Scholarship Award (2023), and the Futures in Neurologic Research Scholarship (2024) all of the American Academy of Neurology, the Young Investigators Award (2023; US$ 1,200) of the American Epilepsy Society, the Dr. Hubert van Tol Travel Fellowship (2023) from Brain Canada.

21/09-23/08        Frédéric Loubert, BA

Principal Supervisor to Mr Loubert (MSc in epidemiology at the Université de Montréal). Mr Loubert’s thesis centred on the development of prediction models for tumours in people with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex.

20/09-23/07        François Ateba, BSc

Co-supervisor to Mr Ateba (MSc in statistics at the Université de Québec à Montréal). Mr Ateba’s thesis centred on the incorporation of mendelian randomization to study the association between inflammation, obesity, and vascular atherosclerosis.

19/09-22/08        Arielle Vary O’Neil, BSc

Principal Supervisor to Ms Vary O’Neil (MSc in neurosciences at the Université de Montréal). Ms Vary O’Neil’s thesis centred on the investigation of frailty as a determinant of treatment efficacy and tolerability in older adults with epilepsy.

Recipient of an American Epilepsy Society travel bursary to attend the 2020 annual meeting.

18/09-20/10        Nafisa Husein, BSc, MSc

Principal Supervisor to Ms Husein (MSc in public health at the Université de Montréal). Ms Husein’s thesis centred on the relationship between cardiovascular disease and epilepsy.

Recipient of a Bursary of excellence from the Faculty of Higher Education, Université de Montréal ($4,000)

19/01-21/09        Bastien Rioux, MD

Co-supervisor (with Laura Gioia) to Dr Rioux (MSc in biomedical sciences at the Université de Montréal). Dr Rioux’s thesis will centre on the comorbidity of stroke and epilepsy, using the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging as a study platform.

Dr Rioux was accepted into the Clinician-Scientist program of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada. Recipient of a Bursary of excellence from the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Université de Montréal ($4,000); 1^st place prize presentation by a medical resident at the Quebec Association of Neurologists annual meeting 2020; a 2020 bursary from the Clinician Investigator Program from the Faculty of Medicine at UdeM $250); 2021 Futures in Neurologic Research Scholarship from the American Academy of Neurology; 2021 Bursary for Popular Science; 1^st prize (of 12 applicants) from the Student Association for Graduate Studies in Biomedical Sciences of the Université de Montréal ($500); 2^ND place prize best publication 2020-2021 in the Researcher-clinician Program at the Université de Montréal ($1000); 2022 Rector’s list of Honour for being in the top 10% of those graduating with MSc in Biomedical Sciences.

18/09-21/09        Yen Tran Phuoc, MD

Co-supervisor (with Dang Nguyen) to Dr Phuoc (MSc in neurosciences at the Université de Montréal). Dr Phuoc’s thesis centered on the relationship between the insula and cardiac electrophysiology, using the CHUM epilepsy database.

Post-doctoral research fellows

Completed

18/09-20/09        Dr Laurence Boulanger, PhD

Co-supervisor (with Marie-Pierre Sylvestre) to Dr Boulanger (post-doc in biostatistics at the Université de Montréal). Dr Boulanger is developing and validating a new multimorbidity index using the Quebec Longitudinal Study on Nutrition and Aging (NuAge) cohort.

17/09-18/08        Dr Zhuo-Yu Wang, PhD

Co-supervisor (with Marie-Pierre Sylvestre) to Dr Wang (post-doc in biostatistics at the Université de Montréal). Dr Wang developed and validated a new multimorbidity index using the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

Publications choisies

• Sultana B, Panzini MA, Veilleux Carpentier A, Comtois J, Rioux B, Gore G, Bauer PR, Kwon CS, Jetté N, Josephson C, Keezer MR. The incidence and prevalence of drug resistant epilepsy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurology (in press). IF = 8.320.
• Wang Z, Boulanger L, Berger D, Gaudreau P, Marrie RA, Potter B, Wister A, Wolfson C, Lefebvre G, Sylvestre MP, Keezer MR. The development and internal validation of a multimorbidity index to predict healthcare utilisation using the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. BMJ Open 2020;10:e033974. IF = 2.376.
• Lezaic N, Josephson C, Wiebe S, Jetté N, Keezer MR. The medical treatment of epilepsy in the elderly: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Epilepsia 2019;60:1325–1340. IF = 6.040.
• Wolfson C, Fereshtehnejad S-M, Pasquet R, Postuma R, Keezer MR. The high burden of neurological disease in the older general population: Results from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Europ J Neurol 2019 Feb;26(2):356-62. IF = 4.621.
• Bui K-TA, Wahby S, Bouthillier A, Jetté N, Hader W, Keezer MR. A nation-wide audit of epilepsy surgery for adults. Epilepsy Research 2018;148:63-8. IF = 2.491.
• Bui K-TA, Abdaem J, Mucilli A, Gore G, Keezer MR. Improving the quality of systematic reviews of neurological conditions: a validation study. Europ J Neurol 2018;25:1477-85. IF = 4.621.
• Galovic M, Döhler N, Elderlyi-Canavese B, Conrad J, Evers S, Winklehner M, von Oertzen TJ, Haring HP, Serafini A, Gregoraci G, Gigli GL, Keezer MR, Duncan J, Sander JW, Koepp MJ, Tettenborn B. Prediction of late seizures after ischaemic stroke with a novel prognostic model (the SeLECT score): a multivariable prediction model development and validation study. The Lancet Neurology 2018;17:143-52. IF = 27.138.
• Jetté N, Sander LW, Keezer MR Surgical treatment for epilepsy: the potential gap between evidence and practice. The Lancet Neurology 2016;15:982-94. IF = 27.138.
• Keezer MR, Bell GS, Neligan A, Novy J, Sander JW. Cause of death and predictors of mortality in a community-based cohort of people with epilepsy. Neurology 2016;86:704-12. IF = 8.320.
• Keezer MR, Sisodiya S, Sander JW. Comorbidities of epilepsy: current concepts and future perspectives. The Lancet Neurology 2016;15:106-15. IF = 27.138.