Ley Sander stands down as Medical Director of the Epilepsy Society
Ley Sander is to stand down as Medical Director of the Epilepsy Society, a position he has held since 2012. During his time at the charity, he has consistently been ranked as one of the top epilepsy specialists in the world.
Ley is a professor of neurology at UCL but has worked at the Epilepsy Society’s Chalfont Centre for over 40 years, joining in 1984 as a Senior House Officer. He is an elected fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, a fellow of the European Academy of Neurology and the Academy of Medical Sciences.
Ley has been involved in epilepsy research in many countries, including China, India, the USA, Brazil, Ecuador, Kenya, Nigeria, Georgia, Cameroon, Bulgaria, Tanzania, Ghana and the Netherlands. His many awards and prizes from across the world recognise his contribution in the field of epilepsy.
His departure from the Epilepsy Society on 31 March 2025 will allow him to concentrate on his international commitments, which will involve further developing his work in China.
Globally revered
Kate Alcock, Chair of Trustees at the Epilepsy Society, said: “Ley is globally revered as an expert in epilepsy, but nowhere is his impact more keenly felt and appreciated than in his surgeries where people with epilepsy feel listened to, understood and hopeful of better outcomes for their epilepsy.
“Ley is that rare conduit between scientific knowledge and the person with epilepsy. Outside of his clinics, he has also been very generous in sharing his expertise through patient and healthcare conferences and the many boards and organisations that he is a member of.
“As a charity, he has helped shape our direction for the future and has been an important voice, raising the profile of epilepsy through national and international broadcast and media opportunities. His contribution has been unparalleled.
“We are delighted that Ley will continue to concentrate on his research projects that will offer further hope on an international scale for people with epilepsy.”
Chalfont Centre is unique
Ley Sander said: “As Medical Director at the Epilepsy Society, it has been a privilege to head up a team of the most talented and dedicated researchers and neurologists worldwide. The Chalfont Centre is unique in delivering ground-breaking clinical research straight to the patient on one site. That is something that I have been proud to see growing and developing during my time at the charity.
“The challenges faced by people with epilepsy are enormous, from uncontrolled seizures to the side effects of medications, stigma in the workplace and the lack of public awareness of epilepsy.
“The Epilepsy Society brings all those threads together under one umbrella, optimising seizure control, raising epilepsy awareness through training and media campaigns, supporting people through our dedicated epilepsy Helpline and working at the government level to tackle medication shortages.
“The people I meet in my clinics demonstrate the most incredible resilience in facing the challenges of epilepsy, and that is what drives all of us to improve the diagnosis, treatment and understanding of epilepsy.”
Ley heads the Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy at UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology. Until recently, he was the R&D Director of Stichting Epilepsie Instellingen Nederland (SEIN) in The Netherlands.