Dr. Baram is a Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics, Anatomy/ Neurobiology and Neurology at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), where she holds the Danette Shepard endowed chair in Neurological Sciences. Dr. Baram is the Scientific Director of the UCI Epilepsy program, and the founder and Executive Committee chair of the UCI Epilepsy Research Center (EpiCenter). Dr. Baram received a PhD at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, and an MD degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine. She completed her clinical training in Pediatrics and in Child Neurology at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.
Dr. Baram has focused her research efforts on Seizures and Epilepsies of infants and children, and particularly on Febrile Seizures and Infantile Spasms. Creating suitable immature animal models for these seizures, Dr. Baram's work has led to important discoveries about the mechanisms of infantile Spasms, and about the long-lasting functional effects of experimental prolonged Febrile Seizures on the developing brain. Her work (over 120 peer-reviewed papers) has been published in top journals, and she is co-editor (with Dr. Shinnar) of a popular book on Febrile Seizures.
Dr. Baram has received a number of prizes, including the Athalie Clarke Research award, the prestigious American Epilepsy Society Basic Science Research Award and the National Institute of Health Senator Javits Award. She has served on the Executive Board of the American Epilepsy Society, is a member of the Professional Advisory Board of the Epilepsy Foundation of America, and chairs the Pediatric Partnership for Epilepsy Research scientific review board. Baram has organized and contributed to numerous national and international symposia and workshops for the Society of Neuroscience, AES, Child Neurology Society and European and Japanese Societies. Dr. Baram has contributed to National Institute of Health, AES, Epilepsy Foundation of America, and CURE study sections, and has devoted considerable effort to mentoring of junior Clinician / Scientists.
