Epilepsy Empowerment Forum Panelists

Joseph Drazkowski, M.D.
Joseph Drazkowski, M.D., is a neurologist specializing in epilepsy at the Mayo Clinic Scottsdale. He attended medical school at the University of Arizona and completed his residency and epilepsy fellowship at Barrow Neurological Institute. Dr. Drazkowski is a member of the Board of Directors of the Epilepsy Foundation of Arizona.

Richard Hinz
Richard Hinz graduated from Concordia College with a B.A. in 1986 and the University of Notre Dame with a J.D. in 1990. He is a candidate for a Master's degree in Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction at Goucher College, and will be graduating in August 2005. He has practiced law in Arizona for 14 years. He is an assistant Arizona attorney general and works as a civil appellate attorney with the Solicitor General's Office. He currently serves as the Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Epilepsy Foundation of Arizona. Richard is the father of two children, ages 10 and 1. Richard has had epilepsy since birth.

David Labiner, M.D.
David Labiner, M.D., is a neurologist specializing in epilepsy at the University of Arizona Health Science Center. He attended medical school at the Medical College of Georgia, completed his residency at Columbia University and was an epilepsy fellow at Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Labiner is on the Board of Directors of the Epilepsy Foundation of Arizona and the Professional Advisory Board of the Epilepsy Foundation.

Kristin Neibergs
Kristin Neibergs was diagnosed with epilepsy in 1995 at age 24. Kristin tried numerous medications and has now been seizure free for three years! Kristin believes the biggest misconception about epilepsy is that it prevents people from participating in daily activities … she definitely proves this theory wrong!

She has a demanding job as director of marketing for Sun Valley Limousines and is always on the go. She also plays field hockey a few times a week, competes in tournaments and volunteers for the Epilepsy Foundation of Arizona. A brief story of her life with epilepsy is included in "Living Well with Epilepsy" by Dr. Robert J. Gumnit.

Marsha Rosser
Marsha Rosser is a mother of two girls, Mckenzie, 18 and Morgan, 11. Morgan has epilepsy and cerebral palsy. Marsha and her family moved to Arizona eight years ago from Michigan. For three years, she has run a support group for parents with children who have epilepsy. She also provides parent-to-parent support for the families contacting the Epilepsy Foundation of Arizona. She also provides parent-to-parent support for Raising Special Kids, another parent support organization in the Phoenix area.

Joseph Sirven, M.D.
Joseph Sirven, M.D., is a neurologist specializing in epilepsy at Mayo Clinic Scottsdale. He attended medical school at Louisiana State University, did his residency at the University of Minnesota Medical School and did a fellowship in epilepsy at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Sirven is on the Board of Directors of the Epilepsy Foundation of Arizona and the Professional Advisory Board of the Epilepsy Foundation.

Moderator

Merri Bennett
Merri Bennett was first diagnosed with epilepsy following a head injury when she was 16 years old. After finishing high school she attended college at Central Michigan University and now works as a television reporter at KVOA-TV in Tucson. Before coming to Arizona she also worked in television news in California and Washington State and as an entertainer at Walt Disney World.

The Epilepsy Empowerment Forum is sponsored by an educational grant from Ortho-McNeil Neurologics, Inc.