Gretchen L. Birbeck

Gretchen L. Birbeck is a Professor in the Department of Neurology and Epilepsy at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), with a joint appointment at the Center for Health and Technology. Her clinical training was completed at Johns Hopkins Hospital in neurology, epilepsy, and tropical medicine. She holds dual degrees: an MD from University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and an MPH.

• Education
  • MD, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine (1994)
  • MPH (unspecified institution)

As a leading researcher in neurologic disorders in resource-limited tropical settings, her work focuses on HIV-associated seizures, cerebral malaria, epilepsy stigma, and health services research across sub-Saharan Africa. She has directed the Chikankata Epilepsy Care Team in Zambia since 1994 and spends 5-6 months annually conducting fieldwork.

Her recent publications examine epilepsy treatment gaps, neuroimaging in malaria, and neurocognitive outcomes in HIV-positive children. Funded by NIH and foundations, her projects include clinical trials for seizure management in cerebral malaria and cohort studies on HIV-neurocognitive disorders.

Scientific Awards

• ILAE Ambassador for Epilepsy (2013)
• Women Leaders in Medicine (2012)
• Humanism Award (2011)
• Kellogg Outreach Scholar (2011)
• Fellow, American Neurologic Association (2008)

Birbeck mentors postgraduate fellows and junior faculty across Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, and South Africa. Her international collaborations include cerebral malaria research in Uganda and neuro-HIV trials in multiple African nations. She pioneered the NeuroInterp method for cerebral malaria neuroimaging analysis and developed depression/anxiety screening tools for epilepsy care in Zambia.