Taenia Solium Neurocysticercosis: An Eradicable Cause of Epilepsy Worldwide

The Robert J. Havey, MD, Institute for Global Health Seminar Series is held the first Tuesday of each month, September through July, and features the research and ideas of outstanding global health leaders at Feinberg, the larger Northwestern community, and beyond.

Our speaker for the month of January is Hector H. Garcia, MD, PhD.

About our speaker:
Dr. García is one of the foremost researchers worldwide in the study of neurocysticercosis, a preventable parasitic infection of the central nervous system caused by the pork tapeworm Taenia solium. He is the primary author of two trendsetting studies on cysticidal treatment for neurocysticercosis. Cysticidal drugs, namely albenzadole and praziquantel, destroy brain cysts. Dr. García’s studies examined the clinical benefits of these drugs and showed that combining them increases the destruction of brain cysts without increasing side effects, improving treatment and long-term prognosis for patients with neurocysticercosis.

Dr. García has a long history in global health research and training, including the successful direction of a 10 year cysticercosis elimination program in northern coastal Peru, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He leads the Cysticercosis Working Group in Peru, a multi-institutional group working in varied aspects of cysticercosis research with a major emphasis in local capacity building. His lab has over 350 peer-reviewed publications as a result of research in diverse subjects of public health importance in Peru.

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