Professional Advisory Committee

The BC Epilepsy Society Professional Advisory Committee (PAC) is comprised of approximately eight members each playing a professional role across a wide range of disciplines involving epilepsy. The PAC includes but is not limited to physicians, scientists, social workers, nurses and psychologists all committed to assisting the BC Epilepsy Society with matters requiring specialized and expert advice. The PAC meets with the Executive Director to discuss a wide range of topics such as education, fundraising, clinical issues (such as medication shortages), in addition to highlighting novel basic and clinical epilepsy research. Further, the PAC Chairperson sits on the Board of Directors to provide an interface between the two committees. Input from the PAC serves as an invaluable source of expertise to assist The BC Epilepsy Society.

A list of current PAC Members is below:

Dr. Harinder (Harry) Dhaliwal completed medical school from Armed Forces Medical College in India and then completed his Neurology Residency Training from University of Calgary.

He then completed his fellowship in Epilepsy, Clinical Neurophysiology and Critical Care EEG from Yale University and now has joined Fraser Health as a Neurologist and Epileptologist.

His goal is to start an Epilepsy surgery program, ketogenic diet clinic as well as a critical care EEG program based at Surrey. His research interests include critical care EEG research.

He joined the British Columbia Epilepsy Society Professional Advisory Committee in 2020 for advocating for improving quality of life and improving resources for patient with epilepsy.

Dr Connolly is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics (Neurology), head of The Division of Pediatric Neurology and Director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program at BC Children’s Hospital and The University of British Columbia (UBC). Dr. Connolly received her medical training at Trinity College, Dublin followed by residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics in Ireland. She completed Pediatric Neurology training at UBC followed by an epilepsy fellowship at The Children’s Hospital, Boston. In conjunction with colleagues in Pediatric Neurosurgery, she established the Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Program at BC Children’s Hospital in 1994. In 2012, she established the second Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Clinic in Canada.

Her clinical and research interests include the role of epilepsy surgery in children, psychiatric co-morbidity in children with epilepsy, tuberous sclerosis complex, Dravet syndrome and telemedicine management for epilepsy.

She was President of the Canadian Association of Child Neurology from 2009-2011. She is Co-Chair of the Canadian Pediatric Epilepsy Network and Chair of the Pediatric Content Committee of the American Epilepsy Society. She received the Clinical Practice and Advocacy Award from the Canadian League Against Epilepsy in 2015 and the inaugural Dr. Parminder Singh Award of Distinction from the BC Pediatric Society in 1995.

Dr. Hrazdil completed medical school at the University of Alberta, following which she moved to Vancouver to perform her Adult Neurology Residency Training through the University of British Columbia (UBC). She then completed a Fellowship in Epilepsy and Electroencephalography at the University of Calgary, where she worked with Dr. Sam Wiebe, a world leader in Epilepsy and the current President of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE). She then moved back to British Columbia as a UBC Division of Neurology Clinical Assistant Professor and member of the Vancouver General Hospital Epilepsy program. She has been a national examiner for the Canadian Society of Neurophysiologists. Her research interests and related publications have spanned such topics as non-convulsive status epilepticus, validation of an epilepsy surgical evaluation decision making tool, and patient/physician perceptions of epilepsy surgery. Some of her clinical interests include: epilepsy surgical evaluation, autoimmune encephalitis, women’s issues in epilepsy, epilepsy-related driving implications, and epilepsy pediatric transition. She has been a member of the BC Epilepsy Society Professional Advisory Committee since starting her practice in 2012, and remains committed to advocating for improved resources and quality of life for patients with Epilepsy living in British Columbia.

Dr. Datta is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and is also Board Certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, in both Child Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology. She obtained her MD from the University of Saskatchewan, and completed her Pediatric Neurology residency at the University of Alberta. She then went on to an Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital – Harvard University. Prior to joining BC Children’s Hospital, she served as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Neurology at both the University of Saskatchewan and University of Calgary. She has served on Medical School admission committees and is presently a national examiner for the Canadian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology. She is currently program director of the epilepsy fellowship training program. Her primary clinical interest is epilepsy and its surgical management. She is also involved in the Tuberous Sclerosis Clinic and is part of the Ketogenic Diet team. Her research interests include clinical epilepsy, neurophysiology and neuropsychological outcomes. She has authored peer reviewed publications and book chapters in these areas.

Dr. Tan is a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist with the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology with specialized clinical expertise in neuropsychological assessment of individuals with complex medical conditions such as epilepsy. She currently practices as a Registered Psychologist in the Epilepsy Program at Vancouver General Hospital, and is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Division of Neurology at the University of British Columbia. In addition to her clinical and supervisory duties, Dr. Tan also serves as a reviewer for neuropsychology journals. She has published numerous research articles and book chapters on neuropsychological issues in complex medical and psychological conditions. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with Neuropsychology Specialization from the University of Victoria, Canada, completed her pre-doctoral residency at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University Clinical Psychology Training Consortium, and her post-doctoral clinical fellowship at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital, USA.

Dr. Huh graduated from Medical School at the University of Ottawa and then completed Pediatrics residency (Memorial University) and Pediatric Neurology Fellowship at UBC. She completed her Epilepsy Fellowship at Yale University and is now an Assistant Clinical Professor at the British Columbia Children’s Hospital (BCCH). She currently serves as the director of the BCCH Ketogenic Diet program and the UBC Pediatric Neurology residency program. Dr. Huh’s areas of special interest include medical education, Critical Care EEG Monitoring, epilepsy surgery and the Ketogenic Diet. She joined the BC Epilepsy Society PAC in 2008 and has been working to assist the society to support the families living with epilepsy.

Dr. Percy completed an undergraduate degree in biology at the University of New Brunswick and medical school at Dalhousie University. She completed her neurology residency training at the University of British Columbia followed by a two-year Clinical Neurophysiology and Epilepsy fellowship at Yale University in Connecticut. She then moved back to Vancouver to join the Epilepsy Program at Vancouver General Hospital as a Clinical Assistant Professor. Her research interests include epilepsy surgery outcomes and neurostimulation modalities or refractory epilepsy. Her additional interests include optimizing distributed epilepsy care throughout the province, and critical care EEG monitoring. She joined the BC Epilepsy Society Professional Advisory Committee in 2020 to help advocate for additional supports and resources for patients with epilepsy and their families in British Columbia.

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Dr. Harjinder Parwana is a Clinical Pharmacotherapeutic Specialist working with the Neurology team at Jim Pattison Outpatient Surgery and Care Centre. She first completed her Bachelor’s of Science in Pharmacy at UBC in 2002 and then went on to do a residency with Vancouver General Hospital’s Pharmacy Residency Program, graduating in 2003. After several years of practice and working as chair of the Programs Committee with Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists of B.C., she went back to complete her Post Baccalaureate Doctorate of Pharmacy at UBC in 2008. She has since worked in a variety of clinical settings including neurocritical care, ICU, stroke and CCU. She has now transitioned to outpatient care of neurology patients since 2021 and has recently joined BCES in 2022. She brings an understanding of acute care and community care needs of epilepsy patients and hopes to be able to advocate for the needs of her patients.

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Jocelyn started working at BC Children’s Hospital on the Neurosciences ward in 2016. While working in this position she was the chair of the professional practice group, helped to train and mentor students and new grads, and earned a nursing specialty certificate from SickKids Hospital. In 2020 she started working as a Nurse Clinician in the Neurology Clinic as the outreach nurse and Epilepsy Monitoring Unit coordinator.

Jocelyn joined the PAC in 2021. She is passionate about advocating for equitable care and resources for patients across the province and providing education to patients and families.