Naoum Issa, MD, PhD is a neurologist specializing in the treatment of epilepsy. He works closely with patients to control their seizures and is passionate about offering advanced options for epilepsy that is resistant to anti-seizure medications.
Dr. Issa is the director of epilepsy research at the University of Chicago. His research focuses on detecting and diagnosing neurologic disorders using painless, electrophysiological techniques. He and his co-workers are developing ways to identify seizure footprints in deep brain structures without having to implant electrodes. Through collaborations with neuromuscular specialists, he is applying some of the same techniques used for seizure diagnosis to detect other neurological disorders like ALS.
Dr. Issa has published over 40 scientific papers and book chapters, is an associate editor for epilepsy at BMC-Neurology, and is a reviewer for multiple neurology and neuroscience journals. His work has appeared in journals such as Neurology, Journal of Neuroscience, Nature Protocols, and Neuron.
Dr. Issa directs the preclinical neurology education at the Pritzker School of Medicine and has been recognized for excellence in teaching with the L.D.H. Wood Preclerkship Teaching Award, the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award, and he was a faculty honoree of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society for clinical teaching.
University of Chicago
Chicago
- Epilepsy (CNP) Fellowship
2016
University of Chicago
Chicago
- Neurology Residency
2015
University of Chicago
NorthShore
- Internship (Medicine)
2012
University of California
San Francisco
- Postdoctoral Fellowship, Physiology
2001
University of Texas -- Southwestern
Dallas
MD - Medicine
1997
University of Texas -- Southwestern
Dallas
PhD - Neuroscience
1997
Southern Methodist University
Dallas
BS, BA - Chemistry, Biology
1989
Epileptiform activity and seizures in patients with COVID-19.
Santos de Lima F, Issa N, Seibert K, Davis J, Wlodarski R, Klein S, El Ammar F, Wu S, Rose S, Warnke P, Tao J. Epileptiform activity and seizures in patients with COVID-19. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2020 Nov 06.
PMID: 33158913
The clinical significance of small sharp spikes: A retrospective study of 909 patients in epilepsy monitoring unit.
Chen Z, Issa NP, Wu S, Liu X, Sun T, Bodnya J, Rose S, Tao JX. The clinical significance of small sharp spikes: A retrospective study of 909 patients in epilepsy monitoring unit. Epilepsy Res. 2020 Dec; 168:106477.
PMID: 33096313
Placing BETS on a spectrum of small sharp spikes.
Issa NP, Tao JX. Placing BETS on a spectrum of small sharp spikes. Clin Neurophysiol. 2020 Dec; 131(12):2910-2911.
PMID: 33023819
From computer vision to epilepsy, a comment on "The growth of cognition: Free energy minimization and the embryogenesis of cortical computation".
Issa NP. From computer vision to epilepsy, a comment on "The growth of cognition: Free energy minimization and the embryogenesis of cortical computation". Phys Life Rev. 2020 Aug 20.
PMID: 32883599
RTTBD-like activity in association with hippocampal ictal discharges in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy.
Sun T, Liu X, Issa NP, Rose S, Wu S, Wang Q, Martinez R, Towle VL, Jr DRN, Warnke P, Tao JX. RTTBD-like activity in association with hippocampal ictal discharges in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. Epileptic Disord. 2020 Aug 01; 22(4):462-472.
PMID: 32763870
Stereotactic laser anterior corpus callosotomy for Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.
Tao JX, Satzer D, Issa NP, Collins J, Wu S, Rose S, Henry J, Santos de Lima F, Nordli D, Warnke PC. Stereotactic laser anterior corpus callosotomy for Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Epilepsia. 2020 06; 61(6):1190-1200.
PMID: 32401350
Stereotactic laser interstitial thermal therapy for epilepsy associated with solitary and multiple cerebral cavernous malformations.
Satzer D, Tao JX, Issa NP, Chen Z, Wu S, Rose S, Collins J, Awad IA, Warnke PC. Stereotactic laser interstitial thermal therapy for epilepsy associated with solitary and multiple cerebral cavernous malformations. Neurosurg Focus. 2020 04 01; 48(4):E12.
PMID: 32234994
Prone position: An underrecognized and preventable risk for SUDEP.
Issa NP, Wu S, Rose S, Tao JX. Prone position: An underrecognized and preventable risk for SUDEP. Epilepsy Behav. 2020 03; 104(Pt A):106918.
PMID: 32058301
Reader response: Postconvulsive central apnea as a biomarker for sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP).
Rose S, Issa NP, Wu S, Liu X, Tao JX. Reader response: Postconvulsive central apnea as a biomarker for sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Neurology. 2019 12 03; 93(23):1020-1021.
PMID: 31792108
Interstitial Stereotactic Laser Anterior Corpus Callosotomy: A Report of 2 Cases with Operative Technique and Effectiveness.
Tao JX, Issa NP, Wu S, Rose S, Collins J, Warnke PC. Interstitial Stereotactic Laser Anterior Corpus Callosotomy: A Report of 2 Cases with Operative Technique and Effectiveness. Neurosurgery. 2019 09 01; 85(3):E569-E574.
PMID: 29982584
L.D.H. Wood Preclerkship Teaching Award – Pritzker School of Medicine
University of Chicago
2019
Faculty Honoree; Alpha Omega Alpha – Beta Chapter, Class of 2019
University of Chicago
2018
American Epilepsy Association EpiPORT Fellowship
American Epilepsy Society
2015 - 2016
Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award
University of Chicago
2015
Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow
University of Chicago
2003 - 2005