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Friday, September 7, 2012

2L Bryn Esplin Receives Early Career Scholar in Neuroethics Award

The Boyd School of Law is very pleased to announced that second-year law student Bryn Esplin will present her work, "Identical Prescriptions, Disparate Treatment: Anticonvulsant Usage in Frontal Lobe Epilepsy and Bipolar I Disorder," at the International Neuroethics Conference ("Brain Matters 3: Values at the Crossroads of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Psychology") at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 24-25, 2012. Ms. Esplin also received the Early Career Scholar in Neuroethics Award for her submission.

Brain Matters 3 follows in the tradition of the two previous Brain Matters conferences in fostering further development in the field of Neuroethics. The primary themes of this year's conference include ethical dilemmmas in the treatment and research of conditions with neurological symptomatology without identifiable biological correlates/causes. Ms. Esplin's submission discusses advances in neuroscience and emergent legislation that affect the diagnosis and subsequent treatment of Frontal Lobe Epilepsy (FLE) and Bipolar I Disorder (BID). Focusing on Lamictal, an anticonvulsant, which is highly effective for both FLE and BID, Ms. Esplin's work shows how access to Lamictal as well as public perception of its consumers differ. Ms. Esplin concludes that, working in tandem, breakthroughs in neuroscience and legislative interventions can enhance understanding and access to care, helping to dismantle persistent stigma. Ms. Esplin's work is an outgrowth of a directed research project supervised by Professor Stacey Tovino.

Congratulations, Bryn!