Children's Hospital at Dartmouth (CHaD)

Gregory L. Holmes, M.D.

Gregory L. Holmes, M.D., Chair of the Department of Neurology at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) was recently named the 2009 Candlelight Honoree of the Epilepsy Foundation of Massachusetts and Rhode Island (EFMRI) during a ceremony at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge, Mass. Holmes was praised for his dedication and ongoing commitment to the epilepsy community, in particular, his longstanding leadership with Camp Wee Kan Tu in Massachusetts, a camp for children with epilepsy.

Holmes' involvement with the camp began when he was working at Children's Hospital in Boston. Though he joined the DHMC staff in 2002, he has continued to work at the camp as a volunteer physician each summer. During his introductory remarks, Andrew Blum, M.D., President of the Board of Directors of EFMRI, referred to Holmes as, "a true academic triple threat. By that, I mean he has throughout his career excelled clinically, excelled at research, and excelled in teaching."

Holmes in turn praised the epilepsy program at DHMC, founded by the late Peter D. Williamson, M.D., as being "translational research at its very best." The program is now directed by Barbara Jobst, M.D.

"We are unique here and nationally recognized for incorporating basic neuroscience into the clinical program," Holmes says. "We talk to each other; it is a rich collaboration between departments - neurosurgery, pediatrics, psychiatry and radiology - with no barriers." The program has outcome results that reflect the depth, breadth and strength of the department at DHMC.

Of his ongoing relationship with EMFRI and the camp, Holmes says, "There aren't many options for kids with epilepsy. This is a great organization with a lot of camaraderie and they are really committed to giving kids a normal camp experience." He adds that many children with epilepsy have never met other kids with epilepsy. He tells the story of playing basketball with a 7-year-old when another child had a grand mal seizure on the court. "The boy said, 'What's wrong with him?' He'd never seen someone have a seizure, and was not aware what his own seizures looked like."