MARGARET P. JACOBS

Program Director for Epilepsy, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

National Institutes of Health

Bethesda, Maryland

Margaret Jacobs has been at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) since 1990. In her current position as Program Director for Epilepsy, she is responsible for identifying research issues critical to NINDS and for administering the Institute’s epilepsy grant portfolio. Attracting young investigators to the challenges of epilepsy research and encouraging collaborations between clinicians and basic scientists are particular areas of emphasis. Ms. Jacobs was introduced to the epilepsy field in 1977, at the Minnesota Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, where she was Research Coordinator until joining the NINDS. Ms. Jacobs has served on the Long Range Planning, Research, Membership, Rules and Technology Committees of the American Epilepsy Society (AES) and writes the “NINDS Report” for the AES News. She is an adhoc member of the AES Genetics Taskforce, as well as a member of the Epilepsy Foundation’s (EF) Gene Discovery Project Advisory Committee. She also serves on the EF Professional Advisory Board as the liaison representative of NINDS. In addition, she is a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the AED Pregnancy Registry.