Ilo Leppik

Ilo Elmar Leppik
OccupationsNeurologist, author, and academic
Academic background
EducationB.Sc.
M.D.
Alma materHaverford College
University of Pennsylvania
Academic work
InstitutionsUniversity of Minnesota

Ilo Elmar Leppik is a neurologist, author, and academic. He is a professor at the University of Minnesota.

Leppik's research interests have included epilepsy, neuropharmacology, and electroencephalography. He is a recipient of the Penfield Award for Excellence from the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital and the William Lennox Award from the American Epilepsy Society. He served as the president of the American Epilepsy Society in 1994.

Education

Leppik earned a B.Sc. in chemistry from Haverford College in 1964, followed by an M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1968.[1]

Career

Leppik began his academic career at the University of Minnesota as an assistant professor of neurology in 1976 and was promoted to associate professor in 1980. In 1986, he was appointed clinical associate professor of pharmacy and later became professor of neurology in 1987, a role he held until 1989. From 1989, he worked as an adjunct professor of neurology and, from 2004, as a professor of pharmacy at the University of Minnesota.[1]

Earlier in his career, Leppik was a neurology resident at the University of Wisconsin from 1969 to 1970. Between 1970 and 1972, he worked as a neurologist and was later appointed chief of neurology in 1972 at Andrews Air Force Base. After his time in the Air Force, he became a resident at the Montreal Neurological Institute.[1] From 1986 to 2006, he was the founding and managing editor of Epilepsy Research.[2] He was president of the Central Society for Neurological Research from 1991 to 1992[1] and of the American Epilepsy Society in 1994.[3]

Research

Leppik's research has focused on clinical epilepsy, antiepileptic pharmacology, and the management of seizures in older adults. His worked on epilepsy in aging populations,[4] addressed treatment efficacy,[5] studied age-dependent mortality in status epilepticus,[6] examined diagnostic challenges,[7] and prescribing patterns of anticonvulsant medications.[8] He conducted clinical trials[9] evaluating the safety of antiepileptic drugs[10] and outlined standard diagnostic and treatment approaches in his book Contemporary Diagnosis and Management of the Patient with Epilepsy.[11] Additionally, he developed a cyclodextrin-based injectable formulation of carbamazepine.[12] Based on a rat study with Sherwin, he also reported no potentiation of anticonvulsant activity between phenobarbital and diphenylhydantoin.[13]

Leppik's pharmacoepidemiologic studies have documented the use of older antiepileptic drugs in the elderly,[14] examined nursing-home populations, highlighting increased epilepsy prevalence,[15] and addressed polypharmacy and drug-interaction risks, particularly those associated with phenytoin.[16] His work also contributed to the evaluation of medical cannabis in epilepsy, including policy development in Minnesota and consideration of veterinary applications.[17] Furthermore, in epilepsy management, he identified antiepileptic drugs with stable clearance, limited enzyme interactions, and low neurotoxicity as preferable options.[18]

Awards and honors

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Ilo Leppik, MD". University of Minnesota. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Epilepsy Research - editorial board - previous editors". ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier. May 20, 2026. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Past Presidents". American Epilepsy Society. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  4. ↑ Dumurgier, J.; Tzourio, C. (2020). "Epidemiology of neurological diseases in older adults". Revue Neurologique. 176 (9): 642–648. doi:10.1016/j.neurol.2020.01.356. PMID 32145981.
  5. ↑ Perucca, Emilio (1996). "The new generation of antiepileptic drugs: advantages and disadvantages". British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. 42 (5): 534. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2125.1996.tb00107.x. PMID 8951184.
  6. ↑ Derex, Laurent; Rheims, Sylvain; Peter-Derex, Laure (2021). "Seizures and epilepsy after intracerebral hemorrhage: an update". Journal of Neurology. 268 (7): 2605–2615. arXiv:2212.14588. doi:10.1007/s00415-021-10439-3. PMID 33569652.
  7. ↑ Moura, Lidia M. V. R.; Smith, Jason R.; Blacker, Deborah; Vogeli, Christine; Schwamm, Lee H.; Cole, Andrew J.; Hernandez-Diaz, Sonia; Hsu, John (2019). "Epilepsy Among Elderly Medicare Beneficiaries: A Validated Approach to Identify Prevalent and Incident Epilepsy". Medical Care. 57 (4): 318–324. doi:10.1097/MLR.0000000000001072. ISSN 1537-1948. PMC 6417929. PMID 30762723.
  8. ↑ Lee, Richard H.; Lyles, Kenneth W.; Colón-Emeric, Cathleen (2010). "A review of the effect of anticonvulsant medications on bone mineral density and fracture risk". The American Journal of Geriatric Pharmacotherapy. 8 (1): 34–46. doi:10.1016/j.amjopharm.2010.02.003. ISSN 1876-7761. PMC 3570810. PMID 20226391.
  9. ↑ Lattanzi, Simona; Cagnetti, Claudia; Foschi, Nicoletta; Ciuffini, Roberta; Osanni, Elisa; et al. (2021). "Adjunctive Perampanel in Older Patients With Epilepsy: A Multicenter Study of Clinical Practice". Drugs & Aging. 38 (7): 606–607. doi:10.1007/s40266-021-00865-3. PMC 8266697. PMID 34075567.
  10. ↑ O'Dwyer, Rebecca; Stern, Sean; Wade, Clarence T.; Guggilam, Anuradha; Rosenfeld, William E. (2024). "Safety and Efficacy of Cenobamate for the Treatment of Focal Seizures in Older Patients: Post Hoc Analysis of a Phase III, Multicenter, Open-Label Study". Drugs & Aging. 41 (3): 255. doi:10.1007/s40266-024-01102-3. PMC 10925560. PMID 38446341.
  11. ↑ "Contemporary diagnosis and management of the patient with epilepsy". WorldCat. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Parenteral carbamazepine formulation". google patents. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  13. ↑ Urbafiska, Ewa; Dziki, Marek; Kleinrok, Zdzislaw; Czuczwar, Stanislaw J.; Turski, Waldemar A. (1991). "Influence of MK-801 on the anticonvulsant activity of antiepileptics". European Journal of Pharmacology. 200 (2–3): 281. doi:10.1016/0014-2999(91)90582-B. PMID 1782990.
  14. ↑ Loring, David W.; Marino, Susan; Meador, Kimford J. (2007). "Neuropsychological and Behavioral Effects of Antiepilepsy Drugs". Neuropsychology Review. 17 (4): 414. doi:10.1007/s11065-007-9043-9. ISSN 1573-6660. PMID 17943448.
  15. ↑ Sen, Arjune; Jette, Nathalie; Husain, Masud; Sander, Josemir W (2020). "Epilepsy in older people". The Lancet. 395 (10225): 735–748. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(19)33064-8. PMID 32113502.
  16. ↑ VÉLEZ, LOURDES; SELWA, LINDA M. (2003). "Seizure Disorders in the Elderly". American Family Physician. 67 (2): 330. PMID 12562154.
  17. ↑ "Pot pill for epilepsy could help dogs, too". The Bulletin. November 13, 2016. p. 32. Retrieved December 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ Sahebjam, Solmaz; McNamara, Mairead; Mason, Warren P. (2012). "Management of glioblastoma in the elderly". Clinical Advances in Hematology & Oncology: H&O. 10 (6): 384. ISSN 1543-0790. PMID 22895239.
  19. ↑ "RESIDENT STAFF—JULY 1975 THROUGH JUNE 1976" (PDF). McGill University's Digital Library. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Report of the Director" (PDF). McGill University Library. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  21. ↑ "Awardees". American Epilepsy Society. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Statute of the medal". Estonian Neuroscience Society. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
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