Epilepsy Center

Hackensack University Medical Center’s Epilepsy Center provides the most advanced care in Bergen County for hundreds of children and adults each year with epilepsy and non-epileptic seizures. Our center is accredited by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers as a Level IV Epilepsy Center—the highest level attainable and an indicator of comprehensive, high-quality care. When you or your child comes to our center, you can rest assured you will receive customized assessment and treatment from a compassionate team with many years of experience caring for people with seizures.

A Team of Experts

Our team includes over a dozen board-certified epileptologists (physicians with advanced training in the care of people with seizures), epilepsy surgeons, dedicated Magnet^®-designated nurses, video EEG technologists (electroencephalography, a brain wave test for monitoring epilepsy), registered dietitians, and other hospital staff who provide services, such as social workers. A neuropsychologist and counseling psychologists are important members of the team, particularly for patients with non-epileptic seizures, whose condition can cause significant disability. You can receive all the care you need in one medical center.

Robert Connors, MD, is an epileptologist and general neurologist who cares for adult and pediatric patients with epilepsy and other seizure disorders. He provides high-quality surgical and non-surgical epilepsy care in the northern New Jersey area that is smart, sensible, and kind. He received his medical degree from Vanderbilt University, did his neurology residency at New York University, and completed a fellowship in clinical neurophysiology and epilepsy at Columbia University.  He is currently an assistant professor of neurology at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University. Dr. Connors is board-certified in Neurology, Clinical Neurophysiology, and Epilepsy by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He has published multiple peer-reviewed research articles and was awarded a training grant by the Epilepsy Foundation of America during his fellowship to study the utility of digital signal processing in epilepsy surgery, which remains a special interest. He is a member of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Epilepsy Society.

Eric Segal, MD is an epileptologist with particular expertise in difficult-to-treat epilepsy. He is very experienced in and has published research on rare neurological syndromes such as Dravet, Lennox-Gastaut, Sturge-Weber, and tuberous sclerosis complex. Dr. Segal is actively involved in developing new therapies for epilepsy. When medications are not effective, he regularly utilizes ketogenic diet, epilepsy surgery, and neuromodulation to improve seizures and patients’ quality of life.

He received his medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine where he also completed his pediatric residency. Dr. Segal completed his neurology training at Columbia University Medical Center and neurophysiology at Harvard’s Boston Children’s Hospital. He holds board certifications in Neurology, Clinical Neurophysiology, and Epilepsy. He is also Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Rutgers University and Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

Dr. Segal is on the boards of several epilepsy-focused nonprofit organizations, including New Jersey’s Family Resource Network and the Epilepsy Foundation of Northeastern New York.

Dr. Elizabeth Kera practices neuropsychology in the Department of Neurology and Neuroscience Institute of Hackensack University Medical Center. Dr. Kera obtained her BA in Psychology as an Honors Scholar at New York University in 2000. In 2006, she completed her PhD in neuropsychology at the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York. She completed her internship in neuropsychology at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, and a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in neuropsychology at Children’s Specialized Hospital of New Jersey. Dr. Kera has co-authored numerous publications and presented on a variety of topics in neuropsychology and is active in several neuropsychological organizations. She specializes in the neuropsychological assessment of both pediatric and adult populations, focusing on conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, concussion, traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, and stroke. Combining her extensive expertise in neuropsychology, neuroscience, and developmental psychology, Dr. Kera partners with patients, their families, and other healthcare professionals to provide a comprehensive assessment of cognitive functioning, and to develop appropriate treatment and rehabilitation recommendations.

Dr. Brian Amorello is a licensed Counseling Psychologist in the Department of Neurology and the Neuroscience Institute of Hackensack University Medical Center.  He earned a BA in psychology from Montclair State University and an MA in Counseling at Seton Hall University, then became a Licensed Professional Counselor.  In 2016, he completed a PhD in Counseling Psychology at Seton Hall University, including an internship accredited by the American Psychological Association at the University at Buffalo and a fellowship at the University of the Sciences Student Health and Counseling in Philadelphia. He serves on the faculty of the Department of Neurology at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University.  Dr. Amorello has presented his research at state and national conferences, and has chaired various psychological organizations around New Jersey.  He specializes in working with individuals across the life span with a variety of mental health concerns, including depression and anxiety.  His work is grounded in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness, and he works with patients and their families to develop treatment goals that help patients optimize their quality of life, emotional wellbeing, and health behavior. Dr. Amorello is excited to work with the team at the Neuroscience Institute, because patients’ physical and psychological needs are best served by a collaborative interprofessional approach. He believes that strong relationships with patients, families, and healthcare professionals provide individuals with the opportunity to achieve both physical and mental health.